ChatGPT breaks in very specific, frustrating ways. And because the error messages are usually garbage – “Something went wrong,” “Network error,” a blank screen with a spinning cursor – it’s hard to know if you’re dealing with a server outage, a browser issue, an account problem, or something else entirely.

Here’s what actually fixes them.

1. First: Check if ChatGPT is Down

Before you do anything else, go to status.openai.com.

I mean it. Do this first. The status page shows real-time uptime for ChatGPT, the API, Codex, and other services separately (Source) – so you can see exactly what’s degraded.

If the status page shows an incident: stop. There’s nothing you can do on your end. No browser fix, no cache clear, no account action will resolve a server-side outage. You wait.

If the status page looks fine and you’re still having issues, keep reading.

2. ChatGPT Stuck on Loading Screen

You open ChatGPT, the page loads, but the interface just… sits there. Spinner going, nothing happening.

Start with incognito mode – it bypasses extensions and cached data instantly. If ChatGPT loads fine in incognito, the problem is either a browser extension or corrupted cached data.

Browser cache fix:

  1. Chrome: check “Cookies and other site data” → select “All time” → Delete data (Source)
  2. Then hard refresh

If it still doesn’t load after a cache clear, try a completely different browser.

Extensions to disable if you’re troubleshooting: any ad blocker (uBlock Origin, AdBlock), privacy extensions (Privacy Badger), and any VPN browser extensions. These can all interfere with ChatGPT’s real-time streaming.

3. ChatGPT Error: ‘Something Went Wrong’

The vaguest error message in tech.

Most common cause: a failed request mid-stream. The fix is almost always a hard page reload and starting a new conversation – not refreshing the same broken one. ChatGPT conversations can get into a broken state where every message in that thread returns an error, but a fresh conversation works fine.

If the error persists across new conversations:

  • Clear your browser cache (see above)
  • Try incognito
  • Try a different browser
  • Log out completely and log back in – not just a page refresh, an actual sign-out from chat.openai.com

This error also spikes during high-traffic periods even when the official status page shows green. If you’re seeing “Something went wrong” repeatedly and nothing else fixes it, search for user reports on outage-tracking sites. If others are hitting the same thing, it’s a server issue and waiting is the only fix.

4. ChatGPT Not Responding or Freezing Mid-Conversation

You send a message, the cursor blinks, and then… nothing. Or it starts responding and stops dead mid-sentence.

This is usually a session timeout or a network hiccup. The fix:

  1. Refresh the page
  2. If you had a long conversation going, start a new one. Long threads slow ChatGPT down and increase the chance of timeouts.
  3. If the response stopped mid-sentence, you can ask ChatGPT to “continue” or “keep going” – it’ll pick up from where it left off most of the time.

If freezing is constant across conversations: your network connection might be dropping packets intermittently. ChatGPT uses streaming, which is sensitive to connection instability. A VPN can also cause this. Disconnect your VPN and see if it improves.

One underrated fix: switch to a wired connection if you’re on Wi-Fi and experiencing consistent freezing.

5. ChatGPT Login Loop or Can’t Sign In

You click “Log in,” enter your credentials, it redirects you back to the login page.

Auth loops are almost always a cookie or session issue.

The fix sequence:

  1. Clear all cookies for openai.com and chatgpt.com specifically (not all cookies – just OpenAI’s)
  2. Try incognito mode to confirm it’s a cookie issue
  3. If you use a Google or Microsoft account to sign in, make sure you’re actually signed into that account in the same browser session
  4. If you enabled 2FA recently: double-check your authenticator app is giving current codes, not expired ones
  5. Last resort: try the “Forgot password?” flow even if you remember your password – sometimes forcing a password reset clears stuck auth state

If you’re using a work or school email, your organization may have blocked access to OpenAI services entirely. Check with your IT department if you’re on a managed device.

6. ChatGPT Giving Wrong or Outdated Answers

This isn’t technically broken – it’s working as designed, which can be more frustrating.

ChatGPT has a knowledge cutoff. The default model for Free users is GPT-5.6 Luna; Plus users get GPT-5.6 Sol. Both have training data that ends at a fixed point, so anything recent they either don’t know or will hallucinate with confidence.

If you need current information: web search is built in across all plans now. Free users have it. For more demanding research, the Think button on Free and Medium/High reasoning options on Plus add a reasoning pass before answering.

For factual questions about recent events, I’d honestly rather use Perplexity AI than ChatGPT – it’s purpose-built for real-time research with citations.

If ChatGPT is giving confidently wrong answers about stable topics (not current events): that’s hallucination. It happens more with obscure topics, math, and code. Cross-reference important outputs. Don’t trust it blindly for anything where being wrong has consequences.

7. ChatGPT Plus Features Not Showing

Plus features aren’t showing – GPT-5.6 Sol, higher limits, or other paid capabilities.

First check: go to chat.openai.com and open Settings → My Plan. It should show your subscription tier.

Billing issues:

  • Open ChatGPT Settings → Billing and check if your payment method is current (note: this is separate from platform.openai.com, which is for API billing only)
  • If your card expired, update it and reactivate the subscription

Features visible but broken: Log out, log back in.

Wrong account: This sounds obvious but it happens – make sure you’re logged into the account that has the Plus subscription, not a second account you created.

If billing looks fine and you’re still on Free: OpenAI support is reachable via help.openai.com. Their chat support is slow but they do resolve billing issues.

8. ChatGPT GPTs or Plugins Not Working

OpenAI announced in September 2026 that custom GPTs are being retired and migrated to the new plugin system (launched July 2026). If you’re hitting GPT errors, that context matters.

Custom GPT issues:

  • The GPT might be temporarily unavailable because its creator took it down or made changes
  • Try refreshing the GPT page directly and starting a new conversation
  • If a custom GPT has a broken action (API call to an external service), the external service might be down – not ChatGPT itself
  • If a GPT you relied on suddenly stops working entirely, it may have been retired as part of the migration to plugins. Check the Plugin Directory for an equivalent.

A new Plugin Directory launched in July 2026 to replace both the App Directory and eventually custom GPTs. If you’re looking for a tool you used previously, search the Plugin Directory.

As of May 2026, canvas was removed from ChatGPT’s main models. Writing and coding features now appear directly in the conversation as writing blocks and code blocks. If you’re expecting a split-view canvas panel and it isn’t showing up, that’s why. It’s not a bug.

One thing that causes weird conversation behavior: if ChatGPT’s memory has outdated or conflicting information, responses start feeling off. Go to Settings → Personalization → Memory → Manage Memory to review and clear saved memories. This resolves more issues than people expect.

9. ChatGPT Slow Responses

ChatGPT is slower during peak hours. Full stop.

Free plan users get throttled during high demand. If you’re on Free and ChatGPT is consistently slow, it’s partially by design.

Other causes of slow responses:

  • Long conversations: The longer your thread, the more context ChatGPT has to process.
  • Complex tasks: Image generation, code interpreter, and web search all add latency.
  • Your network: Slow responses can look like ChatGPT being slow when it’s actually your connection buffering the streamed output. Test your internet speed at fast.com.

10. ChatGPT App Not Working on Mobile

The iOS and Android apps have their own issues separate from the web version.

App crashing or not loading:

  1. Force-close the app and reopen it – not just swipe away, full force-close
  2. Check for app updates in the App Store or Play Store. OpenAI pushes updates frequently and old versions sometimes break.
  3. Check your phone’s storage. Apps get weird when storage is full.
  4. If it’s still broken: uninstall and reinstall. On mobile, this usually fixes issues that persist through updates.

Audio / voice mode not working: Make sure you’ve granted the ChatGPT app microphone permission. On Android: Settings → Apps → ChatGPT → Permissions → Microphone.

Mobile web fallback: If the app is completely broken and you need ChatGPT now, chat.openai.com works.

If you’ve worked through all 10 of these and ChatGPT still isn’t working, compare it with Claude or Gemini to see if the issue is AI-tool-specific or something in your setup. Sometimes the fastest fix is just using a different tool while OpenAI sorts itself out.

ChatGPT’s reliability has gotten better over the years but it’s still not perfect.

FAQ

Why is ChatGPT not working right now?
The most common cause is a server-side outage. Check status.openai.com first – if there’s an active incident, nothing you do on your end will fix it. If the status page looks fine, try a hard refresh, clear your browser cache, or open an incognito window.
How do I fix the ChatGPT 'Something went wrong' error?
Start a brand new conversation – don’t refresh the broken one. If that doesn’t work, clear your browser cache, try incognito mode, or log out and back in. This error also spikes during high-traffic periods even when the official status page shows green.
ChatGPT is stuck on the loading screen -- what do I do?
This is almost always a browser issue. Try incognito mode first – it bypasses extensions and cached data. If it loads there, disable your browser extensions (especially ad blockers and VPNs) or clear your browser cache. If still stuck, try a different browser entirely.
Why are my ChatGPT Plus features not showing?
Check your subscription status in ChatGPT Settings → Billing. If billing looks fine, log out and log back in.
Is ChatGPT down or is it just me?
Go to status.openai.com for the official status. For real-time user reports that sometimes lag the official page, search ‘ChatGPT down’ on outage-tracking sites. If others are reporting issues and the status page still shows green, an incident is likely in progress but not yet acknowledged.