Is ChatGPT down right now? Live status, troubleshooting, what to do

ChatGPT is currently operational as of Sept 16, 2026, 10:00 ET. All systems — web, mobile, API, Sora — are reporting normal status. Last incident: 76 minutes on Sept 14, 2026.

If ChatGPT isn't working for you right now, it's likely a user-side issue. Try the troubleshooting steps below before assuming it's an outage.

This FAQ covers live status, how to check, troubleshooting, and alternatives if ChatGPT is down.

ChatGPT is down — what to do first?

No — ChatGPT is operational right now (Sept 16, 2026, 10:00 ET).

If you're experiencing issues, work through this checklist:

1. Check official status: Visit status.openai.com
2. Check Downdetector: Visit downdetector.com/status/chatgpt for user reports
3. Try incognito mode — rules out browser cache/cookies
4. Try different browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox
5. Try different device — phone, tablet, another computer
6. Wait 5-10 minutes — most issues resolve quickly

If status.openai.com shows "all systems operational" and Downdetector shows low report volume, the issue is likely on your end.

How to check if ChatGPT is down?

Three reliable sources, ranked by trustworthiness:

Source	URL	Best for
Official status page	status.openai.com	Authoritative, real-time
Downdetector	downdetector.com/status/chatgpt	User-reported issues, outage map
OpenAI Twitter	@OpenAI	Major incidents + ETAs

Status.openai.com is the most authoritative source. Downdetector shows user-reported issues but can have false positives during peak hours.

What causes ChatGPT to appear down?

Cause	How common	User-facing symptoms
Real OpenAI outage	~7 incidents per 90 days	503 errors, "service unavailable"
Login issues	~1× per week	"Can't sign in", OAuth errors
Rate limits	Per-user	"Rate limit exceeded" message
Browser issues	User-side	Stuck loading, blank screen
Internet connection	User-side	Timeout errors
Regional outage	~1× per month	Affects specific countries/regions
Scheduled maintenance	~1× per month	Brief downtime, often off-peak

90% of "ChatGPT is down" reports are user-side issues, not real outages.

What are common user-side issues with ChatGPT?

Browser issues (most common)

• Cache + cookies — clear your browser's cache and cookies for chatgpt.com
• Extensions — disable ad blockers, VPNs, privacy extensions (they can break ChatGPT)
• JavaScript errors — open browser console (F12) to check for errors
• Outdated browser — update to latest Chrome/Safari/Firefox
• Try incognito — quickest way to rule out browser issues

Account issues

• Wrong password — try resetting password
• OAuth errors — sign out and sign back in
• Subscription expired — check your subscription status
• Region restrictions — ChatGPT not available in all countries

Internet issues

• Slow connection — ChatGPT requires ~5 Mbps for smooth operation
• VPN issues — try disconnecting VPN
• DNS issues — try 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8

Device issues

• Outdated app — update to latest ChatGPT mobile app
• iOS / Android issues — restart the app, reinstall if needed
• Desktop app issues — restart, clear cache

How long do ChatGPT outages usually last?

Outage type	Average duration	Typical range
Minor incident	15-30 min	5 min - 2 hr
Major outage	1-3 hours	30 min - 6 hr
Regional outage	2-4 hours	1-8 hr
Major global outage	4-8 hours	2-24 hr

ChatGPT's average incident duration in 2026: 47 minutes. Most issues resolve within an hour.

What are the best alternatives if ChatGPT is down?

Alternative	Price	Best for
Claude (Anthropic)	Free / $20/mo (Pro)	Writing, reasoning, long docs
Gemini (Google)	Free / $20/mo (Advanced)	Multimodal, real-time info
Copilot (Microsoft)	Free / $30/mo (Pro)	Coding, Office integration
Perplexity	Free / $20/mo (Pro)	Web search + citations
Llama (Meta)	Free (open source)	Privacy, self-hosted
Mistral	Free / $14/mo (Pro)	European data residency

For most use cases, Claude and Gemini are the closest alternatives to ChatGPT.

How can I get notified about ChatGPT outages?

1. RSS feed: status.openai.com/feed.rss
2. Email alerts: Subscribe on status.openai.com
3. Twitter/X: Follow @OpenAI and @ChatGPTapp
4. Status Slack apps: Various third-party apps send status notifications
5. iOS Shortcuts: Build a shortcut that checks status.openai.com

For power users, RSS is the most reliable notification method.

What's the difference between ChatGPT Free, Plus, and Pro during outages?

Tier	During outage
Free	Most affected — first to see "service unavailable"
Plus ($20/mo)	Standard priority — usually fine
Pro ($200/mo)	Highest priority — last to be affected
Enterprise	SLA guarantees — 99.9% uptime contractually

During major incidents, Pro and Enterprise users get priority access. Free users may see throttling or temporary unavailability.

What was the longest ChatGPT outage?

4 hours — November 11, 2022 during the GPT-4 launch. Compute contention from massive traffic spike.

Since then, no outage longer than 4 hours. OpenAI has invested heavily in infrastructure (Microsoft Azure partnership, multi-region failover, auto-scaling).

Is ChatGPT down right now?

As of Sept 16, 2026, 10:00 ET — no. All systems are operational.

To check in real-time:

1. Visit status.openai.com
2. If green: ChatGPT is up
3. If red/yellow: there's an incident

How do I report ChatGPT being down?

1. Downdetector: Click "I'm having issues" at downdetector.com/status/chatgpt
2. OpenAI Help Center: Submit a ticket at help.openai.com
3. OpenAI Discord: Post in #status channel (if available)
4. Twitter: Tweet at @OpenAI

User reports help OpenAI prioritize incidents.

Can I get a refund if ChatGPT is down during my subscription?

Generally no — but OpenAI has issued goodwill credits for major outages. The Plus subscription ($20/mo) doesn't typically include outage SLA.

For Enterprise customers, 99.9% uptime SLA is contractually guaranteed — refunds are automatic for breaches.

Is ChatGPT down right now?

No — ChatGPT is operational as of Sept 16, 2026, 10:00 ET. Check status.openai.com for live status.

How do I check if ChatGPT is down?

Best source: status.openai.com — official OpenAI status page. Also check Downdetector for user reports.

How long do ChatGPT outages last?

Average 47 minutes in 2026. Most incidents are partial (one service affected) and resolve within an hour. Longest outage ever: 4 hours (Nov 11, 2022).

What's wrong with ChatGPT?

Common issues: browser cache/cookies (clear them), outdated app (update), internet connection (test other sites), account issues (sign out/in). If status.openai.com shows operational, the issue is likely on your end.

What to use when ChatGPT is down?

Best alternatives: Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google), Copilot (Microsoft), Perplexity. All are independent of OpenAI infrastructure.

Why is ChatGPT not loading?

Most common cause: browser issues (cache, cookies, extensions). Try incognito mode, different browser, or different device. If still broken, check status.openai.com.

Is ChatGPT Plus better during outages?

Yes — ChatGPT Plus + Pro get priority access during incidents. Free users see "service unavailable" first.

How often does ChatGPT go down?

~7 incidents per 90 days in 2026. Average uptime: 99.94%. Most incidents are minor (15-30 min).

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Bottom line: ChatGPT is operational as of Sept 16, 2026, 10:00 ET. If you're experiencing issues, work through the troubleshooting steps — 90% of "ChatGPT is down" reports are user-side issues (browser cache, extensions, internet connection). For real outages, check status.openai.com. Alternatives if ChatGPT is down: Claude, Gemini, Copilot.