When ChatGPT won’t open, fails to send, or keeps spinning, don’t rush to reinstall. Follow this troubleshooting workflow in the order of “external status → network → browser → account” and you can usually pinpoint the issue. You can also use the same approach to handle most ChatGPT errors.
First, do three quick troubleshooting checks: status page, network, time
Step 1: Check whether the service is experiencing instability: open status.openai.com. If there’s an incident notice, troubleshooting should mainly focus on waiting for recovery. Step 2: Switch networks to verify—switch from Wi‑Fi to a mobile hotspot, or vice versa, to confirm whether your local network is blocking or dropping packets. Step 3: Correct your system time and time zone; incorrect time can cause login and request validation to fail, which is very common in troubleshooting.
Browser-side troubleshooting: cache, extensions, and login state
Most “Something went wrong” and “Network error” issues are related to the browser environment; for troubleshooting, try again in an incognito/private window first. If it works in incognito, clear the site data (cookies/cache) for chat.openai.com and log in again. Then disable extensions one by one—ad blockers, script managers, privacy/anti-tracking tools, etc.—as some extensions rewrite requests and cause ChatGPT message sending to fail.
Account and security restriction troubleshooting: verification, risk controls, and concurrency
If you’re prompted to verify, see “unusual activity detected,” or get stuck in repeated login redirects, focus troubleshooting on account security: switch to a stable network, avoid frequently changing IPs, and check whether two-factor authentication is enabled and whether backup codes are available. Don’t refresh frequently or send messages rapidly across multiple devices/browser tabs at the same time, as this can trigger temporary restrictions. If you’re sure the account is restricted, submit a ticket via the Help Center first; describing the trigger time, network environment, and including screenshots can significantly shorten the troubleshooting cycle.
Troubleshooting frequent requests and upload failures: rate limits, files, and session recovery
If you see “Too many requests” or sending gets stuck, pause for a few minutes and try again, and reduce concurrent actions (for example, generating in multiple chats at once). If file upload fails, first confirm the file format and size aren’t over the limit; then rename the file in English, remove special characters, and test with another browser to rule out local component issues. If generation is interrupted midway, copy what you’ve already written locally, refresh the page, and continue asking in the same session—this usually recovers without repeatedly creating new chats that introduce more troubleshooting noise.
