ChatGPT Down: What Happened and How it Affected Users Globally

ChatGPT Down: What Happened and Who Was Affected?

Recently, users worldwide experienced a significant ChatGPT outage. The issues began around 2:36/3 AM ET on June 10, 2025, with reports of the service being largely unresponsive. This was a truly global outage, impacting individuals and businesses across various regions, including widespread reports from the US, Canada, and Australia. The initial signs of ChatGPT down included error messages and failures to load, signaling a widespread disruption to the popular AI service that many rely on daily.

Beyond the Chatbot: Were Other OpenAI Tools Affected?

The disruption wasn't confined solely to the conversational AI. During the period when ChatGPT down reports were surging, it was confirmed that the outage extended to other services offered by the company. Specifically, OpenAI's text-to-video AI tool also experienced problems, leading to a noted Sora outage. OpenAI acknowledged that issues were impacting multiple OpenAI tools down, indicating a broader technical problem within their infrastructure, not just affecting the primary chatbot service.

User Reports: What Specific Issues Were People Facing?

During the ChatGPT outage, user reports across platforms like Reddit and X highlighted a range of specific problems. Many encountered the dreaded "Hmm...something seems to have gone wrong" error message. Beyond outright failures, users also reported significant latency issues, with responses taking an unusually long time or not appearing at all. A frequent complaint detailed Read Aloud not working, often accompanied by a "Failed to play message error." Free account users seemed particularly affected initially, but power users also reported disruptions, including memory issues where ChatGPT failed to retain context, indicating widespread ChatGPT errors.

OpenAI's Response: Investigating and Mitigating Issues

OpenAI was quick to acknowledge the issues impacting their services. The official OpenAI status page was updated to reflect that they were investigating "elevated error rates and latency" affecting both ChatGPT and Sora. The public OpenAI response indicated their teams were actively working on the problem and implementing mitigation efforts to restore full functionality. While initial reports surfaced in the early morning ET, the issues persisted for several hours, with OpenAI providing updates on their progress throughout the day as they worked to resolve the widespread disruption impacting their users globally.

Why ChatGPT Downtime Impacts Daily Workflow

The recent ChatGPT downtime underscored how integral AI has become to many individuals' and businesses' daily operations. For professionals relying on the tool for coding assistance, content generation, data analysis, or brainstorming, an outage means significant workflow disruption. Heavy or power users who utilize ChatGPT for hours each day, sometimes developing a deep reliance on its capabilities, found their productivity severely hampered. This dependency highlights the real-world consequences when such a powerful AI tool becomes unavailable, affecting everything from simple queries to complex tasks and overall AI productivity.

Troubleshooting & Moving Forward After a ChatGPT Outage

When facing ChatGPT issues, there are a few steps users can take. The most reliable method is to check OpenAI status on their official status page, which provides real-time updates on service performance. Downdetector is another useful third-party resource for seeing if others are reporting similar problems. It's important to remember that transient server-side issues can occur. Basic Troubleshooting ChatGPT at your end might involve checking your network connection or browser extensions, though often, during a widespread outage, the issue lies with OpenAI's servers. Consulting the OpenAI Help Center can also offer general guidance.