Getting a ChatGPT at capacity error? Tips on how to get past it

So you tried to use ChatGPT and it's at capacity? Join the club.

Ever since OpenAI's chatbot technology took the world by storm, everyone is curious about experimenting with the sophisticated AI language model. Because ChatGPT has been so inundated with requests, users are finding that it's often at capacity. Technically speaking, the servers can only handle a certain volume of requests and the computing power required is expensive. How expensive? Several cents per chat, which is "eye-watering" according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Luckily, waiting an hour or so and trying again works. But if you need ChatGPT and you need it now, there are some ways to try and get access. Read on.

Check server outages

First things first, check to see if you're getting an error because a server is down. At the very least, this will help you pinpoint whether you can't get access because ChatGPT is at capacity or because of a server outage. Use Downdetector (which shares the same parent company as Mashable) or OpenAI's own status tool.

Refresh the page

Not to sound like the classic tech support meme, but have you tried refreshing the page? Seriously though, this has been working for people. Refreshing ChatGPT signals a new request to the server which might bump you to the front of the line — much like hanging up if you've been on hold for a while and calling back again.

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Log out and log back in

Like refreshing the page, logging out of ChatGPT and logging back in creates a new signal request to the server, which might be enough to get the platform's attention.

Use a VPN or incognito mode

You might have trouble getting access to ChatGPT because the IP address you're using. Changing your IP address will ping a different server, which might have different server capacity. Another method with a similar effect is going incognito on your browser.

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Try outside of peak hours

ChatGPT often reaches capacity because everyone is trying to use it at the same time. A workaround would simply be to try and access ChatGPT during time outside of peak hours. Roughly, this translates to earlier in the morning or later at night in your time zone, when everyone isn't trying to use ChatGPT to summarize a book or ask it to write a cover letter.

Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus

Subscribers who pay for the premium version called ChatGPT Plus get availability even during high-demand periods, faster response speed, and access to new features. If you're desperate to use ChatGPT, you can shell out $20/month for the Plus subscription.

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If all else fails... try another AI language model

While ChatGPT is the AI darling of the moment, there are other large language models (LLMs) out there that have comparable levels of sophistication. Just ask Mashable's Tim Marcin who got a satisfactory response for a song about chicken wings in the style of The Beatles. You can read his full list of ChatGPT alternatives to try out.