ChatGPT Web frequently shows “Unable to load GPT conversation” after the recent UI update

[14changk]

Following the recent web interface update, I am experiencing persistent issues with my conversation history. Previous chats are failing to load properly, often resulting in loading errors or the history failing to populate entirely in the sidebar. In addition to the history failures, standard UI navigation elements and browser shortcuts (such as opening chats in new tabs or standard hotkeys) are entirely broken.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Open chatgpt.com in the browser.
2. Attempt to click on or load an existing conversation from the sidebar history.
3. Observe the loading error or frozen interface.
4. Attempt to use standard navigation shortcuts (e.g., Ctrl+Click/Cmd+Click to open a chat in a new tab), which fail to respond.

Environment Information:

• Device / OS: [e.g., Windows 11, macOS Sequoia, iPhone 16]
• Browser: [e.g., Google Chrome Version 124, Safari, Firefox]
• Account Type: [Plus / Team / Enterprise / Free]
• Troubleshooting Tried: [e.g., Tested in Incognito mode / Cleared browser cache / Checked mobile app]

---

[GavinSkillGodAk]

Environment

• Surface: Web / Windows desktop app

• Browser or app version: Chromium-based browser / current ChatGPT desktop app

• Affected feature and model, if relevant: ChatGPT conversations, especially long-running tasks lasting around 20+ minutes

Bug

I’m a ChatGPT Plus user, and over the last couple of days I’ve been experiencing increasingly frequent failures on ChatGPT Web.

The issue started around the same time the new ChatGPT Web UI appeared. Before that, I rarely encountered this problem. Since the UI change, however, it has become much more frequent, especially during longer-running tasks.

During a conversation or a long-running task, the browser may first show:

ChatGPT stream recovery polling timed out

When I check the network/backend requests, I can see HTTP 429 responses.

After that, the ChatGPT Web interface may stop loading the conversation entirely and display:

“Unable to load GPT conversation”

Refreshing the page usually does not immediately fix it.

The ChatGPT desktop app also becomes unable to load the same conversation and shows the same or a very similar:

“Unable to load GPT conversation”

At around the same time, the ChatGPT app may also show:

“GPT Too Many Requests”

Because the issue appears across both Web and the desktop app, it does not look like a simple browser rendering or cache problem.

The service usually recovers after I stop using ChatGPT for several tens of minutes.

However, once I start another substantial task that runs for around 20 minutes or longer, the same failure pattern often returns.

This makes ChatGPT extremely difficult to use for serious work that requires sustained processing instead of short interactions.

What I expected was for long-running ChatGPT tasks and conversations to continue normally without the conversation becoming inaccessible or hitting repeated 429-related failures.

Reproduction

Steps or a minimal example prompt:

1. Open ChatGPT Web and start a normal conversation.

2. Ask ChatGPT to perform a substantial task that requires sustained work for around 20 minutes or longer.

3. Let the task continue normally.

4. After some time, the Web interface may show:

   ChatGPT stream recovery polling timed out

5. Network requests begin returning HTTP 429.

6. The ChatGPT Web conversation then becomes unavailable and shows:

   “Unable to load GPT conversation”

7. The ChatGPT desktop app may also fail to load the same conversation.

8. The app may show:

   “GPT Too Many Requests”

9. After waiting for several tens of minutes, access usually returns.

10. Starting another long-running task can eventually trigger the same cycle again.

This issue is most reproducible during tasks lasting 20+ minutes.

Diagnostics

Exact error or screenshot:

• ChatGPT stream recovery polling timed out

• HTTP 429 responses in network/backend requests

• “Unable to load GPT conversation” on ChatGPT Web

• “Unable to load GPT conversation” on the ChatGPT desktop app

• “GPT Too Many Requests” in the ChatGPT app

When it happened (with timezone) and how often:

• Started around the time the recent ChatGPT Web UI appeared.

• Became increasingly frequent over the last couple of days.

• Timezone: UTC+8

• Most reproducible during long-running tasks lasting around 20 minutes or more.

• After waiting for several tens of minutes, the service usually recovers temporarily, but the issue may return during another long-running task.

[AA8]

I’m having the same issue.

[ZAWARUDO]

I am having the same problem, check out the following too:

$200 ChatGPT Pro 20x - Hard usage limits appeared without advance notice

I am getting every kind of error message, instead of the “unlimited” service I am paying for: 1) “Our systems are thinking a bit more about this request before responding” [image] 2) “A network error occured. Please check your connection and try again” [image] 3) “Could not load this ChatGPT conversation”, “Try again”. [image] 4) And of course the infamous “Thinking failed”. [image] 5) “Too many requests” on Android App. [image] 6) OpenAI Support is avoiding questions regarding t…

[nathanielrhamrick]

Hi, I’m a developer but not associated with OpenAI.
According to what I see in the HARs… since the change, chatgpt servers are constantly spamming. Each request you do is now duplicated compared to before their change. This is especially true if you use a desktop OS browser.

Btw, this is called Rate Limiting. You’re being Rate Limited. The system thinks you’re spamming, even if you’re just doing normal work that you used to do. This could be due to:

1. A developer put the system in, didn’t test much, pushed it through.
2. OpenAI automated their security a bit and one of its jobs made rate limiting trigger faster in general.
3. A combination of 1&2.

Based on my experience it’s likely (3) because desktop OS browsers have been heavily neglected by the OpenAI team. I myself have repeatedly developed automated scripts to make the site work better in the browser without destroying my RAM. Luckily, they have recently implemented one of those changes, but it’s over 1.3 years past due at least, showing they have been mainly building new features rather than maintaining their systems.

In any case, the only way they’ll do anything about this is if you get a ton of “me too” flags. Good luck.

[Oridroo]

Environment

• Surface: Web / Windows/
• Browser or app version: Browser
• Affected feature and model, if relevant: Everything

Bug

What happened, and what did you expect?
The conversations are becoming inaccessible time and again.

Reproduction

Steps or a minimal example prompt: Tried refreshing the Chats, Opening a new one, nothing is helping.

Diagnostics

Exact error or screenshot:

When it happened (with timezone) and how often: Frequent

Firstly, the new Rollout was just awful. Even the in chat fonts and style has deteriorated. Now, it’s so clumsy and pain for eyes. And the left Navigation Bar has suddenly become AGED, lost all the distinctive natures. Did they actually experienced the whole thing by themselves before rolling it out? And this Bug is been there for last 3-4 days already, still no Fix! At least they could roll back to the previous one. Utterly disappointing.

[Oridroo]

Environment

• Surface: Web / Windows/
• Browser or app version: Browser
• Affected feature and model, if relevant: Everything

Bug

What happened, and what did you expect?
The conversations are becoming inaccessible time and again.

Reproduction

Steps or a minimal example prompt: Tried refreshing the Chats, Opening a new one, nothing is helping.

Diagnostics

Exact error or screenshot:

When it happened (with timezone) and how often: Frequent

Firstly, the new Rollout was just awful. Even the in chat fonts and style has deteriorated. Now, it’s so clumsy and pain for eyes. And the left Navigation Bar has suddenly become AGED, lost all the distinctive natures. Did they actually experienced the whole thing by themselves before rolling it out? And this Bug is been there for last 3-4 days already, still no Fix! At least they could roll back to the previous one. Utterly disappointing.

[Oridroo]

The same story Continues!

[mitch_the_dev_guy]

i have been using GPT-luna 6 on max/high reasoning, and i am getting a “response could not load” when i am viewing its progress in the ChatGPT website. (yes i am not bothered to download the app) . this has all been happening after the recent UI updates and i dont really like to performance of the new UI updates, it was all working before. is anyone else getting this?? and could someone tell me is the UI upadtes still kept the bit under the latest update paragraph that it sends you telling it what it is doing, because i am not getting it. pls help

[asayntax]

Could someone from the OpenAI team please look into this issue? It’s been happening since last week on both the web version and the mobile app.

I only use ChatGPT on the web, Codex/ChatGPT Work, and the mobile app, and this account is only used by one person, me!!

It’s getting really frustrating because my workflow relies on ChatGPT, and this issue has been causing delays. I’m a paying subscriber, but I can’t even seem to reach a human about the problem, so I’m trying to report it here instead.

"Too many request

You’re making requests too quickly. We’ve temporarily limited access to your conversations to protect your data.

Please wait a few minutes before trying again."

[OpenAI_Support]

Thanks for reporting this, @GavinSkillGodAk, and thanks to everyone else who’s shared that they’re seeing the same behavior.

To help narrow this down, please send a sanitized HAR file, sample conversation ID or request ID, exact timestamp in UTC, browser + version, and OS/device to support@openai.com. If possible, please include a short screen recording showing the issue as well.

Once submitted, kindly drop your support case ID here so we can troubleshoot further.

-Mark G.

[hh4]

same here. also, the workspace agents disappear from the left navigation panel.

[danielle2k18]

Absolutely. Here it is in normal text so you can copy and paste it easily:

Environment

• Surface: Web and iOS
• Browser or app version: Safari and Chrome on iPhone; ChatGPT iOS app; iPhone is updated to the latest available iOS version
• Affected feature and model, if relevant: Chat loading, conversation history/loading existing chats, and general response generation. This does not seem limited to one specific model.

Bug

For several weeks, ChatGPT has been extremely unreliable for me on iPhone.

Existing conversations often will not load properly in the ChatGPT iOS app. I originally worked around this by using the ChatGPT website instead, because the same conversations would usually load there.

Now ChatGPT also will not load properly in either Safari or Chrome on my iPhone.

ChatGPT does work normally on my laptop, so my account and conversations are still accessible there.

I have also noticed extremely long response times. Responses can take up to 15 minutes to generate even when the requested response is not particularly long or complex. This has happened repeatedly and is not limited to large prompts or unusually lengthy outputs.

What I expect:

• Existing conversations should load normally.
• ChatGPT should load normally in Safari and Chrome on iPhone.
• Responses that are not unusually long or complex should not routinely take 10–15 minutes to generate.
• The iOS app and web version should remain usable without requiring a desktop workaround.

What actually happens:

• Existing chats sometimes fail to load in the iOS app.
• Safari does not properly load ChatGPT.
• Chrome does not properly load ChatGPT.
• Safari Private Browsing does not fix the issue.
• Switching from Wi-Fi to cellular data does not fix the issue.
• Updating iOS did not fix the issue.
• ChatGPT works normally on my laptop.
• Opening ChatGPT through the Google app on my iPhone works somewhat better, but is still not a reliable solution.
• Responses can take up to approximately 15 minutes even when they are not lengthy responses.

This has become very disruptive because I use ChatGPT heavily for ongoing long-form writing projects and need to access existing conversations regularly.

I have also already contacted OpenAI Support about these ongoing issues. My existing support case has been open for approximately one month and I have not received a meaningful email response or resolution.

Reproduction

1. Open Safari on iPhone.
2. Go to ChatGPT.
3. ChatGPT fails to load properly or becomes unusable.

Also reproducible with Chrome:

1. Open Chrome on iPhone.
2. Go to ChatGPT.
3. ChatGPT fails to load properly.

Safari Private Browsing also reproduces the issue.

The issue continues on both Wi-Fi and cellular data.

For the iOS app:

1. Open the ChatGPT app.
2. Select an existing conversation.
3. Some conversations fail to load properly or take an excessive amount of time to load.

For response-generation delays:

1. Open a working conversation.
2. Send a normal prompt that does not require an unusually long response.
3. ChatGPT may remain generating or thinking for several minutes.
4. In some cases, a response takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete.

The same account currently works normally when accessed from my laptop.

Diagnostics

Exact error or screenshot:

I can provide screenshots and screen recordings showing the loading behavior. In many cases there is no useful error message. The page or conversation simply fails to load or remains stuck.

When it happened and how often:

This has been occurring repeatedly for several weeks and is still happening as of September 28, 2026, Central Time.

The iOS conversation-loading problem has been occurring for weeks. The Safari and Chrome loading problem became significantly worse on September 28, 2026.

The excessive response-generation time also happens repeatedly. Some responses that are not particularly long or complex can take up to approximately 15 minutes.

Troubleshooting already attempted:

• Tested Wi-Fi
• Tested cellular data
• Tested Safari
• Tested Chrome
• Tested Safari Private Browsing
• Updated iOS
• Confirmed I am not using a VPN
• Checked browser and settings-related causes
• Restarted and retried multiple times
• Confirmed ChatGPT works normally on my laptop

Because the problem persists across Safari, Chrome, Private Browsing, Wi-Fi, cellular data, and the iOS app, while the same account works on desktop, I believe this may be an iOS/mobile web or account/session-related ChatGPT issue rather than a normal local network problem.

[mwgads1]

Same error to me ! Also gpt6 and new ui

I cannot load menu chats or chats itself normally or easy seems like to eat the RAM or something i should wait long time just to load the chat also if i change tab i lose it

[SystemXFiles]

The same error, it’s impossible to work.

[Koloski2504]

Same here! It’s been 20 days with multiple problems. Impossible to work. It seems like the developers aren’t giving it the proper attention and are more focused on adding useless new features.
Several of my disassembly projects are stalled, and various files are throwing access errors within the container. The chat runs for 20 minutes or more and then simply returns an error message “ChatGPT stream recovery polling timed out” this only happens when the effort level is set to “high.” If it’s set to “medium,” it manages to complete the task but becomes extremely dumb. Sometimes the project doesn’t even get named. A friend of mine at another company is experiencing the same thing and that’s not to mention the “Encountered exception: <class ‘caas.internal.errors.ClientError’>” errors the chat throws when trying to use Python.

[OpenAI_Support]

Hey everyone, this issue is now being investigated. If you could kindly send us any additional evidence of the issue and drop the case ID here, as mentioned above, that would help us with our investigation.

Thanks!

-Mark G.

[x.qiao4]

Glad the issue is being investigated. It happens to me from yesterday everning. Checked with the Dev tool, number is 429. Seems PC web page keep having this problem but iphone ios app doesn’t affect too much. The things I have test is that leave the PC overnight, I can refresh the chrome page and see the chat. However, after a while, it keeps failed to load the chat. I have also noticed that when it seems recovered the chat, the history chat loading still failed to work. Searching the old chat is not available. Opening a history chat is not possibe. I can always start a new chat, but whenever I want to open an old chat, it shows “could not load this ChatGPT conversation”. Also, for codex, in my main PC, failed to load everything, but in another PC, it works. I’m not sure whether different PC configuration matters.

[Yehacid]

I’m a Pro user myself. I’m having the same issues; I use the desktop app on Windows. Either the conversations don’t load, or it’s impossible to type a message (the input field is missing—sometimes it appears and then disappears on its own), or the conversation loads but I get an error snackbar when I send a message (e.g., “Unable to load conversation”).

[japra]