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ChatGPT at capacity? Capacity right now error explained

Frustrated with ChatGPT being at capacity all the time? Here's why it's happening

Updated: Jun 9, 2023 11:40 am
ChatGPT at capacity? Capacity right now error explained

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ChatGPT took off and became a global success in a short time span, since then it hasn’t really slowed, meaning the servers can sometimes be busy during peak hours leading to the dreaded ChatGPT is at capacity right now notification. This can be highly frustrating for many users whether they are using ChatGPT for free or paying for ChatGPT Plus.

If you’re wondering “is ChatGPT down?” it’s important to identify the issue. Is this a network problem on your end or are the Chat GPT servers full? Large numbers of traffic have been known to crash the website, stopping people from creating new accounts and even using the platform. This led to developers creating a wall to prevent overload from the surplus users they were receiving.

The announcement of GPT 4 into the ChatGPT Plus service has seen numbers sore once more, however, the queues for the free and paid services are of course different. The bottom line here is that you are just going to have to be patient and check back later but for guaranteed access please read on.

Chat GPT at capacity right now

ChatGPT is at capacity right now: Why is this?

The free service only has a certain amount of room for the general public looking to use ChatGPT. During the boom of the program, we saw a huge increase in “at capacity” messages, which have since leveled out.

Despite a few moving to the premium service, the popularity of ChatGPT still causes the servers to become overloaded and unable to handle user requests.

You could also be experiencing a ChatGPT bad gateway issue or even a ChatGPT Error Generating Response. These issues will require slightly different troubleshooting.

How to fix ChatGPT Capacity issues

Take this section with a pinch of salt, there are no real stand-out fixes that work as well as subscribing to ChatGPT Plus but some are worth a try.

  • Patience – it will eventually sort itself out as numbers die down
  • Try refreshing the page and logging in and out of your account
  • Clear browser cache
  • Try a VPN
  • Check the ChatGPT server status
  • Subscribe to ChatGPT Plus

ChatGPT at capacity bypass

Unfortunately, the best way to ensure you get on ChatGPT is by subscribing to ChatGPT Plus. The service is there for those that use this tool a lot but for $20 a month, you can take advantage of faster responses and priority access.

how to access gpt 4 how to use is it free min

What does Chat GPT at capacity error mean?

Chat GPT was released back in November 2022 and is currently free to use, taking advantage of machine learning to answer questions and generate human-like responses. As it grows in popularity, the servers are becoming stressed a bit more often. When it says Chat GPT is at capacity, it is saying the servers are overloaded/ too busy to handle your request.

So if Chat GPT is in high demand what can you do? Just wait. It will eventually let you in and create an account. You can even click the “get notified” link. This asks for your email and proceeds to let you know when you are next in line to enter the program.

While this error can sometimes be attributed to other problems such as network connections, it is often just high demand for the service. Chat GPT is still in its prototype stage, so the servers being overwhelmed is going to be a common issue as Open Ai tests this program thoroughly.

Chat GPT won’t be free for very long, with the premium version on the horizon. The paid-for version will be equipped with a contingency plan to combat server load.

ChatGPT at capacity? Try these alternatives

If you’re frustrated because you’re encountering the ChatGPT is at capacity right now message then one way around it would be to use a ChatGPT alternative.

Why not try one of these options:

  • Bing AI – Microsofts own AI chatbot has been making waves in the AI world thanks to its integration with the Bing search engine. This means that unlike ChatGPT Bing AI can give accurate, up-to-date information about the world.
  • Google Bard – Having recently been launched to the public, Google Bard is another search engine integrated Ai chatbot so similarly to Bing AI it is capable of giving you up-to-date information.
  • YouChat – YouChat like the free version of ChatGPT is also built upon Open AIs GPT-3.5 large language model. YouChat has a straightforward layout and is capable of writing code, summarising points, explaining concepts, and much much more.

Get around ChatGPT at capacity message by subscribing to ChatGPT Plus

One of the ways to avoid receiving the ChatGPT at capacity message is to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus. If you’re a ChatGPT Plus subscriber then you will always receive priority access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT servers. This means that its incredibly unlikely you’ll ever receive a ChatGPT at capacity message.

ChatGPT Plus will only set you back $20 per month and for that price not only will you receive priority server access but also access to the GPT-4 language model as well as early access to any new ChatGPT updates.

Why is ChatGPT always at full capacity?

It isn’t always at capacity but as the service has a high amount of users per day, it reaches a threshold at peak times. This happens when too many people try and log in at the same time but you can either wait for it to quiet down or pay for ChatGPT Plus.

How do I get past ChatGPT capacity?

To bypass ChatGPT being and capacity you will have to pay for ChatGPT Plus, the premium version of the service which costs a monthly subscription fee.


Shaun, with a computer science degree and 15 years of computer experience, has been passionate about competitive FPS gaming since the mid-2000s.

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