ChatGPT can’t log in or sign up – error solved

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OpenAI’s AI chatbot is so popular that users are having difficulties signing up or logging in. If ChatGPT is giving you this common error message, OpenAI servers are likely out of bandwidth to supply logins and sign-ups with a stable connection. If you’re stuck on the ChatGPT login page, here’s how to solve the “ChatGPT can’t log in” or “ChatGPT can’t sign up” error messages.
Quick Answer
There are a number of reasons why you may be having issues whilst trying to sign up or log into your ChatGPT account. The most common cause is high traffic on the platform. Luckily, there are a several ways to combat these issues, including something as simple as clearing your browser cache.
ChatGPT can’t log in or sign up – error solved
Being faced with an issue when trying to log in or sign up to any platform is an annoyance that everyone can do without. There are a few common issues that people run into whilst having trouble logging in and signing up to ChatGPT. Luckily, there are ways to solve these issues.
Login error
As of the April 1st, 2024 update, the free version of ChatGPT no longer requires an account to use, which means you’ll no longer need to log in. However, if you’re a frequent user of ChatGPT and want to access your previous conversation with the chatbot, then logging in is still a great option. Unfortunately, this means you may still face the ChatGPT can’t log in error.
ChatGPT is an AI language model, which uses natural language processing (NLP) to process user queries (prompts). While text is not itself a data-intensive form of media, the AI processes behind the scenes take a great deal of computational power. As the world’s most popular AI chatbot with over 100 million weekly active users (confirmed by CEO Sam Altman on OpenAI DevDay), many users are joining this system online. There are some very common problems you’ll typically encounter when accessing such a high-demand platform. Here’s why it’s not working:
- There are too many people on the website (or specific page) at the same time
- The server is unable to get authentication (SSL certificate)
- 503 server error (Service Unavailable because the server is not ready to handle the request)
- The login page goes down during its authentication process
Sign up error
In addition to login errors, some users have been facing issues when trying to create an account for the first time. This is because, for ChatGPT, only Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook email addresses are supported. Many users are unaware of this rule and may be facing issues signing in because they are simply using an email address that’s unsupported by ChatGPT. Additionally, be sure to check for a verification email. If you don’t have one, you did not successfully create an OpenAI account.
If you’re still facing issues after ensuring you’re using the correct email format for ChatGPT, then following some of the step below could help.
How to fix the ChatGPT can’t log in and sign up error
Luckily, there are a few things you can do if you’re faced with this error. The troubleshooting methods below should help you access ChatGPT in no time.
Clear your browser's cache
Clear your browser's cache and cookies (Clear browsing data). Then refresh the page, and log in again
Step
Open your web browser
First, open your web browser (these steps are for Google Chrome) and click the three-dots icon at the top-right corner of your browser window.
Step
Select settings
Secondly, click Settings in the drop-down menu.
Step
Click ‘Privacy and Security’
Then tap ‘Privacy and Security’ in the left-hand panel.
Step
Clear browsing data
Lastly, click Clear browsing data under the ‘Privacy and Security’ section. This will erase your browsing history (site data), cookies, cache, and more.
Incognito mode
Try accessing ChatGPT in incognito mode
Step
Open your web browser
First, open your web browser (these steps are for Google Chrome) and click the three-dots icon at the top-right corner of your browser window.
Step
Select Incognito mode
After clicking the three dots on the right side of your browser a pop-up menu should show up. From there you can select the “New incognito window” option.
Step
Open ChatGPT in new window
Your new incognito window should appear, from there you can type in ChatGPT in the search bar.
Check internet connection
Check your internet connection, and ensure you have a functional high-speed internet source. Is your physical modem/router turned on?
Alternative browser
Try an alternative browser (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera etc).
Wait it out
Wait for a while, as there could be some live maintenance preventing you from logging in to the system
Try a VPN
Try a free VPN browser plugin and make sure it’s active before you log in again.
Once you have completed the above steps, you can try to log in again. However, if the problem persists, refer to the ChatGPT online FAQs section for further help. If the ChatGPT server status is offline (rare and unlikely) then none of these steps will work. Additionally, if you’re still having issues you might consider upgrading your ChatGPT account to ChatGPT Plus for $20/month. This provides priority access during peak traffic, giving you an advanced over free users. ChatGPT Teams and Enterprise would also work, of course, but won’t be relevant for individual users.
If you’re yet to sign up for ChatGPT and don’t have an account, read our how-to into ChatGPT guide. There you’ll find everything you need to know about access.
Can users be banned from ChatGPT?
If you’re having an issue logging into ChatGPT, you may be wondering whether OpenAI has suspended your account. OpenAI does have the power to ban users from the chatbot if you’re found to be breaking the rules and guidelines set out by the platform. Getting banned from ChatGPT can occur for several reasons, including sending harmful or abusive content, spamming, sharing personal information, engaging in illegal activities, or attempting to exploit or harm the service’s operation.
However, if you do get banned from the platform OpenAI will send you an email informing you first. If you’re having trouble logging in but haven’t received an email from OpenAI, you probably haven’t been banned and can attempt one of the methods listed above to try and get back into your account.
Conclusion
So, have you managed to fix your problems logging in or signing up on ChatGPT? Like any other software or system's online access, sometimes ChatGPT can face login and signup issues. However, before taking any greater measures, you can try the small steps we’ve just listed to see if they can fix the issue.
These issues usually stem from “No internet connection” or “Hosts server isn't working or responding.” So, in either situation, be patient and keep trying. As a last resort, you can always check OpenAI’s FAQs section for further help, or even consider one of the best ChatGPT alternatives like Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot.
If you found this ChatGPT guide useful, take a look at some of our other similar content. For example, our how to use ChatGPT step-by-step guide outlines the process of learning how to use ChatGPT effectively.