ChatGPT can have two moods:
“Here’s a 2,000-word essay on the socio-economic impact of French toast" or . . .
“I have decided, to take a vow of silence.”
If you’re currently experiencing the second one, congratulations — you’ve been selected for the silent treatment from a machine that was supposed to make your life easier.
Somewhere in a data center right now, a cluster of GPUs is collectively deciding that your request is simply not worth their time.
Meanwhile, you’re refreshing the page like it’s a trying relationship.
If ChatGPT has gone full radio silence on you, you’re not alone — and you’re not imagining it.
ChatGPT sometimes may not respond.
Quick Answer
If ChatGPT is not responding after you send a message, first determine whether the problem affects one conversation, your browser, your internet connection, or ChatGPT itself.
A useful troubleshooting sequence is:
- Check whether ChatGPT responds in a new conversation.
- See whether other websites are working normally.
- Refresh the ChatGPT page.
- Try ChatGPT in a private or incognito window.
- Test another browser or device.
- If the problem continues everywhere, check whether ChatGPT is experiencing a service-side problem.
If the ChatGPT page itself becomes unresponsive, rather than simply failing to produce an answer, the browser may be the part that has stopped responding.
The important point is that “ChatGPT not responding” is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The fastest solution depends on identifying which part of the interaction has actually stalled.
What Does “ChatGPT Not Responding” Actually Mean?
“Not responding” sounds like a single problem, but it can describe several different situations.
For example, you might send a prompt and see the interface remain in a loading state without producing an answer. In another case, ChatGPT may generate part of a response but the page becomes sluggish or stops reacting to clicks. You might also be able to read the conversation normally while the message box, buttons, or other controls stop working.
Then there is the browser-level version: the ChatGPT tab itself becomes frozen and the browser reports that the page is unresponsive.
Those situations look similar from the user's perspective because the expected interaction has stopped. Technically, however, they point to different parts of the system.
ChatGPT accepts your prompt but produces no response
This is the most straightforward version of the problem.
You enter a message, submit it, and expect ChatGPT to begin generating an answer. Instead, the request appears to sit there without completing.
The important clue is that the ChatGPT interface is still available, but the response never arrives.
That can involve the request itself, the current session, the conversation, your connection, or the service handling the request.
ChatGPT keeps loading without finishing
A loading indicator can be useful because it tells you that the interface has not necessarily stopped completely. Something may still be waiting for a request or response to finish.
But an indicator that continues indefinitely is different from a response that is simply taking a little longer than usual.
This distinction matters because repeatedly clicking buttons while a request is still being processed can create more confusion rather than less.
The ChatGPT interface becomes frozen
Sometimes the problem is not just the missing answer.
The message box may stop accepting input. Buttons may no longer react. Scrolling can become sluggish, or the entire conversation may appear stuck.
At this point, the question changes from:
“Why hasn't ChatGPT answered?”
to:
“Why has the ChatGPT page stopped responding?”
That is an important distinction because the browser can become the source of the problem even when the ChatGPT service itself is operating normally.
Only one conversation seems affected
There is another useful clue: perhaps ChatGPT works normally when you start somewhere else, but one particular conversation refuses to cooperate.
If that happens, it tells you something very different from a problem affecting every conversation.
The scope of the failure is therefore one of the most useful pieces of information you can collect.
How a ChatGPT Response Gets From Your Prompt to Your Screen
To understand why ChatGPT can appear to “do nothing,” it helps to look at what happens after you press Enter.
The process is more than a single application sitting on your computer.
At a simplified level, the interaction looks like this:
Your prompt → Browser → Internet connection → ChatGPT service → Response → Browser
Your browser provides the interface where you type the message. It sends the request through your internet connection to the service. ChatGPT processes the request and sends the resulting response back. Your browser then has to receive and display that response correctly.
Each stage has a different job.
Your browser handles the interface
The ChatGPT page is running inside your browser. The browser is responsible for displaying the conversation, handling clicks and keyboard input, and communicating with the service.
If the page itself becomes stuck, the problem may be closer to the browser than to the ChatGPT service.
Your internet connection carries the request
The browser needs a working connection to communicate with ChatGPT.
A device can show that it is connected to Wi-Fi while still having an unstable or interrupted connection to a particular online service. That is why simply seeing a Wi-Fi icon does not prove that every part of the connection is working correctly.
ChatGPT has to process the request
Once the request reaches the service, ChatGPT needs to process it and generate a response.
If the service is experiencing an issue, the request may not complete normally even though your browser and internet connection appear fine.
The response has to make it back to the browser
Getting an answer generated is not quite the end of the journey. The response still has to reach your browser and be displayed by the ChatGPT interface.
This is why a problem that occurs somewhere outside your computer can sometimes look like a frozen webpage.
The useful lesson is simple:
When ChatGPT isn't responding, don't assume the visible page is necessarily where the problem began.
Why ChatGPT Stops Responding
Several different conditions can produce the same “nothing is happening” experience.
The most useful way to think about them is by separating problems into a few broad categories.
A temporary ChatGPT service problem
ChatGPT is an online service, so your browser is not the only piece involved.
A service-side problem can affect requests even when your computer, browser, and internet connection are working normally. If the same behavior occurs across different browsers or devices, the possibility of a broader service problem becomes more significant.
This is also why a troubleshooting process should not assume that every problem originates on the user's computer.
A stuck browser session
Your browser maintains temporary information while you use websites. A problem with the current session can sometimes leave a web application behaving strangely even though the browser itself continues working elsewhere.
This can produce an awkward situation where ChatGPT was working normally a moment ago, but the current page no longer behaves as expected.
A browser extension is interfering
Extensions can modify webpages, block content, filter requests, change privacy behavior, or otherwise interact with what happens inside a browser tab.
Most of the time, that interaction is invisible.
When something goes wrong, however, an extension can become an important suspect, particularly if ChatGPT works normally in a cleaner browser environment.
The current conversation is the problem
Not every ChatGPT problem affects the entire service.
A particularly long or otherwise problematic conversation may behave differently from a brand-new chat. If a new conversation works while an existing one does not, that difference gives you a valuable diagnostic clue.
It means you should not immediately treat the problem as a complete ChatGPT outage.
Your network connection is unstable
A connection can be good enough for ordinary browsing while still experiencing interruptions that affect an interactive web application.
ChatGPT requires an ongoing exchange between your browser and the service. If that communication is interrupted, the page may appear to be waiting indefinitely.
Your browser or computer is overloaded
There is also a less glamorous possibility: your computer may simply be busy.
A browser with many open tabs, demanding web applications, extensions, background processes, or limited available resources can become sluggish. If the browser itself stops responding, the problem may extend beyond ChatGPT.
That distinction becomes particularly important when other browser tabs begin acting strangely too.
Before You Start: Identify Which Kind of Failure You Have
Before changing settings, clearing data, or restarting anything, take a moment to observe what is actually happening.
A good technician starts by narrowing the fault.
Ask yourself five questions:
Does a new ChatGPT conversation work?
If it does, the problem may be limited to the original conversation rather than ChatGPT as a whole.
Do other websites work normally?
If several unrelated websites are also having trouble, your browser or network deserves closer attention.
Does ChatGPT work in another browser?
If it does, the problem is more likely to be associated with the original browser, its extensions, or its stored session data.
Does ChatGPT work in a private or incognito window?
A clean window can help separate problems caused by extensions or existing browser state from problems that occur regardless of the browsing environment.
Is the entire browser becoming unresponsive?
If the answer is yes, stop thinking exclusively about ChatGPT. The browser or computer itself may be struggling.
These tests are useful because they do more than potentially fix the problem. They tell you where to look next.
And that is much more valuable than cycling through a random collection of fixes.
How to Fix ChatGPT When It Isn't Responding
Once you know what kind of failure you're dealing with, the troubleshooting becomes much more straightforward.
The goal is not to perform every possible fix in the order you find them on the internet. Instead, start with the simplest checks that can tell you something useful, then move deeper only when the evidence points in that direction.
1. Give the Response a Moment
Before refreshing the page or closing the tab, give ChatGPT a little time if the request appears to be processing.
A response can take longer than expected for reasons that do not necessarily mean something has failed. A complex request, temporary service load, or a brief network delay can make the interface appear unusually quiet.
The useful distinction is between slow and stuck.
If the response eventually begins appearing, the problem may have been temporary latency rather than a completely unresponsive ChatGPT session.
If the page remains in the same state for an unusually long time with no meaningful progress, continue with the next diagnostic step.
There is no prize for staring at a loading indicator until it becomes part of the furniture.
2. Try a New Chat
One of the quickest ways to narrow down the problem is to start a new conversation.
This is more than a workaround. It is a diagnostic test.
If a new chat responds normally, while the original conversation remains stuck, ChatGPT itself is probably not completely unavailable. The problem may be associated with the original conversation or its current state.
That gives you two useful paths:
- New Chat works: focus on the affected conversation.
- New Chat also fails: investigate the browser, connection, session, or service.
If the original conversation contains important information, don't delete it simply because it is behaving badly. A new conversation can be used as a temporary test without sacrificing the original chat.
3. Refresh the ChatGPT Page
If ChatGPT has stopped responding but the browser itself is still working, refresh the page.
A refresh forces the browser to reload the ChatGPT interface and establish the page's current state again. This can clear a temporary problem with the page without requiring you to change browser settings.
Before doing it, make sure you do not have unsaved text sitting in the message box that you cannot easily reproduce.
After the page reloads, try the same interaction again.
If ChatGPT immediately works, the problem was likely temporary page or session state rather than a persistent failure.
If it becomes unresponsive again, the repeat failure is useful information. Move on rather than repeatedly refreshing the same page and hoping the third, fourth, or seventeenth attempt will unlock the secret level.
4. Check Whether Other Websites Work
Open another website in a separate tab.
This simple test helps answer an important question:
Is the problem specific to ChatGPT, or is your connection or browser having trouble more generally?
If other websites load normally, your internet connection is at least functioning well enough for ordinary web traffic. That makes a ChatGPT-specific, browser-specific, or session-specific problem more plausible.
If other websites are also failing or taking unusually long to load, investigate the connection before focusing exclusively on ChatGPT.
You can also test a few different sites rather than relying on just one. A single website can have its own outage, so one successful page does not prove that everything else is healthy.
5. Try ChatGPT in a Private or Incognito Window
A private or incognito window gives you a cleaner browser environment for testing ChatGPT.
The exact behavior varies by browser, but private browsing can help isolate problems involving your normal browser session, stored site information, or extensions.
Open a private window, visit ChatGPT, sign in if necessary, and try a simple prompt.
Then compare the result with your normal browser session.
If ChatGPT works in private browsing
That is a useful clue.
The ChatGPT service may be working normally, while something in your regular browser environment is interfering with the page.
Browser extensions become a particularly strong suspect, as does stale or problematic site data.
If ChatGPT still does not respond
The problem is less likely to be limited to the normal browser session. Continue testing the browser, network, device, and service.
The value of private browsing here is not that it magically repairs ChatGPT. It helps separate “ChatGPT is broken” from “something about my normal browser environment is broken.”
6. Temporarily Disable Browser Extensions
Browser extensions can interact with webpages in ways that are usually invisible to you.
Ad blockers, privacy tools, script-control extensions, VPN or proxy extensions, security tools, and other page-modifying extensions can sometimes interfere with complex web applications.
If ChatGPT works in an incognito window but not in your normal browser, extensions are worth investigating.
Rather than disabling every extension permanently, use a controlled test.
Disable extensions temporarily, reload ChatGPT, and test again.
If the problem disappears, re-enable the extensions one at a time until the problem returns. The extension enabled immediately before the failure comes back is a strong candidate.
This approach is better than simply declaring all browser extensions guilty and leaving them switched off forever.
7. Clear ChatGPT's Cached or Site Data
If the problem persists, stale or corrupted browser data can be worth investigating.
Browsers store information from websites so they can load and operate efficiently. That stored information normally helps performance, but problems with the local site state can occasionally cause a web application to behave unexpectedly.
Clearing the relevant ChatGPT site data gives the browser a fresh starting point.
The exact steps vary between Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and other browsers, so use your browser's site-data or privacy controls rather than blindly deleting everything.
One important distinction:
Clearing ChatGPT's browser data is not the same as deleting your ChatGPT conversations from your account.
You may need to sign in again afterward, because the browser's local session information can be removed.
If the problem was caused by stale local browser state, ChatGPT should behave normally after the site data is cleared and the page is loaded again.
8. Sign Out of ChatGPT and Sign Back In
A stuck or stale account session can sometimes cause problems even when the webpage itself appears normal.
Signing out and back in forces a fresh authentication session.
This is especially worth trying when:
- the ChatGPT interface loads but actions fail;
- your account appears partially signed in;
- conversations or account features behave inconsistently; or
- refreshing the page does not restore normal behavior.
If you cannot sign out normally because the interface is frozen, don't keep clicking the same unresponsive controls. Use the browser troubleshooting steps first, or close and reopen the browser if necessary.
9. Try Another Browser
Testing another browser is one of the cleanest ways to separate a ChatGPT problem from a browser problem.
For example, if you normally use Chrome, try Edge or Firefox. You do not need to permanently switch browsers. The purpose is simply to compare environments.
If ChatGPT works in another browser
Your original browser becomes the leading suspect.
Possible causes include:
- an extension;
- cached or stored site data;
- browser settings;
- a browser-specific compatibility problem; or
- a damaged or unusually heavy browser session.
If ChatGPT fails in both browsers
The problem is less likely to be limited to one browser.
Continue with the network, device, account, or service-side checks.
A second browser is therefore another diagnostic tool, not merely another place to repeat the same problem.
10. Try Another Device
If you have access to a phone, tablet, or another computer, try ChatGPT there.
This creates an even broader test.
Suppose ChatGPT does not respond on your computer but works normally on your phone. That makes a problem with the computer, browser, or local network configuration more likely.
If it fails on multiple devices while other internet services work normally, the focus should shift away from one particular browser or computer.
You are gradually shrinking the list of suspects.
That is what good troubleshooting is supposed to do.
11. Check Whether ChatGPT Is Experiencing a Service Problem
If ChatGPT refuses to respond across browsers or devices, while other websites and online services are working normally, a service-side problem becomes increasingly plausible.
This is the point where checking the official service-status information makes sense.
A service incident can produce symptoms that look exactly like a local browser failure. The difference is that changing your cache, extensions, or browser settings will not repair a problem occurring on the service's side.
If an active incident is reported, the most sensible action may simply be to wait for the service to recover rather than continuing to modify your computer.
For a broader outage, see ChatGPT Is Down: How to Check.
12. Check Your Internet Connection If ChatGPT Is Still Failing
If the earlier tests suggest that connectivity may be involved, investigate the connection itself.
Start with simple observations:
- Do other websites load?
- Are they unusually slow?
- Does ChatGPT behave differently on another network?
- Does switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data change the result?
If ChatGPT works on another network, your original connection becomes a stronger suspect.
This is particularly useful when everything else about your ChatGPT setup appears normal but the service repeatedly fails to complete requests.
For problems specifically involving connectivity, see ChatGPT Can't Connect to the Internet or ChatGPT Network Error Explained.
13. Restart the Browser if the Browser Is the Part That Froze
If the ChatGPT tab has become genuinely unresponsive, stop treating it like a normal ChatGPT response problem.
Close the affected tab or restart the browser.
If the browser is struggling across several tabs, close unnecessary tabs and applications as well. A browser session consuming excessive system resources can make individual pages appear broken when the underlying problem is actually the browser or computer.
After restarting, open ChatGPT again and test it with a simple prompt.
If the problem repeatedly returns and other browser tabs are also affected, the next investigation should focus on browser or system performance rather than repeatedly resetting ChatGPT.
The Best Troubleshooting Order
You do not need to remember every step above.
A practical sequence is:
New Chat → Refresh → Check other websites → Private window → Disable extensions → Clear site data → Sign out/in → Another browser → Another device → Check service status → Investigate the network
Each step answers a question.
That is the important part.
A good troubleshooting process should leave you knowing more about the problem after each test, not merely feeling like you have pressed more buttons.
What to Do If the ChatGPT Page Says “Page Unresponsive”
There is an important difference between ChatGPT not producing a response and your browser saying the ChatGPT page is unresponsive.
In the first case, the ChatGPT interface may still respond to clicks and scrolling even though your request is stuck.
In the second, the browser tab itself may have stopped processing normally.
That changes what you should investigate.
Check whether other tabs respond
Try switching to another browser tab.
If other tabs work normally while ChatGPT is frozen, the problem may be isolated to that particular page.
If several tabs are sluggish or frozen, the browser itself may be struggling.
Close unnecessary tabs and applications
Modern websites can use significant browser and system resources, particularly when you have many tabs or demanding web applications open simultaneously.
Close tabs you no longer need and, if necessary, close other applications consuming substantial resources.
Then reopen ChatGPT and test it again.
Restart the browser
If the ChatGPT tab remains unresponsive, close the browser and open it again.
This clears the current browser process and gives the page a fresh environment.
If the problem disappears after restarting the browser but repeatedly returns later, look more closely at extensions, browser data, the number of active tabs, or system resource usage.
Test another browser
If the page repeatedly becomes unresponsive in one browser but works normally in another, you have narrowed the problem considerably.
The ChatGPT service may be fine. The original browser environment is now the more likely place to investigate.
If the same behavior occurs in multiple browsers, broaden the investigation to your network, device, account session, or the service itself.
What If ChatGPT Works in a New Chat but Not the Old One?
This is one of the most useful clues you can get.
Suppose you open ChatGPT and your existing conversation refuses to respond. You start a new chat, send a simple prompt, and everything works.
That tells you something important:
ChatGPT is capable of responding, but something about the original conversation may be causing the problem.
A single conversation can have a very different amount of context and content from a brand-new chat. If the original thread has become unusually long or its current state is behaving badly, continuing to hammer the same Send button is unlikely to teach you anything new.
Instead, use the new conversation as a comparison.
If the new chat works
Continue your work in the new conversation if necessary.
If the original conversation contains important context, copy the relevant information into the new chat or summarize what you need to continue.
You do not need to delete the original conversation simply because it is temporarily unresponsive.
If the new chat also fails
The problem probably extends beyond one conversation.
Return to the broader troubleshooting path and investigate the browser, connection, device, account session, or service status.
This distinction is also why this problem should not automatically be treated as a missing-chat problem. If a conversation has actually disappeared from your history, that is a different issue with a different troubleshooting path.
See ChatGPT Conversation Disappeared or How to Find Lost ChatGPT Conversations when the problem is that the conversation cannot be found rather than simply failing to respond.
How to Tell Whether the Problem Is ChatGPT or Your Computer
By this point, you have several diagnostic tests available.
Put them together and the pattern becomes much easier to read.
| What you observe | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| Only one conversation fails | Conversation-specific problem |
| New Chat works normally | Original conversation or session issue |
| Other websites also fail | Network or browser problem |
| ChatGPT works in private browsing | Extension or normal-session problem |
| ChatGPT works in another browser | Original browser problem |
| ChatGPT works on another device | Local computer/browser issue |
| Multiple browsers and devices fail | Service or broader network issue |
| Entire browser becomes unresponsive | Browser or system-resource problem |
| Other websites work but ChatGPT fails everywhere | ChatGPT-side problem becomes more likely |
None of these tests proves a cause by itself.
Think of them as pieces of evidence.
For example, if Chrome fails but Edge works, there is little reason to start changing your router. If ChatGPT fails on your computer and phone while other websites work normally, spending an hour reinstalling Chrome is probably not the best use of that hour.
The pattern tells you where to look.
When You Should Stop Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting can become counterproductive when you continue changing things after the evidence has already pointed somewhere else.
If ChatGPT works normally in another browser, you do not need to reset your entire computer.
If ChatGPT works normally on another network, you probably do not need to keep clearing browser data.
And if ChatGPT fails across multiple browsers and devices while other online services work normally, repeatedly deleting caches is unlikely to solve a service-side problem.
Stop local troubleshooting when the evidence points to the service
A service-side issue becomes more likely when:
- ChatGPT fails across multiple browsers;
- the same problem occurs on more than one device;
- your internet connection works normally elsewhere; and
- the problem appeared suddenly without a corresponding change on your computer.
At that point, check the official service-status information and wait for any reported incident to be resolved.
There is nothing particularly heroic about performing the same cache-clearing ritual twelve times while the server is having a bad day.
Stop troubleshooting when the problem is fixed
This sounds obvious, but it is an important rule.
If ChatGPT starts responding normally after a particular change, note what you changed and stop there.
You do not need to continue through the entire troubleshooting list simply because more steps exist.
A good troubleshooting process ends when the problem is solved and the cause is understood well enough to avoid unnecessary changes.
How to Prevent ChatGPT From Becoming Unresponsive
There is no way to guarantee that a web service will never experience problems, but you can reduce some common local causes of sluggish or unresponsive behavior.
Keep your browser reasonably current
Browser updates often include performance, compatibility, and security improvements.
You do not need to chase every release manually, but avoid running a browser version that is significantly out of date.
Keep browser extensions under control
Extensions are useful, but every extension adds another piece of software interacting with your browsing environment.
If you have accumulated a large collection of extensions, periodically review which ones you actually use.
Pay particular attention to extensions that modify webpage content, block scripts, filter traffic, or alter privacy and network behavior.
Avoid an excessive number of active tabs
A browser with dozens of open tabs can consume considerable system resources.
If your computer is already struggling, keeping another small civilization of forgotten tabs alive in the background will not help.
Close tabs you no longer need, particularly demanding web applications.
Start a new conversation when an existing one becomes problematic
If one conversation becomes sluggish while new chats work normally, moving the task to a fresh conversation can be a practical solution.
This is especially useful when the original conversation has accumulated a large amount of context.
Keep an alternative way to access ChatGPT
If ChatGPT is important to your work, knowing how to access it from another browser or device can save time during a local browser problem.
It also gives you a useful diagnostic tool the next time something goes wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is ChatGPT not responding to my messages?
ChatGPT may stop responding because of a temporary service problem, browser or session issue, network instability, a problematic conversation, browser extensions, or a browser or computer that has become overloaded.
The quickest way to narrow it down is to test a new chat, check other websites, and compare ChatGPT in another browser or private window.
Why does ChatGPT keep loading but never answer?
A request can remain in a loading state when the interaction between your browser and the ChatGPT service does not complete normally.
The cause can be local or service-side. If refreshing, starting a new chat, and testing another browser do not help, compare ChatGPT across another device or network and check the service status.
Why does ChatGPT say the page is unresponsive?
That message usually means the browser is having trouble processing the ChatGPT webpage itself.
If other browser tabs are also slow or frozen, investigate browser or system resources. If only the ChatGPT tab is affected, try refreshing it, restarting the browser, testing private browsing, or using another browser.
Why does ChatGPT work in a new chat but not my old conversation?
The original conversation may have a problem with its current state or may simply be much more demanding than a new chat.
If a new conversation responds normally, use it as a diagnostic comparison and continue there if necessary.
Why does ChatGPT work in incognito mode but not normally?
That usually points toward something specific to your normal browser environment.
Possible suspects include browser extensions, stored site data, or the normal browsing session.
Disable extensions temporarily and investigate the relevant site data rather than immediately reinstalling the browser.
Will refreshing ChatGPT delete my conversation?
Refreshing the webpage is different from deleting a conversation.
A refresh reloads the webpage. It does not, by itself, mean that your saved conversation has been deleted.
However, if you have unsent text in the message box, consider preserving it before refreshing because text that has not been submitted may not survive the reload.
How do I know if ChatGPT is down?
Look for a pattern that affects more than your normal browser environment.
If ChatGPT fails across multiple browsers or devices while other websites work normally, a service-side problem becomes more likely.
Check the official service-status information for current incidents rather than trying to repair your computer for a problem that may be occurring remotely.
Should I clear my browser cache if ChatGPT isn't responding?
Clearing relevant site data can help when stale or corrupted browser state is causing a problem, but it should not necessarily be your first step.
Try simpler diagnostic tests first, such as a new chat, refresh, private browsing, or another browser.
If those tests point toward your normal browser session, clearing the relevant ChatGPT site data becomes more reasonable.
Summary
When ChatGPT is not responding, the most useful question is not simply “What fix should I try?”
It is:
“Where has the interaction stopped working?”
ChatGPT depends on several pieces working together:
Your browser → internet connection → ChatGPT service → response → browser
A problem anywhere along that path can look like the same frozen ChatGPT page.
Start by narrowing the scope. Try a new conversation. Check whether other websites work. Refresh the page. Test a private window or another browser. If necessary, compare another device or network.
If the evidence points to your browser, troubleshoot the browser. If it points to the connection, investigate the network. If it points to a single conversation, move to a new chat. And if ChatGPT fails everywhere while your other online services work normally, check whether the service itself is experiencing a problem.