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Sometimes people do find that Chatgpt is at capacity, but luckily there are some things you can do about it.
ChatGPT has continued to grow in popularity, at an astonishing rate. With this popularity came many more users which has placed a strain on OpenAI’s servers. This has led to users receiving the familiar error message “ChatGPT is at capacity right now” and being unable to use the chatbot.
This can be frustrating to say the least, especially if you are using the language model in a professional capacity. We’re going to be breaking down why this message appears and some possible workarounds, to ensure you can access the chatbot again, as quickly as possible.
Let’s get into it.
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Why is ChatGPT at capacity?
When you use ChatGPT it is not actually your computer that the language model is running through. Instead, your computer sends the request out to the ChatGPT servers which run it through the model and then send back the results. This is why you have to be online in order to use the AI.
Read more: ChatGPT vs Notion AI
These servers do not have unlimited computing power, however, meaning that they can be overwhelmed when demand peaks. This has been a common occurrence since the chatbot went viral late last year.
So is there anything you can do to stop this from happening to you?
ChatGPT at capacity – how to fix
Because ChatGPT being at capacity is an issue on the server side of things, there is no simple solution you can perform. There is however one guaranteed workaround that is coming out soon.
While ChatGPT is free to use, OpenAI is launching a subscription service called ChatGPT Plus. The service costs $20 a month and comes with certain benefits, one of them being guaranteed access to the chatbot even during peak times
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This will make sure you can use the chatbot whenever you want to, without having to worry about outages or peak times.
At the time of writing, however, the feature is not yet fully released, meaning you have to join the waiting list and await e-mail confirmation to sign-up.
Some people won’t be able to justify paying monthly to use Chat-GPT. If you fit into this category, unfortunately, you may have to accept that at certain peak times, you will be unable to access it. There are a few workarounds that may work, however.
Refresh the webpage
Refreshing the web page means that your computer will send a new request to the OpenAI servers. There is a chance that, if capacity has dropped since you last requested, you will be let in this time.
Use a VPN
By using a VPN, or virtual private network, you are able to change the location your request is coming from. If there is specifically an issue with capacity in your country, this could provide you with access.
Receive a notification when ChatGPT is available again
When the capacity error message appears, there is the option to “get notified when we’re back”. If you click this, you will receive an e-mail when you are able to use the service again.
This is not so much a workaround, but it could save you time and effort sitting there refreshing the page, whilst ensuring you get access to the ChatGPT as soon as possible.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT Plus worth it?
ChatGPT Plus comes with 3 benefits. They are 1. General access to ChatGPT, even during peak times 2. Faster response times and 3. Priority access to new features and improvements. For those who use ChatGPT in a professional or educational context, this feature could definitely justify the subscription cost.
Do you have to have an account to use ChatGPT?
Yes – you must have an account with OpenAI to use any of their products including ChatGPT. Making one is free however and just requires an email address.
