ChatGPT users encountered widespread access issues through web browsers on June 19, 2026, with the service redirecting to unfamiliar OpenAI subdomains and displaying error pages, though the desktop application and mobile app remained functional. Reports of the outage spiked around 9 a.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), with users on social media and the Downdetector outage tracking service documenting the problem throughout the morning.

What Caused the ChatGPT Browser Redirects?

Users attempting to access ChatGPT through Google Chrome found themselves redirected to a URL beginning with "chat.gateway.unified-74.api.openai.com" before encountering a 404 error, indicating the page could not be found. SmartCompany was able to replicate the issue during testing, confirming that Chrome users experienced these unusual redirects. However, the problem did not affect Safari browsers or the ChatGPT mobile application, suggesting the issue was specific to certain browser configurations or OpenAI's web infrastructure.

One Reddit user described the experience, noting that instead of being sent to chatgpt.com, the service redirected them to the unfamiliar subdomain, which Google could not access. Other users reported similar experiences, with some discovering that ChatGPT's desktop application continued to function despite the browser access problems.

Were Other ChatGPT Features Also Affected?

Beyond the browser access issues, ChatGPT users who managed to access the service reported problems with its image generation feature. Users on Reddit complained that image generation requests were hanging for extended periods before timing out, with some waiting over an hour without results. One user stated they had "been hanging on image gen for 10 minutes then just times out," while another reported trying to generate an image for a story "for the last hour and it just clocks and won't do anything".

OpenAI's status page initially showed an active incident affecting its FedRAMP environment, a cloud service used by U.S. government customers, with degraded performance affecting FedRAMP workspaces and API organizations. However, it remained unclear whether the browser issues reported by general users were connected to the FedRAMP incident or represented a separate problem.

How to Restore ChatGPT Access During Browser Issues

• Clear Your Browser Cache: OpenAI recommended clearing the cache as a first step to resolve access issues, which helped some users regain access to chatgpt.com.
• Switch to the Desktop Application: Users experiencing browser problems found that the ChatGPT desktop app continued to function normally, providing an alternative way to access the service.
• Try a Different Browser: The outage primarily affected Google Chrome, while Safari users did not report the same redirect issues, making browser switching a viable workaround.
• Use the Mobile App: The ChatGPT mobile application remained unaffected by the browser outage, allowing users to continue accessing the service on smartphones and tablets.

OpenAI eventually updated its status page to acknowledge the access issues, stating "We have identified an issue causing some users to be unable to access ChatGPT on chatgpt.com. We are working on implementing a mitigation". The company indicated that clearing the cache could help users regain access while the fix was being deployed.

According to OpenAI's status page, all impacted services were fully recovered following the incident. SmartCompany verified the resolution on Google Chrome, though the site took 30 to 60 seconds to load initially after the incident was resolved. The U.S. Downdetector page notably did not show any issues with the service during the outage, suggesting the problem may have been geographically concentrated or affected specific user segments.

The outage highlighted the distinction between ChatGPT's various access points, with web browsers proving more vulnerable to infrastructure issues than native applications. For users relying on ChatGPT for daily work, the incident underscored the value of having multiple ways to access the service, whether through desktop apps, mobile applications, or alternative browsers.