ChatGPT Stuck on “Thinking”? Claude Not Loading? 10 Fixes That Work in 2026

When an AI assistant freezes, it feels like the service is down—or your account is broken. Most of the time, it’s neither.

In 2026, ChatGPT and Claude behave more like full-blown web apps than simple chat pages. That means you can get “infinite thinking” or a blank workspace from any of these three buckets:

  • Server-side issues: outages, partial degradation, or throttling (rate limits / traffic shaping) that looks like a hang.

  • Client-side issues: extensions, corrupted cookies, long-thread rendering, GPU acceleration glitches.

  • Network issues: VPN/IP reputation, DNS cache, TLS handshake failures (often caused by incorrect system time).

Below is a faster way to diagnose first, then fix it—without the “try everything” spiral.

Step 0: Quick Diagnosis (60 seconds)

What you’re seeing What it usually means Start here
Both ChatGPT and Claude won’t load Network/DNS/VPN or broader outage Step 1 → Step 6 → Step 10
Only one service is broken Provider incident, session issue, or site data corruption Step 1 → Step 5 → Step 9
New chats work, but one thread is frozen Long-thread rendering / heavy UI mode Step 2 → Step 8
Works in Incognito but not normal browser Extension conflict or site data corruption Step 3 → Step 5
UI loads but streams slowly / glitches visually GPU acceleration or heavy mode bug Step 7 → Step 8

Quick Fixes (Do these first)

Step 1) Confirm It’s Not a Platform Issue (Outage, Degradation, Throttling)

Before you touch your device, rule out provider-side problems—especially partial incidents that don’t look like full downtime.

  • If the status page shows “degraded performance,” expect:

    • long response times that look like “Thinking…”

    • workspace panels that fail to hydrate

    • intermittent reload loops

Check the official OpenAI Status page for real-time updates

(For Claude, use Anthropic’s status page as well—if OpenAI is fine but Claude isn’t, you’ve already narrowed it down.)

Step 2) Fix the “One Chat Only” Freeze (Long Thread + Render Overload)

If only one specific conversation hangs while a new chat works, the model isn’t the problem—your browser is choking on the thread.

Here is how to fix it:

  1. Open a new chat and send a short prompt.

  2. If new chat is fine, the old thread is likely too heavy.

  3. Move forward with a clean thread:

    • Copy only the last 10–20 messages, not the entire history.

    • Remove huge blocks (large tables, long code, multiple images/files).

This is the fastest fix for “stuck thinking” that only happens in one chat.

[If Chrome is eating RAM and slowing everything down, try these quick fixes first]

Step 3) Kill Extension Conflicts (Most Common Cause)

Extensions that inject scripts into pages can break AI interfaces—especially ad blockers, dark-mode injectors, privacy tools, VPN toggles, and corporate security add-ons.

Here is how to fix it:

  1. Open Incognito / Private mode.

  2. Log in and test.

  3. If it works in Incognito, disable extensions one by one in your normal browser:

    • Start with ad blockers + privacy/script blockers

    • Then dark-mode/reader-mode tools

    • Then VPN/browser security extensions

If you find the culprit, whitelist the domain instead of leaving the extension off globally.

[Chrome suddenly feels slow after installing extensions? Here are the 5 culprits to check first]

Step 4) Sync Your System Time (TLS Failure = Infinite Loading)

If your clock is off—even slightly—secure connections can fail and the UI can hang forever.

Here is how to fix it (Windows 10/11):

  • Settings → Time & language → Date & time

  • Turn on Set time automatically

  • Click Sync now

macOS:

  • System Settings → General → Date & Time

  • Enable Set time and date automatically

Step 5) Clear Site Data for That Service (Not Your Whole History)

Corrupted cookies or stale local storage can create “ghost sessions” that never resolve.

Here is how to fix it (Chrome/Edge):

  1. Click the lock icon next to the URL

  2. Go to Cookies and site data

  3. Remove data only for the affected site

  4. Reload and sign in again

This is often the fix when it loads sometimes but hangs randomly after login.

Deep Troubleshooting (If Quick Fixes Didn’t Work)

Step 6) VPN / IP Reputation Problems (Looks Like a Bug, It’s Risk Control)

AI providers defend aggressively against automated traffic. Some VPN exit nodes and shared IP ranges get flagged, leading to:

  • infinite loading

  • blank workspace panels

  • repeated “try again” loops

  • sudden 403/429 behavior

Here is how to fix it:

  1. If you’re on a VPN, turn it off and retry.

  2. If you must use a VPN, switch to a different region or provider.

  3. If you’re not using a VPN:

    • reboot your router (new IP lease)

    • test via mobile hotspot to isolate ISP routing issues

[Read our deep dive on fixing ChatGPT network errors and 403 forbidden codes]

Step 7) Toggle Hardware Acceleration (Fix UI Glitches + Slow Streaming)

If the UI loads but feels broken—slow typing, flicker, blank message bubbles—your GPU/browser render path may be unstable.

Here is how to fix it (Chrome/Edge):

  • Settings → System

  • Toggle Use graphics acceleration when available

  • Restart the browser

Test both states:

  • If it was ON → try OFF

  • If it was OFF → try ON

Step 8) Canvas / Artifacts / Advanced Mode Bugs (Heavy UI Can Stall)

Advanced views are more resource-intensive than standard chat. If a feature-heavy mode is stuck, treat it like a UI hydration failure.

Here is how to fix it:

  1. Switch back to standard chat view.

  2. Hard refresh:

    • Windows: Ctrl + Shift + R

    • Mac: Cmd + Shift + R

  3. Reopen the same content in a fresh tab.

If only one mode fails consistently, keep working in standard mode until the feature stabilizes.

Step 9) Force a Clean Session (Logout Everywhere)

A stale session token on mobile can collide with desktop sessions and create endless login loops.

Here is how to fix it:

  1. Log out on desktop + mobile

  2. Close all tabs for the service

  3. Log in on desktop first

  4. Then log in on mobile

This removes token conflicts and rebuilds a clean session.

Step 10) Flush DNS (When the Page Won’t Load at All)

If the site won’t resolve correctly, your DNS cache may be pointing at a stale edge route.

Here is how to fix it (Windows Admin Command Prompt):

ipconfig /flushdns

macOS (Terminal):

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Then restart the browser and retry with VPN off.

FAQ (Snippet-Friendly)

Why is ChatGPT stuck on “Thinking” even though my internet is fine?

Most cases come down to one of three things: extension conflicts, corrupted site session data, or a long thread your browser can’t render. Start with Step 3 (Incognito) and Step 5 (site data), then Step 2 (new chat).

Why does Claude load, but the workspace panel stays blank?

That’s usually a UI rendering/hydration issue (hardware acceleration, feature-heavy mode) or a session token problem. Try Step 7 (hardware acceleration), Step 8 (standard view), then Step 9 (logout everywhere).

If the status page says “Operational,” can it still be server-side?

Yes. You can see partial degradation or traffic throttling that affects certain regions, ISPs, or feature modes before the status page fully reflects it. If you’ve cleared browser/session issues and it still fails across devices, treat it as provider-side.

Wrap-Up

If you only try three things, do this order:

  1. Incognito test (extensions)

  2. Clear site data (session reset)

  3. VPN off + DNS flush (network path)

That combination resolves the majority of “Thinking loop” and “not loading” cases—fast.

[Tech Troubleshooting] Category