If ChatGPT has stopped working while your VPN is on, the cause may be an OpenAI outage, the IP address of your current VPN server, an unsupported country, browser data, your account, or the VPN connection itself. First check the status of ChatGPT and whether other sites work, and then check the IP address and the selected country.
First, Separate the VPN from OpenAI
First open status.openai.com and check the status of ChatGPT. Then open another site with the VPN on. If other sites also fail, check your VPN client and internet connection. If the problem occurs only with ChatGPT, use the table below.
| What happens | Possible cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The page won't open or a timeout appears | An OpenAI outage, a connection issue, or the current VPN server | Check the OpenAI status, then change the VPN location |
| A message appears that the service is unavailable in your country | The current IP address belongs to an unsupported region | Check your public IP and the official list of OpenAI supported countries |
| After signing in, ChatGPT returns you to the login page | An active session, site data, or a security check | Open ChatGPT in incognito mode; if needed, clear the site data for chatgpt.com |
| ChatGPT works in the browser but not in the app | The extension routes only browser traffic through the VPN | Use the system-wide VPN app |
A Two-Minute Procedure
- Check the status of ChatGPT on the status.openai.com page.
- Open another site with the VPN on. If it also fails, check your VPN client and internet connection.
- Open the "My IP" page and make sure the country shown matches the selected VPN location.
- Check whether the selected country is on the official list of OpenAI supported countries.
- Open chatgpt.com in incognito mode. If the site works, clear the site data for chatgpt.com in your main browser.
- If the web version works but the ChatGPT app doesn't, use the system-wide VPN instead of the browser extension.
Why Switching the VPN Alone Doesn't Always Help
The error may persist because of the current server's IP address, the selected country, browser data, or an active session. So simply reconnecting to the same location may not help. First check the OpenAI status and whether the selected country is supported, then change the location and open ChatGPT in incognito mode.
The VolnaLink app automatically selects the connection protocol. The extension routes only browser traffic through the VPN. For the mobile or desktop ChatGPT app, use the system-wide VolnaLink app.
VolnaLink for ChatGPT
For the web version of ChatGPT in a single browser, you can use the VolnaLink extension. For the mobile or desktop app, you need a system-wide VPN. No separate plan is required for ChatGPT. More information is available on the VPN for ChatGPT page.
See also: VPN for ChatGPT · Claude Not Working · Gemini Not Working with a VPN · Buy VPN