ChatGPT: “Unusual activity detected”
Quick answer: OpenAI shows this when its systems see traffic that may look automated or unusual. It isn't an outage. A VPN or proxy and a shared account are the most common causes.
The message you're seeing
Unusual activity detectedWe detect suspicious activity
Is it down right now?
- ChatGPT · checked No problems
Live status, updated every minute. If it says “No problems”, the cause is most likely on your side: follow the steps below.
Fixes, in the order OpenAI suggests
- Turn off VPNs and proxiesThey can route your traffic through addresses that have been flagged.
- Restart your browser or deviceThis starts a fresh connection.
- Use a private windowA private window starts a clean session without old site data.
- Don't share your accountIf other people use your login, OpenAI suggests stopping that and changing your password.
- Contact OpenAIIf you're not using bots or automation tools and it keeps happening, contact OpenAI support.
A note on VPNs
A VPN is useful for privacy on public Wi-Fi, but some VPN addresses are shared by many people, which can look unusual to ChatGPT. If you see this message, try switching your VPN off or choosing another server.
Using automation or scripts?
ChatGPT's apps are meant for people typing, not for scripts. If you need to automate work with OpenAI's models, use the OpenAI API, which is built and billed for that.
Questions
Is my ChatGPT account banned?
This message alone doesn't say so. It's about traffic that looks unusual. Try the steps above; contact OpenAI if it continues.
Can a VPN cause “Unusual activity detected”?
Yes. OpenAI lists turning off VPNs or proxies as the first thing to try.
Is ChatGPT down?
This message isn't an outage. You can check the live status at the top of this page.
Want to know when ChatGPT has a real outage? Follow our free outage alerts. We only post real outages, and again when they're fixed.
Related error guides
- ChatGPT “Something went wrong”
- ChatGPT “A network error occurred”
- ChatGPT “error generating a response”
- ChatGPT “Context window full”
Based on official documentation, checked 3 November 2026: OpenAI Help Center: Troubleshooting ChatGPT error messages. Error messages and limits change over time, so the provider's own docs are the final word.