How to fix ChatGPT Plus Freezing All the Time ?

Upgrading from the free version of ChatGPT to ChatGPT Plus is supposed to give you smoother, faster, and more reliable performance. But for many users, the reality has been very different. Instead of faster responses, the Plus plan is freezing, crashing, and showing constant “Wait” | “Exit” prompts.

If you’re frustrated, you’re not alone. Here’s a deep dive into what’s happening, user experiences, and possible fixes.

User Experiences with Freezing on ChatGPT Plus

Many users report the exact same issue: after upgrading to Plus, ChatGPT becomes slower and more unstable than the free plan.

Constant Freezing – Responses hang halfway through, forcing a page refresh just to see the full answer.
Unresponsive Prompts – On browsers like Chrome, Edge, and even Firefox, the ChatGPT tab often locks up.
Windows App Not Helping – Some switched to the Windows app hoping for better performance, but found it even worse.
Cross-Device Problem – Whether on Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS, or mobile devices, the freezing persists.
Canvas & Long Chats – Even using Canvas for consistency doesn’t prevent freezing. Long conversations seem especially buggy.

What Users Tried – Without Success

People have tested common fixes but report little to no improvement:

Clearing browser cache and cookies
Trying different browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari)
Using incognito mode
Installing the ChatGPT desktop app
Switching devices (laptops, PCs, mobile phones)

Despite these steps, the free version still runs smoother for many compared to Plus.

Possible Causes of Freezing

While OpenAI hasn’t given an official explanation, here are some possible reasons:

Heavy Workload on GPT-5 – The new model is resource-intensive, especially when generating images, code, or long-form documents.
Browser Memory Overload – Users report CPU usage shooting up to 100% when ChatGPT freezes, suggesting memory leaks or inefficient tab handling.
Long Conversations – Older chats with extensive history seem to make the freezing worse.
Server-Side Issues – Some freezes may not be your device’s fault at all, but rather server overloads during peak times.

Steps to fix ChatGPT Plus Freezing

A few users have found temporary workarounds:

Keep the frozen tab open – Sometimes, leaving the tab alone for 30–60 seconds lets ChatGPT finish the response.
Open a new tab – While one freezes, open a new ChatGPT tab and load the same conversation.
Shorter conversations – Start new chats instead of continuing extremely long threads.
Switch browsers – Some reported fewer freezes on Firefox or Safari.
Monitor updates – A recent patch briefly improved stability, but freezing returned shortly after.

Final Thoughts

As of April 2025, many Plus users feel paying $20/month isn’t worth it if performance is worse than the free plan. The freezing issue is widespread, across devices and browsers, and needs a permanent fix from OpenAI.

Until then, the best approach is to: