Why ChatGPT Losing Messages in the Middle of a Conversation? Here’s What to do !

Over the last several weeks, many ChatGPT users have begun reporting a troubling new issue: ChatGPT responses are disappearing during ongoing conversations. In some cases, the problem occurs while the conversation is still open. In others, users log in the next day only to find that the last response has vanished and has been replaced by a “Regenerate” button.

Although this issue is inconsistent and difficult to reproduce reliably, a growing number of detailed reports paint a clear picture of a frontend bug affecting the ChatGPT web app. Below is a summary of the symptoms, user examples, suspected causes, and temporary workarounds.

What the Problem Looks Like

Based on multiple user accounts, the core issue can be described as follows:

The user sends a prompt.
ChatGPT generates a normal, complete response.
At some later point—minutes, hours, or the next day—the response is gone.
In its place is an error message claiming the model failed to generate a response, even though it succeeded earlier.
The user is asked to regenerate the answer.

This creates a mismatch between the user’s memory of the conversation and what the interface displays later.

Messages Disappearing Mid-Conversation

For many users, the issue does not require closing the browser or logging out. Conversations are simply losing messages while the user is still interacting with the model.

Reports include:

Entire sections of dialogue disappearing while typing the next prompt.
The conversation suddenly reverting to only the first few messages.
Losing up to thirty back-and-forth messages at once.
ChatGPT “forgetting” recent turns entirely and interpreting new messages as prompts for older ones.

These experiences indicate that the chat history is failing to save correctly on the server or that the frontend is failing to fetch the correct state.

Example of the Bug in Action

A typical example looks like this:

Expected behavior (no bug):
User: Give me an idea for a bug-eating machine.
ChatGPT: How about the Supreme Bugeater 3600? (full response)
User: Tell me more!
ChatGPT: It also has a love for crunching on walnuts. Easy on the walnuts!

Bugged behavior:
User: Give me an idea for a bug-eating machine.
ChatGPT: How about the Supreme Bugeater 3600? (full response)
User: Tell me more!
ChatGPT: Let’s do the Amazing BugEater! It also eats cake!

In the bugged version, ChatGPT behaves as though the user never provided the previous turn, suggesting the model is receiving incomplete or corrupted conversation history.

Not Just Lost Messages: Editing Tools Disabled

Several users report that once the bug appears:

They can no longer edit messages in the conversation.
The “edit” icon either disappears or does nothing.
Adjacent messages become locked, frozen, or uneditable.

This contributes to the sense that the conversation record is failing to save or update.

Does the Issue Affect All Platforms?

Most reports come from users on the web app (especially Chrome).
However:

Some users say the issue does not appear as often on iOS.
Others see it in the macOS desktop application as well.
Many believe it worsens when the browser tab is left open for long periods.

Several users suspect the problem may be session-cookie related, though this has not been confirmed.

A Common User Frustration

Many users report the same sentiment: ChatGPT implies that errors must be on the user’s side. Meanwhile, responses continue disappearing in random, unpredictable ways. When a conversation drops dozens of messages at once, the frustration is understandable. Important work, creative content, and detailed instructions can be lost instantly.

A Temporary Workaround

One user shared a simple workaround that sometimes recovers the most recent missing response:

Log out of your ChatGPT account.
Clear browser cache (optional, unverified but potentially helpful).
Log back in.

This may restore the last vanished message, but only if the user has not already generated a new message. If a new prompt has been sent after the disappearance, the old response is typically unrecoverable.

Several users note that this is not a full fix, and it may only apply in specific situations.

Possible Causes

While OpenAI has not issued an official explanation, user evidence points to:

A frontend storage or syncing issue with conversation data
Failure to commit responses to persistent storage
Session expiration or corruption of state
Browser extensions interfering with requests (ad-blockers or privacy filters)
Incomplete or missing API calls when saving messages

This is not an API problem. It is almost certainly a bug in the consumer-facing ChatGPT web interface.

What Users Expect

Users are not asking for advanced features—just basic reliability.
The expectations are simple:

Messages that appear today should still be there tomorrow.
Ongoing conversations should not lose context mid-session.
Responses should not need to be regenerated if they were already produced.
Message history should remain visible and editable.

Until these expectations are met, the affected users will continue experiencing loss of information and disruption of workflow.

Conclusion

ChatGPT losing messages during conversations is a significant and widespread issue, particularly for users who rely on long-running chats or detailed responses. While some temporary workarounds exist, they offer only partial and inconsistent relief. The problem appears to stem from a frontend bug affecting how ChatGPT saves and displays conversation history.

For now, the best advice is to manually save important responses and avoid relying entirely on ChatGPT’s conversation preservation until the issue is officially addressed. Users who experience frequent losses should consider logging out and back in, clearing cache, or using different devices as temporary mitigations.

As reports continue to grow, a long-term fix from OpenAI will be essential.