Gemini won’t load, shows “Something went wrong”, or stops answering halfway through? You’re not alone. Like any online service, Google’s Gemini sometimes has outages, and many problems also come from the browser, the connection or the account. Here’s how to find the cause and fix it, step by step.
1. Check whether Gemini is down for everyone
If Gemini is down on Google’s side, there’s nothing to fix on yours.
- Check Google’s status pages (the Google Workspace Status Dashboard and Google Cloud status) for an ongoing incident.
- Look at outage trackers such as Downdetector, or search social media for “Gemini down”.
- Watch for wider outages: when several big sites fail at once, the cause is often a shared provider such as Cloudflare or a cloud platform, as during a major ChatGPT outage.
If it’s a general outage, the only option is to wait for Google to restore the service.
2. Rule out your connection and browser
- Check your connection: a slow or unstable connection can cause time-outs.
- Restart your router and your device.
- Turn off your VPN or proxy: they can hide your location or disrupt the connection.
- Clear your cache and cookies, or open Gemini in a private window.
- Try another browser or device: if Gemini works elsewhere, the problem is local.
- Disable extensions that block scripts or ads, then reload the page.
3. Check your Google account
- Sign out and back in to your Google account to reset the session.
- Check your account type: some features are limited on the free plan, on work or school accounts, or for users under a certain age.
- Check availability in your country: some Gemini features and models aren’t offered everywhere.
- For developers using the API: make sure your API key is valid and has the right permissions; a 403 error usually points to an authorization problem.
4. When the conversation itself is the problem
- The conversation is too long: every model has a limit on how much text it can take into account. Start a new chat and paste in only what’s needed.
- The file is too heavy: if Gemini struggles with a document or an image, try a smaller or compressed file.
- A safety filter stepped in: if Gemini refuses or stops without a clear reason, rephrase your request more neutrally and give more context.
- It stopped mid-sentence: ask it to “continue from where you stopped” rather than starting over.
What about “Something went wrong” errors?
Messages like “Something went wrong”, sometimes followed by a number, are generic: they don’t always tell you the exact cause. Work through the steps above in order: reload the page, start a new chat, sign out and back in, then try another browser. If the same error keeps coming back, it’s often a temporary problem on Google’s side.
Quick checklist
- Is Gemini down for everyone? Check status pages and Downdetector. If so, wait.
- Does it work in another browser or on another device? If so, clear your cache and check your extensions and VPN.
- Does signing out and back in fix it? If so, it was a session problem.
- Does a new chat with a simple question work? If so, the previous conversation was the problem.
- Still stuck? Send feedback from the Gemini interface, with the time, your browser and the exact error message.
Need an AI while Gemini is down?
You can keep working with another assistant in the meantime: try our free ChatGPT, with no account needed, or DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.
