Are you getting an “Unable to load history” error in ChatGPT?
If so, you won’t be able to see your past conversations with the model.
Next to the error message, you’ll see a “Retry” button.
However, if you click on it, you’ll probably get the same error again.
Your past conversations are important because you can copy and paste your previous prompts.
Hence, it’s necessary to restore your history to continue your conversation.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to fix “Unable to load history” in ChatGPT.
Why is ChatGPT unable to load history?
ChatGPT is unable to load history due to a connection error or a server-side issue.
The error message means that your conversation history could not be retrieved by the system.
When this happens, you need to check the status of the service here: https://status.openai.com/.
If there’s an outage, you need to wait until the OpenAI team fixes the issue—this usually takes a few hours.
How to fix “Unable to load history” in ChatGPT
To fix “Unable to load history” in ChatGPT, you can try to log out and log in of your account.
You can also try to clear your browser’s cache, restore ChatGPT from your browsing history, or contact OpenAI support for help.
Check the status of OpenAI here: https://status.openai.com/.
If ChatGPT is down, you need to wait for a few hours for it to be back up.
Fix 1: Log out and log in of ChatGPT
- Go to https://chat.openai.com/.
- Click on “Log out” on the left sidebar.
- Click on “Log in” and log in.
- Your history should be restored.
Fix 2: Clear your browser’s cache
- Google Chrome: Chrome > Three Dots > More Tools > Clear browsing data > Cookies and other site data / Cached images and files > Clear data.
- Mozilla Firefox: Firebox > Menu > Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear.
- Microsoft Edge: Edge > Three Dots > Settings > Privacy & services > Choose what to clear > Cached images and files / Cookies and other site data > Clear.
Fix 3: Restore ChatGPT from your browsing history
- On the right of the URL field on Chrome, click on the three dots.
- Click on “History” and click on “History” again.
- Using the search bar, search for “chat.openai.com”.
- Open one of your past chats (e.g. https://chat.openai.com/chat_xx_xxx_xx).
Fix 4: Wait until your conversation data is restored
- Go to https://status.openai.com/ and check the status of ChatGPT.
- Wait for a few hours before accessing chat.openai.com again if there’s ongoing maintenance.
- Wait for a few hours for your history to be restored if there’s an outage.
Fix 5: Contact OpenAI support
- Go to https://help.openai.com/.
- Click on the chat icon.
- Click on “Search for help” followed by “Send us a message”.
- Select the topic(s) that are related to your issue.
- Describe your problem and send the message.
- Wait for the support team to respond to your message.
Further reading
How to Fix “Something went wrong, please try reloading the conversation” in ChatGPT
