ChatGPT: 10 Ways to Fix the "Conversation Not Found" Error

When ChatGPT loses the conversation, there's usually an easy fix

Co-authored by Théo Dufort and Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: November 7, 2024 Fact Checked

Has ChatGPT given you the "Conversation not found" error? This is a frustrating error, especially since it usually pops up after you've already started a conversation with ChatGPT. You'll often see this error when ChatGPT cannot understand your query, though you may also see "Conversation not found" due to ChatGPT server issues. In this article, we will go over 9 reasons you might be getting the "Conversation not found" error on ChatGPT and teach you how to fix it.

1

Reformat your prompt.

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It's possible that ChatGPT doesn't understand what you are asking it to generate. While ChatGPT is a very powerful AI chatbot, it has some limitations, such as being unable to create images, open links, or navigate niche or recent topics.^{[1]
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2

Add more context.

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If your prompt was vague, ChatGPT may not know how to answer it and may respond with an error. Add some more context to what you are asking to see if ChatGPT can understand what you are looking for.

3

Check your internet connection.

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If your internet connection is not stable and keeps cutting out, you might see a "conversation not found" error. You may want to reset your router or contact your ISP if your internet connection is not stable.

4

Refresh ChatGPT in your browser.

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A simple webpage refresh can fix it. Press F5 on your keyboard to refresh the ChatGPT tab, or click the refresh arrow button at the top of your browser.

EXPERT TIP

Tyrone Showers
Technologist
Tyrone Showers is a Technologist and the Co-owner of Taliferro Group, an IT consulting company based in Seattle, Washington. With over 35 years of professional experience, he specializes in API Design, e-Commerce, Operational Efficiency, and website development. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from DeVry Institute of Technology.

Tyrone Showers
Technologist

You may encounter errors when using large language models like ChatGPT. AI models are still being developed, which means they may fail or produce odd outputs. Reasons for this could be a server issue, a browser glitch, or even your prompt. Try refreshing the page or rewriting a shorter, clearer prompt.

5

Clear your browsing data.

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Delete your cache and cookies. Your browser keeps a cache of data to help it run more smoothly, but sometimes this cache becomes corrupt and can cause issues with certain websites. Note that clearing your browser data will sign you out of most websites.
- Chrome: Click the three-line menu in the upper-right corner. Select More tools and Clear browsing data. Select a time range and make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked. Click Clear data to clear the data.
- Microsoft Edge: Click the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner. Select History. In the window that pops up, click the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner. Select Clear browsing data. Select a time range and make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked. Click Clear Now to clear the data.
- Safari: Click Safari in the upper-left corner and click Settings. Under the Privacy tab click Manage Website Data… and click Remove All. Then go back to the Safari menu, select Clear History…. Select All History and then click the Clear History button.
- Firefox: Click the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner. Select History and Clear recent history…. Select a time range and ensure that Cookies and Cache are checked. Click Clear Now to clear the data.

6

Disable browser extensions and add-ons.

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Turn off any browser extensions you have. Conflicting browser extensions or add-ons could cause the "Conversation not found" error, so turning them off can help you diagnose the problem.
- Chrome: Click the puzzle piece icon next to the search bar and your extension icons. Select Manage extensions and toggle off your extensions in the window that pops up.
- Microsoft Edge: Click the puzzle piece icon next to the search bar. Select Manage extensions and toggle off your extensions in the window that pops up.
- Safari: Click the Safari menu in the upper-left corner, then select Preferences. Click the Extensions tab and uncheck the box by each extension to disable them.
- Firefox: Click the puzzle piece icon next to the search bar and the three-line menu icon. Select Manage extensions and toggle off your extensions in the window that pops up.

7

Split up longer conversations.

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ChatGPT may glitch if the conversation is too long. ChatGPT's hidden character limit may be the culprit. If you're providing an especially long prompt or requesting a very long output, you might see "conversation not found" in the middle of your conversation. Your prompt and ChatGPT's reply count toward the limit of about 3125 words, so make sure your interaction doesn't exceed that limit. Try breaking your prompts up into pieces, or ask for shorter responses.
- If ChatGPT cuts off in the middle of a sentence during a reply, you can respond with "go on" or "keep going" to continue the reply.

8

Use a VPN.

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Use a VPN to access ChatGPT. If you're experiencing restrictions trying to use ChatGPT, a VPN can help you get back to using the chatbot.
- There are many VPN options, but some popular options are NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
- For most VPNs, you will have to download their software and sign up before you can begin using them.
- Ensure you select a VPN server location where ChatGPT is available, or you may encounter more errors.

9

Use ChatGPT at non-peak hours

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While unlikely, ChatGPT could be experiencing server overload during its peak hours of 1 PM to 4 PM.

EXPERT TIP

Tyrone Showers
Technologist
Tyrone Showers is a Technologist and the Co-owner of Taliferro Group, an IT consulting company based in Seattle, Washington. With over 35 years of professional experience, he specializes in API Design, e-Commerce, Operational Efficiency, and website development. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from DeVry Institute of Technology.

Tyrone Showers
Technologist

OpenAI offers a premium subscription called ChatGPT Plus. This subscription provides access to all the latest features of the OpenAI chatbot, including the GPT-4 language model, priority access at peak times, and potentially faster response times. Consider subscribing if these benefits align with your demands.

10

Contact ChatGPT support.

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You can contact ChatGPT by going to OpenAI's support website and clicking the speech bubble in the bottom left.^{[2]
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Expert Q&A

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Question

Does this mean ChatGPT can't answer the question?

Théo Dufort
Software Engineer and Full-Stack Web Developer
Théo Dufort is a Software Engineer and Full-Stack Web Developer based in Quebec, Canada. With nearly 6 years of experience, Théo is a full-stack developer specializing in web development. At just 16, he launched his own consulting business to advise on all things web design and development. Most recently he created MyBookQuest, designed to be an all-in-one platform for book lovers to track, organize, and fill their personal library. MyBookQuest aims to fill the gaps of the popular Goodreads app owned by Amazon by rewarding its users with points to give them different perks like discount coupons as an incentive to read, review, and rate their latest book.

Théo Dufort

Software Engineer and Full-Stack Web Developer

Expert Answer

It doesn’t necessarily mean that it can't answer your specific question. Instead, it often indicates a technical issue, like an expired session or a lost connection to a specific chat. If you don’t refresh the page, ChatGPT might still try to link the conversation to your account, but if the session has expired, it can't make that connection. Refreshing the page reestablishes the link and allows ChatGPT to retrieve the conversation if it still exists. So, while refreshing can solve the problem, it doesn’t mean that ChatGPT couldn’t answer your question in the first place—it’s more about reconnecting to the existing data. If it genuinely couldn’t find an answer, it would tell you directly that it doesn't have an answer for that specific question.

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