Why ChatGPT Stops Suddenly: Response Limits, Glitches, & Fixes

Simple ways to get ChatGPT to continue when it stops unexpectedly

Co-authored by Tyrone Showers and Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: September 21, 2024 Fact Checked

Does ChatGPT keep stopping in the middle of its responses? Because ChatGPT has a character limit for both input and output, the chatbot often cuts off before providing the full text or code you've asked for. ChatGPT may also stop writing if there's a problem with its server or a network issue. Luckily, you can get ChatGPT to finish its reply using prompts like "keep going" and "continue where you left off." This wikiHow article will teach you why ChatGPT stops in the middle of its responses, and gives you quick tricks to make the bot pick up where it left off.

Things You Should Know

ChatGPT responses and prompts are currently limited to about 4000 tokens, or about 3125 words, in total.
You can tell ChatGPT to finish where it left off by replying with "keep going," "go on," or "continue where you left off."
ChatGPT may stop suddenly if its servers are glitching or down. You can check the server status at https://status.openai.com.

1

The response is too long.

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ChatGPT stops typing once its character limit is met. GPT-3.5, the language model behind ChatGPT, supports a token length of 4000 tokens (or about 3125 words). Once the token limit is reached, the bot will stop typing its response, often at an awkward stopping point. You can get ChatGPT to finish its response by typing "keep going," "go on," or "continue where you left off."
- To prevent ChatGPT from cutting off in the middle of a sentence, ask the bot to limit its response length. For example, you can add the sentence "Reply in 750 words or less" to your request. This can be especially helpful when you're using ChatGPT to write an essay.^{[1]
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  Research source}
- If ChatGPT cuts off in the middle of providing code, you may need to say something like, "Continue from this line," and then paste in the last full line of the abbreviated code. If that doesn't work, try "Continue in a codebox."

2

The prompt is too long.

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ChatGPT's character limit also factors in your prompt. Both your prompt and the response count toward this ChatGPT's limit.^{[2]
X
Research source} If your prompt is very long, and you've asked for a longer reply, ChatGPT will stop writing as soon as the token limit of about 3125 words is reached.
- To see how many tokens your prompt will use, type or paste your prompt into the Tokenizer at https://platform.openai.com/tokenizer.
- Also, try narrowing down the focus of your prompt to get clearer replies that don't meander or include too much extra information.

3

There was a brief network or server glitch.

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A temporary glitch may prevent ChatGPT from finishing its response. If ChatGPT stops writing a response suddenly, a brief issue on the server end or in your network connection, may have cut off the chatbot. Click the Regenerate response button at the bottom of ChatGPT to have it retype its previous response.
- If that doesn't work, try reloading the page and typing your prompt again. You can also try connecting to a different Wi-Fi network, switching to a cellular connection, or clearing your cache and cookies.
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

Create clear prompts for chatGPT. ChatGPT might stop mid-sentence due to temporary server overload from high traffic, or your request requires extra analysis. Try again after a few moments, preferably with a clearer prompt. ChatGPT is constantly learning, and these pauses are becoming less frequent.

4

There's a ChatGPT outage.

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Check https://status.openai.com to see if ChatGPT is having problems. If the ChatGPT server is down or overloaded, the chatbot may stop in the middle of a response. If the problem is related to ChatGPT's servers, you'll usually see an error message in the chatbot like "network error," "failed to load," or "something went wrong."
- If the problem is on ChatGPT's end, try asking the question again, but this time, include a sentence that asks ChatGPT to "limit the response to 500 words" (or less). If you're still not getting a full response, you'll need to wait until the problem is resolved by OpenAI.
- You can also check the OpenAI Discord server to see if anyone else is experiencing errors or frequent cutoffs. To join, visit https://discord.com/invite/openai.

5

You're still using GPT-3.5.

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GPT-4, the latest OpenAI language model, supports up to 25,000 words. But as of now, the web-based version of ChatGPT is still using GPT-3.5. And while paid ChatGPT Plus subscribers do have access to many features of GPT-4, many subscribers report that ChatGPT still stops mid-reply short of 25,000 words.^{[3]
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Research source} This could mean that there's an additional limit in the web-based ChatGPT interface for all users.
- As of now, the only way to get around ChatGPT's character limit is to use the GPT-4 API. Visit https://openai.com/index/gpt-4/ and click Join API waitlist to sign up.^{[4]
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Expert Q&A

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Question

Mine says "Error in body stream." How do I fix this?

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

Expert Answer

If you come across the "Error in Body Stream" message, consider resolving the issue by clicking the "Regenerate response" button located above the chat box. This action often rectifies the problem. Additionally, ensure that your internet connection is stable, and review your code implementation for any potential errors in making requests to the ChatGPT API. Checking the service's documentation for insights into common errors and consulting community forums or support channels can also provide valuable assistance in troubleshooting and resolving the "Error in Body Stream" issue.

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An "internal server error" usually indicates a problem with ChatGPT's servers.

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