If you’ve seen the message “error in message stream” while using ChatGPT, you’re not alone — this is a fairly common interruption message that users encounter. In this article, we’ll break down what “error in message stream” means in ChatGPT, why it happens, how it has appeared during recent outages, and how you can respond when you run into it.
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Latest updates on the “error in message stream” issue
Recent updates show that on June 11 2025, the service experienced a spike in “error in message stream” reports starting around 11:50 AM PDT; full recovery was declared by about 12:15 PM.
Multiple user reports across forums indicate that “error in message stream” continues to occur even outside major outages.
In short: this error is still very much present and can come from both broad server problems and user-end connectivity/browser issues.
What exactly does “error in message stream” mean?
When using ChatGPT, a conversation is streamed from the server to your browser (or app) in a “message stream.” The term “error in message stream” means that at some point during that streaming of content, an interruption occurred: either the client (your device) or the server aborted the connection, or the streaming process failed to complete.
In one user’s log: a net::ERR_ABORTED entry popped up when the “error in message stream” occurred — meaning the connection closed unexpectedly by client or server.
In short: the message stream is the live exchange of data from the model, and if it’s interrupted, the system returns this error.
Why does it happen?
There are several common contributing factors:
| Cause | Description |
|---|---|
| Server-side overload or fault | When OpenAI’s infrastructure is under heavy load (e.g., lots of concurrent users) the streaming service may fail for some chats. |
| Network / connection instability | A weak internet connection or dropped packets can kill the live stream, triggering the error. |
| Browser or client interference | Browser extensions, VPNs, or proxies may interfere with the websocket or streaming channel. |
| Session or chat corruption | Sometimes the specific chat session becomes unstable (lots of context, large prompts) and the streaming fails. Reports of repeated errors in a single chat support this. |
When you see “error in message stream” — what to do
Here are practical steps you can take to respond:
- Click “Regenerate” — if available. Sometimes the error is transient and a new attempt succeeds.
- Start a new chat session — closing the current chat and beginning fresh may avoid a corrupted session.
- Check your internet connection — disconnect and reconnect if unstable, switch networks if possible.
- Clear your browser cache or switch browser — especially if extensions may be interfering.
- Disable VPN/proxy temporarily — if you are using one, try without to see if error persists.
- Check the OpenAI status page — if the error is seen by many users, it may be a server-side issue.
- Wait and retry later — if the cause is server overload, retrying after some time often resolves it.
Is this error different from other ChatGPT errors?
Yes — the “error in message stream” differs from generic errors such as “There was an error generating a response” in that it explicitly points to a streaming failure rather than a model generation failure. The latter error may reflect that the model failed to produce an answer at all.
However, the root causes often overlap: connection issues, server capacity, and client environment. So many of the same troubleshooting steps apply.
Outage context: when the error signals a broader service disruption
During major outages, large numbers of users report “error in message stream” across many platforms. For example:
- On June 10 2025, a global outage impacted ChatGPT, with hundreds of thousands of users reporting timeouts or “error in message stream.”
- Monitoring sites showed a huge spike in reports, and OpenAI acknowledged “elevated error rates and latency.”
This means that if you see “error in message stream” and many other users are reporting issues at the same time, the cause is likely on OpenAI’s side rather than your device. In that scenario, patience and checking the status page are key.
Key takeaways for U.S. users of ChatGPT
- The key phrase “error in message stream” simply means the conversation stream failed.
- It can result from local issues (network, browser) or global issues (server overload).
- If the error happens repeatedly in one chat, try a new session.
- If you see many users reporting similar errors at the same time, check for a service outage.
- Good practice: keep your browser and internet setup clean, avoid heavy extensions, and retry if necessary.
If you’ve recently seen “error in message stream” in ChatGPT, try the steps above and see if retrying fixes it — and feel free to comment below if you want help diagnosing any persistent issue.