Claude Not Working? Outage, Usage Limit or Capacity Error
When Claude stops responding, read the exact message first. A message with a reset time, such as “5-hour limit reached – resets [time],” means your plan’s allowance is used up, and Claude is not down. A capacity message means demand is high for everyone and usually clears within minutes. Only an active incident on Anthropic’s status page at status.claude.com confirms that Claude itself is having an outage.
Anthropic’s Help Center article “Troubleshoot Claude error messages” sorts errors into the same groups. Our live Claude status page shows current availability next to recent reader reports.
Is Claude down right now?
Claude is down when status.claude.com lists an active incident for the part you use. The page has separate rows for claude.ai, Claude Console (platform.claude.com), Claude API (api.anthropic.com), Claude Code, Claude Cowork and Claude for Government. Each row shows Operational, Degraded Performance, Partial Outage or Major Outage.
Incident titles often name a single model or feature. The page listed “Elevated errors for Claude Sonnet 5.5” on October 27, 2026, and “Elevated errors affecting the Gmail connector” on October 28, 2026. So one model or connector can fail while the rest of Claude works.
- Open status.claude.com and check the row for what you use: claude.ai for the website and apps, Claude Code for the coding tool, Claude API for apps built on Claude.
- Open our Claude status page to see whether other people report trouble.
- Try Claude on another device or network, such as your phone on mobile data. If it works there, the problem is local.
The general routine for any service is in is it down or just me.
What does each Claude error message mean?
The messages below are quoted from Anthropic’s Troubleshoot Claude error messages article, as of November 2026.
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “Approaching session limit” or “Approaching weekly limit.” | You are close to your plan’s allowance | Finish or save the current task |
| “5-hour limit reached – resets [time]” | Your five-hour session allowance is used up | Wait until the stated time |
| “You’ve reached your weekly limit. It resets [day] at [time].” | Your weekly allowance is used up | Wait for the reset, or use the options your plan offers |
| “Due to unexpected capacity constraints, Claude is unable to respond to your message. Please try again soon.” | Demand is high across the system; Anthropic calls this load management, not an outage | Try again in a few minutes |
| “Your message will exceed the length limit for this chat. Try attaching fewer or smaller files or starting a new conversation.” | The message is too long for this chat | Attach fewer or smaller files, split the content, or start a new chat |
| “There was an error logging you in” | Sign-in failed | Follow the login steps below |
Anthropic notes that capacity messages do not appear on the status page. A clear status page therefore does not rule out a capacity message, and a capacity message does not mean an outage.
Is a usage limit the same as an outage?
No. A usage limit is a rule of your plan, and it lifts at the stated time. Anthropic’s article “How do usage and length limits work?” says the five-hour limit controls how much you can use Claude within a five-hour period, and the timer starts with your first message. Weekly limits apply across all models and reset at a fixed weekly time assigned to your account.
You can see how much you have used, and the time remaining under Current session, in Settings > Usage. Anthropic says usage depends on the length and complexity of your conversations, the features you use, the model you chat with and the effort level you select. Tools and connectors use more of the limit.
On paid plans with usage credits turned on, Claude does not stop at the limit. Anthropic says requests continue on pay-as-you-go pricing, with messages such as “5-hour limit resets [time] – continuing with usage credits.” Retrying a blocked message over and over does not reset any limit.
What does “overloaded” mean in Claude?
“Overloaded” usually comes from the Claude API, which apps and developer tools use. Anthropic’s API error documentation lists these codes:
- 529 overloaded_error: the API is temporarily overloaded, which can happen when traffic is high across all users.
- 429 rate_limit_error: the organization hit a rate limit or a spend cap.
- 500 api_error: an unexpected internal error; Anthropic says to retry with exponential backoff and to contact support with the request ID if it persists.
If an app built on Claude fails but claude.ai works, check the Claude API row on the status page and the app’s own support page. You cannot fix an overloaded API from your side. How capacity, rate limits and outages differ across chatbots is explained in AI chatbot errors explained.
How do I fix Claude login problems?
For “There was an error logging you in,” Anthropic’s steps are:
- Turn off any VPN.
- Disable browser extensions as a test, then turn them back on one at a time.
- Clear your browser cache and cookies.
- If the problem continues, check status.claude.com for an active incident.
Claude is offered only in supported countries and regions, which Anthropic lists on its supported regions page. Sign in only at claude.ai or in the official Claude apps from the App Store or Google Play. Never type a login code into another site that calls itself Claude, and never share it with anyone who contacts you.
What should I do while Claude is down?
Copy any long prompt or draft into a document before you retry, because a failed reply may not be saved. Use the Subscribe to Updates button on status.claude.com to get incident updates instead of refreshing. More general advice is in what to do during an outage.
Bottom line
Read the message before you do anything else. A reset time means a usage limit, “try again soon” means capacity, and a login error points to your browser or VPN. Only an incident on status.claude.com confirms an outage, and the incident title tells you which model or feature is affected.
FAQ
Does the capacity message mean Claude is down?
No. Anthropic describes it as load management during high demand, not an outage, and says it does not appear on the status page. Wait a few minutes and try again.
When does my Claude limit reset?
The limit message shows the reset time. You can also check Settings > Usage, which shows your current session use and the time remaining.
Why does Claude work on my phone but not my laptop?
If Claude works on any device, the service is up. The cause is local, such as a VPN, a browser extension, cached data or the laptop’s network.
Is Claude Code down when claude.ai is down?
Not necessarily. The status page lists Claude Code as its own row, though a single incident can affect both. Check the row for the product you use.