ChatGPT: What "Error in Moderation" Means & How to Fix It

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Learn what to do when "Error in Moderation" ends your ChatGPT session early

Co-authored by Tyrone Showers and Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: August 13, 2024 Fact Checked

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ChatGPT Error in Moderation Meaning

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Error in Moderation Fixes

Are you getting "Error in Moderation" in ChatGPT? This is definitely frustrating, especially when you're in the middle of using the AI chat service for work or school. Unfortunately, there's no clear reason why users get this error, but it mostly happens when the ChatGPT servers are down or busy. In this article we'll go over what this error means in depth and detail a few ways you can try to fix it. Keep reading to learn more.

What the ChatGPT Error "Error in Moderation" Means

OpenAI hasn't detailed what exactly the "Error in Moderation" error means in ChatGPT, but most users tend to encounter it when the ChatGPT servers are down or too busy. If this is the case, all you can really do is wait for the issues to get fixed or the servers to calm down.

Section 1 of 2:

ChatGPT Error in Moderation Meaning

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The "Error in Moderation" error doesn't have a clear meaning. OpenAI hasn't posted any information about what "Error in Moderation" means specifically, but users tend to get the error when ChatGPT is experiencing an outage or has a lot of traffic.^{[1]
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- This is one of a few errors you might get when ChatGPT is having issues. Some of the others include "Error in input stream," "Message in conversation not found," or "network error."

Section 2 of 2:

Error in Moderation Fixes

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Go to the OpenAI status page and check ChatGPT's status. If it says something other than "Operational" next to ChatGPT, the service is likely having issues. If this is the case, you'll need to wait for OpenAI to fix the issues.
Check the last message that you sent. If the request you sent was difficult for ChatGPT to understand, phrased in an unclear way, or contained profanity, adult content, or discriminatory content, ChatGPT may be throwing the error because of OpenAI's content and age restrictions.
Sometimes, the "Error in Moderation" error could be a simple glitch that is fixed by starting a new chat. Open a new chat window with ChatGPT and try sending your message again.
If starting a new chat doesn't fix the issue, try logging out and back in. If there's any random glitches with your ChatGPT session, relogging in should fix those issues.
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Subscribe to ChatGPT Plus. According to technology expert Tyrone Showers, ChatGPT Plus users get priority during peak times when the OpenAI servers are busier.^{[2]
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Tyrone Showers
Technologist

Expert Interview} If the "Error in Moderation" error is due to busy servers, ChatGPT Plus could help.
- ChatGPT plus is $20 per month.^{[3]
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If nothing else fixes the issue, it's likely that ChatGPT's servers are too busy and they can't process your request. Unfortunately, the only way to fix this is to wait for the servers to calm down. If you suspect ChatGPT is at capacity and you want to see how you can get around it, check out this wikiHow article.