This error is currently a known issue affecting many users today, March 2, 2026. While OpenAI’s status page initially listed systems as “operational,” there has been a surge in reports of “Unknown Error” specifically when uploading text-based files (PDFs, .txt, .docx).
Current Outage Status
Widespread Glitch: There is an active spike in reports where binary files (like JPEGs) upload fine, but document processing is failing.
OpenAI Response: As of this afternoon, engineers have acknowledged elevated error rates for ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users regarding file ingestion.
Quick Workarounds
If you need to get your file processed immediately, users are reporting success with these specific “hacks”:
The “Print to PDF” Trick: Open your document on your computer, select Print, and choose Save as PDF. This “flattens” the file, stripping out complex metadata or corrupted layers that are likely triggering the current error.
Use the Mobile App: Strangely, the iOS and Android apps are using a slightly different upload path. Many users find that files failing on the desktop web version upload perfectly via the mobile app.
Copy-Paste (If Possible): If the file is a text document or spreadsheet under the character limit, copying the text directly into the chat is the only 100% reliable bypass during this outage.
Rename & Re-upload: Sometimes simply changing the filename (avoiding special characters or spaces) can force a fresh upload attempt that bypasses a “stuck” session error.
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Technical Checklist (If the above fails)
If this isn’t part of the current outage for you, check these limits:
File Size: Ensure the file is under 512MB (though practically, files over 50MB often trigger “Unknown Errors” during high traffic).
Formatting: ChatGPT cannot read password-protected or encrypted PDFs.
Browser: Disable any Ad-Blockers or “Privacy” extensions temporarily, as they frequently interfere with the specific API call OpenAI uses for file status tracking.
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