Updated October 30, 2026
When DeepSeek stops answering, the cause is usually one of three things: DeepSeek’s servers are overloaded, your sign-in is stuck, or something on your side (connection, browser, app version) is blocking it. This guide helps you find out which one in under two minutes, then fix it.
Step 1: check whether DeepSeek is down for everyone
Before you change anything on your phone or computer, open the official status page at status.deepseek.com. It lists each service separately: the chat service, file uploads, search, and each API model.
- Everything is green: the problem is probably on your side. Go to step 2.
- A service is marked as degraded or down: nothing you do will fix it. Wait, and check the page again in 15 to 30 minutes.
Outages exist but are short. Between August and October 2026, the status page reports 99.85% availability for the chat service. In practice, most “DeepSeek not working” moments are short peaks of traffic rather than full outages.
“The server is busy. Please try again later”
This is the most common message. It means DeepSeek received more requests than it could handle at that moment and refused yours. Your account is fine.
- Wait 30 to 60 seconds, then click regenerate or send your message again.
- Start a new chat. Very long conversations, or conversations with large files, are heavier to process and fail more often.
- Turn off web search or deep thinking for this question if you had them on. They make the request longer and more likely to time out during busy periods.
- Try again at another time of day. Traffic is highest during working hours in China (roughly 01:00 to 10:00 UTC). The API’s peak-price hours, 01:00–04:00 and 06:00–10:00 UTC on weekdays, give a good idea of when the load is heaviest.
The verification code never arrives
When you sign up or log in with your email, DeepSeek sends a code. If it doesn’t show up:
- Check your spam, junk and “Promotions” folders, and search your mailbox for “DeepSeek”.
- Check that the email address is spelled correctly. One wrong letter is enough.
- Wait a few minutes before clicking “resend”. Asking for several codes in a row can slow things down, and only the latest code works.
- Don’t use a temporary or disposable email address. Use a regular mailbox such as Gmail or Outlook.
- If you can, sign in with another method offered in your country.
The page or the app won’t load
- In a browser: reload with Ctrl+F5 (Cmd+Shift+R on a Mac), try a private window, then turn off your extensions one by one. Ad blockers and privacy extensions sometimes break chat sites.
- In the app: close it completely and reopen it, then check for an update in your app store. If it still fails, sign out and back in.
- Your connection: switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data. Some company, school and public networks block AI services.
- Your country: access to DeepSeek is restricted or unreliable in some countries. In that case, the fixes above won’t help: use one of the alternatives listed below.
DeepSeek stops in the middle of an answer
An answer that cuts off usually means the request took too long during a busy period, or the conversation has become very long. Click regenerate, or ask “continue from where you stopped”. For long documents, split them and send them in parts.
API errors: 401, 402, 429, 503 and others
If you are a developer and the API returns an error, the code tells you exactly what is wrong. These are DeepSeek’s official explanations:
| Code | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | Invalid request format | Fix the request body using the hint in the error message. |
| 401 | Authentication failed | Check your API key or create a new one on platform.deepseek.com. |
| 402 | Insufficient balance | Your prepaid credit is used up. Top up your account. |
| 422 | Invalid parameters | Correct the parameters named in the error message. |
| 429 | Rate limit reached | You are sending too many requests at once. Slow down or queue them. |
| 500 | Server error | Retry after a short wait. Contact DeepSeek if it continues. |
| 503 | Server overloaded | High traffic. Retry after a short wait, ideally with exponential backoff. |
Two details catch many developers out. First, the concurrency limit is counted per account, not per key: 2,500 simultaneous requests for deepseek-flash and 500 for deepseek-v4-pro. Creating more keys won’t raise it. Second, the old model name deepseek-v4-flash still works but is now served by DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017, so answers may differ slightly from what you got before October 17, 2026.
Still not working? Free alternatives
If DeepSeek is down for a long time, or simply not available in your country, these assistants offer a free version. None of them is perfect and their free plans have limits, but they are fine for most everyday questions.
- ChatGPT: the best-known option, with a limited free plan. Not available in every country.
- Gemini: Google’s assistant, convenient if you already have a Google account.
- Qwen Chat: Alibaba’s assistant, the closest to DeepSeek in style and often reachable where Western services are not.
- Kimi: from Moonshot AI, with a free web chat.
Contacting DeepSeek
For account problems that none of the steps above solve, write to DeepSeek at service@deepseek.com. DeepSick is an independent site and cannot access or fix DeepSeek accounts.
FAQ
Is DeepSeek down today?
Check status.deepseek.com: it is updated by DeepSeek and shows each service separately. If everything is green there, the problem is most likely your connection, browser or account.
Why does DeepSeek say the server is busy?
Because too many people are using it at the same time. It is not a ban and not a problem with your account. Waiting a minute and resending usually works.
Has DeepSeek stopped being free?
No. As of October 30, 2026, the official chat and app are still free. Only the API, used by developers, is paid. See our page Is DeepSeek free?
Why can’t I find the DeepSeek app in my app store?
The app has been removed from stores in some countries. Download links on deepseek.com/en/download point to the official stores; avoid APK files from unofficial sites. More in our download guide.