It happens constantly: you open an app or website and nothing loads. Your first instinct is to blame your internet connection. But half the time, the service itself is down — and no amount of router-restarting is going to fix that.

Knowing which one it is saves you a lot of wasted time. Here's a simple process to figure it out quickly.

Step 1: Check a Real-Time Status Checker

The fastest way to know if a service is down for everyone is to check a dedicated outage tracker. isdownnow.co monitors 800+ services in real time — including ChatGPT, Slack, Gmail, Netflix, Discord, and hundreds more — and shows you current outage status instantly.

Just search for the service you're having trouble with. If it's showing an active outage, the problem is on their end and there's nothing you can do except wait. If it shows as operational, the issue is likely local to you — keep reading.

Step 2: Try a Different Network

If the status checker shows the service is up, switch your device to mobile data (turn off Wi-Fi) and try again. If it works on mobile data but not Wi-Fi, your home network or router is the problem — not the service.

This single test rules out the most common cause of "it's down for me" situations.

Step 3: Try a Different Browser or Device

Browser extensions, cached data, and cookies can all cause pages to fail even when the service is working fine. Try opening the same URL in a different browser, or on a completely different device.

If it works on another device, try clearing your browser cache and cookies, then reload.

Step 4: Check for DNS Issues

Sometimes a service is reachable but your DNS provider can't resolve it correctly — meaning your device can't find the server's address even though the server is online. This can look exactly like the site being down.

A quick fix: try changing your DNS to Google's public DNS (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare's (1.1.1.1) temporarily. On Windows, go to Network Settings → Change adapter options → right-click your connection → Properties → IPv4 → enter the DNS manually.

Step 5: Flush Your DNS Cache

Your computer stores DNS records locally to speed things up. Sometimes those cached records go stale and point to the wrong place. Flushing them forces your computer to look up the address fresh.

On Windows, open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

ipconfig /flushdns

On Mac, open Terminal and run:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Then try the site again.

Step 6: Check the Service's Official Status Page

Most major services have their own status page where they post incident updates. These are useful for getting details on what's wrong and when they expect to fix it. However, companies sometimes delay updating their status pages — so a real-time tracker like isdownnow.co will often show an outage before the company officially acknowledges it.

Quick Decision Chart

What you're seeing Most likely cause What to do
Status checker shows outage Service is down globally Wait — nothing you can do
Works on mobile data, not Wi-Fi Your router or ISP Restart router, contact ISP
Works on another device Browser or device issue Clear cache, try different browser
Nothing loads on any device Your internet connection Restart router, check ISP status
Only one site fails everywhere DNS or regional outage Flush DNS, try VPN

The Fastest Way: Just Check isdownnow.co First

Honestly, the quickest habit to build is checking isdownnow.co before you do anything else. It covers over 800 services and updates in real time, so you know within seconds whether the problem is on their side or yours. If the service is down, you save yourself 20 minutes of pointless troubleshooting. If it's up, you know to look at your own setup.

Either way, you have your answer fast.