You open Reddit to catch up and instead get a spinning feed, a blank page, or the site's own cheeky "You broke Reddit" error with a cartoon Snoo. Before you assume it's your phone or your account, answer one question first: is Reddit down right now, or is the problem just on my side? That single answer tells you whether to wait it out or run a quick fix. Here's how to check if Reddit's servers are out in seconds, and exactly what to do next.

How to check if Reddit's servers are out

Skip the guesswork and verify it directly:

  1. Run an instant status check. Our live Reddit status checker tests the site from our servers, on a completely separate network from yours. If our server reaches Reddit fine but you can't, the problem is on your side. If our server also fails, Reddit is down for everyone.
  2. Scan the outage board. Our live website status directory shows Reddit alongside 100 of the most popular sites in real time. If Reddit is red there while everything else is green, that points to a genuine, widespread outage.
  3. Check the outage history. Reviewing Reddit's recent uptime history and past outages shows whether this is a fresh incident or something that's been flickering all day.

When two of these three agree, you've got a confident answer in under a minute.

Is Reddit down for everyone or just you?

This is the key question, because it decides everything you do next. If Reddit's servers are out, no amount of refreshing will help. But if the checkers say Reddit is up while you can't get in, the issue is local — and local problems are the easy ones to fix.

The quickest self-test is to try Reddit somewhere else — the mobile app if the website is failing, or your phone on mobile data instead of the desktop on Wi-Fi. If it works one way but not the other, you've found where the fault lives. Our guide on whether a site is down for everyone or just you walks through the full 60-second method.

Common signs Reddit is down

Reddit rarely fails all at once — usually one part breaks while the rest limps along. Watch for these tell-tale symptoms:

  • The feed won't load or shows an endless spinner.
  • "You broke Reddit" or "Our CDN was unable to reach our servers" error pages.
  • Server errors like 503 Service Unavailable, common when Reddit is overloaded.
  • The app won't refresh while the website half-works (or vice versa).
  • Images and videos won't load, or comments fail to post.

If you see repeated 500 or 503 errors, our guide on what HTTP status codes mean explains which codes signal a real server outage versus a temporary block. And if these symptoms hit across multiple devices at once, it's a server-side outage; if they're isolated to you, the fix is local.

Quick fixes if Reddit is only down for you

If the checkers say Reddit is up but you still can't get in, try these in order — most take under a minute:

  • Hard-refresh the page (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + R), or force-close and reopen the app.
  • Check your internet connection by opening any other website or app first.
  • Try incognito mode or another browser. If Reddit works there, a browser extension or corrupted cache is your culprit — clear your cache and cookies.
  • Clear the app cache (Android: Settings → Apps → Reddit → Storage → Clear Cache), which won't log you out.
  • Flush your DNS cache. A stale record can block one site while everything else works — our step-by-step DNS flush guide covers every platform.
  • Disable your VPN or proxy, which can trip Reddit's security and rate-limit checks.
  • Restart your router if it's only failing on Wi-Fi.

Still stuck only on your device? Our checklist on fixing a site that's down for you but not everyone has more advanced steps to try.

Why does Reddit go down?

Most Reddit downtime traces back to a few usual suspects: a server or infrastructure failure on Reddit's side, a bad software deployment, sudden traffic spikes when a huge story or viral thread sends everyone to the same page at once, or a CDN issue that stops content reaching your browser. Occasionally the site is fine globally but rate-limiting your particular account or IP, which can look like an outage but isn't one. Knowing the likely cause helps you decide whether to simply wait or start troubleshooting — but first, confirm it's actually down.

What to do if Reddit is down for everyone

If you've confirmed a genuine outage, there's nothing to fix on your end — don't reinstall the app or reset anything.

  • Wait it out. Most Reddit outages are resolved within 30 to 60 minutes.
  • Check official channels. Reddit and its users report widespread issues quickly, and Reddit maintains its own status updates.
  • Come back shortly instead of hammering refresh, which can get you temporarily rate-limited once service returns.

The bottom line

The next time Reddit won't load, don't assume your account is broken. Ask the one question that matters — down for everyone, or just me? — and answer it in seconds with a quick Reddit status check. If it's a real outage, sit back and wait. If it's just you, a hard refresh, an incognito test, and a DNS flush will usually have you back to scrolling in minutes.