If your feed just went dark, you're not alone.
Reddit outages tend to spike during weekday mornings and late evenings, when millions of Americans hop on to check their favorite communities before work or wind down after dinner.
When the site stalls, the first instinct is usually to refresh, then refresh again, then assume your Wi-Fi is the problem.
Here's how to tell whether Reddit is actually down or if it's just you. **Check DownDetector first.** Sites like DownDetector and IsItDownRightNow aggregate user reports in real time.
A sharp spike in complaints usually means the problem is on Reddit's end, not yours.
If reports are flat, the issue is more likely your connection, browser, or app. **Try the mobile app and desktop separately.** Reddit's app and website run on different systems.
If the app won't load but the desktop version works fine, the problem is probably app-specific.
Force-close the app, clear its cache, or delete and reinstall it. **Test another site.** Open a different website or app on the same device.
If everything else loads instantly, your internet is fine and Reddit is the culprit. **Check Reddit's status page.** Reddit maintains a status page at status.reddit.com that posts updates during major outages.
It doesn't always update instantly, but it's the most reliable official source. **Look at social media.** Search "Reddit down" on X or Bluesky.
If thousands of people are posting about it, you have your answer.
This is usually faster than any status page. **What usually causes it.** Reddit outages typically stem from server overload, a botched code update, or problems at a cloud provider.
Most last anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours.
Longer outages are rare but have happened, most notably during the 2023 API protests when many communities went private on purpose. **What you can do while you wait.** Don't sit there refreshing.
Close the tab, make a cup of coffee, and check back in 15 minutes.
If you rely on Reddit for work, stockpiling answers in a notes app during good times saves you headaches later.
One more thing worth knowing: a slow Reddit isn't always a full outage.
Sometimes only comments fail to load, sometimes only images break, and sometimes you can read posts but can't vote or reply.
Partial outages are common and often resolve faster than full ones.
If the site is working for you but not for a friend in another state, that's usually a routing issue with their internet provider rather than Reddit itself.
In that case, switching to mobile data or a different DNS can sometimes fix it. **The bottom line.** Most Reddit outages clear up on their own within an hour.
If yours has lasted longer, it's worth checking whether your account or IP has been temporarily restricted, which can look identical to a site-wide outage from the user's side.
Our take: the panic that follows a Reddit outage says less about the site and more about how much of our daily routine now runs through it.
Final Thoughts
A short break won't hurt anyone, and if anything, it's a decent reminder to keep your most important info somewhere other than a comment thread.