Short direct answer: “Too many concurrent requests” means the system is handling more simultaneous requests than allowed for your current setup, so new requests are being throttled or delayed. This can happen if you or others are sending requests too quickly, or if the service is experiencing a temporary overload.

Details and practical guidance

• What it indicates
  • The service enforces limits on how many requests can run at once (concurrent requests) and/or how many requests you can make per minute. When the limit is exceeded, new requests are blocked or delayed with a 429-like signal or the explicit message, until ongoing requests complete.

• Common triggers
  • Opening many ChatGPT sessions or tabs simultaneously.
  • Submitting a rapid stream of messages or automated prompts.
  • A temporary surge in overall user activity or a backend overload on OpenAI’s side.

• Quick fixes you can try
  • Wait a moment and retry after a short pause; sometimes the issue is transient.

* Close extra tabs or sessions to reduce concurrent connections.

* Refresh the page or log out and back in to reset sessions.

* Clear browser cache or use an incognito/private window to rule out local session issues.

* If you’re using the API, stagger requests or implement exponential backoff to respect per-minute and concurrent limits.

* Check for broader service status updates from official OpenAI channels if the problem persists.

Notes

• Exact concurrency limits vary by account type, plan, and model. For API users, published limits apply and may differ across GPT-4, GPT-4o, and GPT-3.5 families; enterprise arrangements can modify limits. You can view specific limits in the provider’s dashboard or status pages.

• If the message recurs despite following these steps, there may be a temporary outage or traffic spike on the backend; trying again after a few minutes is often effective.