Users worldwide are seeing the message “Please unblock challenges.cloudflare.com to proceed” after a major Cloudflare disruption on Nov 18, 2025.
Affected
The error appeared on major platforms including ChatGPT (OpenAI), X (Twitter), and even outage tracker DownDetector.
Cause
Cloudflare’s challenge-platform (used for verifying visitors) seems to be malfunctioning, triggering challenge pages instead of serving normal content.
User Reports
On Reddit, users confirm the error across browsers - > “Cloudflare is down globally… challenges.cloudflare.com is not blocked, it’s broken.” :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Troubleshoot
To possibly fix, disable browser extensions like ad-blockers or VPNs, enable JavaScript, clear cookies, and refresh the page. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Browser Check
Make sure you're using a modern browser-Cloudflare challenges aren't well-supported on older browsers like Internet Explorer. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Network Tip
Switch networks if possible. Some users fixed the issue by moving from shared Wi-Fi or VPN to their mobile data network. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
Challenge Type
Cloudflare uses different challenges (Managed, Interactive, JS) to verify users, depending on security rules. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
Error Codes
Some users may see error codes like “200500: Loading error” when the Turnstile iframe fails to load - often due to strict content-security or blocked iframes. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
Cloudflare Role
Only website owners can change Cloudflare’s challenge settings. Users cannot ‘unblock’ challenges.cloudflare.com - it's part of Cloudflare’s security infrastructure. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}