Midjourney Stuck on “Waiting to Start”? – 8 Best Fixes

AI is changing the world and in a good way. With AI tools like Midjourney in your hand, you can do almost anything like generating images by giving text prompts. Midjourney has gained popularity since the talk of AI began and many people are using it to generate images for their projects. Though it is a great tool to have access to, many users are stuck with the ‘Waiting to Start’ error on it. 

This is one of the common errors that you can often encounter with Midjourney. As common as the issue is, it can sometimes be frustrating to face it while in the middle of some important task. If you are stuck with the Midjourney ‘Waiting to Start’ error and looking forward to getting past it then you are at the right place. This article will guide you on how you can fix this issue. 

Fix Midjourney ‘Waiting to Start’ Error

If Midjourney is throwing this error whenever you open it, then it’s probably the long waiting queue of people or some issue with your internet. Apart from that, browser cache, misconfigured browser settings, and outdated browsers can also be blamed for this issue. 

Given below are the troubleshooting steps that you can follow to fix this issue. Also, note that for the most part, we will be using Microsoft Edge for troubleshooting the Midjourney ‘Waiting to Start’ error. 

1. Restart Browser

If Midjourney is not starting then it can be due to some issue with your browser. Close the Midjourney tab and then restart your browser to fix the issue. 

1. First, close the current Midjourney tab from the browser you are using. 
2. Right-click on the Start icon on the taskbar and then on Task Manager. 
3. Select your browser and click End Task.
4. Relaunch the browser and open Midjourney in the new tab. 

2. Check Internet Issues

Midjourney needs the internet to run prompts and generate images. If by any chance your internet is slow or unstable, then that can be causing the ‘Waiting to Start’ error on Midjourey. To check, first, you will have to know your internet speed. For this, you can use tools like SpeedTest or any other that you prefer. 

Look for the download and upload speed along with the ping. If your internet is slow or somewhat unstable, then you can try the following tips to enhance your internet-

1. Switch to LAN cable if you are currently using Wi-Fi on your PC. 
2. If the LAN option is not available, then try using a 5GHz network band instead of the standard 2.4 GHz. 
3. Also, ensure no other apps are running in the background that require internet. 
4. Disconnect all the other devices connected to your internet and ensure only your PC remains connected to your router or network device. 
5. If you are using Wi-Fi, then minimize the distance between your PC and the Wi-Fi device. Also, ensure there are no obstructions between the devices.
6. If you are connected to a VPN device or using any kind of proxy, then disable/disconnect from them. 

3. Clear Browser Cache

Our browser often loads the old version of the sites saved in the cache. You can try clearing the browser cache and that will most probably solve the issue. Below are the steps to clear the browser cache-

1. Launch your preferred browser on your PC. For this guide, we are using Edge. 
2. Click on the Menu icon (three ellipses) at the top right, and select History. 
3. Now, click on the Delete (bin) icon. 
4. Select Time Range as All Time. 
5. Check Cookies and Other Site Data and Cached Images and Files option. You can uncheck other options if you don’t want to clear history.
6. Click on Clear Now to clear the cache. 
7. Once done, close the Midjourney tab and open the tool in the new tab on your browser. 

4. Update your Browser

Is your browser outdated? If your browser is not running on the latest version then that can also be one of the reasons behind this issue. Often, the older version of the browser has bugs, which are mostly fixed with updates. 

To fix this issue, you can try updating your browser to the latest version available. For this, you can simply head to the official website of your browser and download the latest setup file of your browser. For instance, if you are using Chrome, then visit the Chrome page, download the setup and install it the normal way.

5. Cancel the Job and Retry

Midjourney is popular and you can expect it to have thousands of visitors at any point of the day. Due to long queues, you can often face a Midjourney ‘Waiting to Start’ error. To fix this issue, simply cancel the job and then retry. 

If that doesn’t help, then wait for some time. Because of heavy traffic, Midjourney may show issues like this when trying to generate the image. You can wait for a few minutes and then retry generating the image again. 

6. Check Server Status

Midjourny heavily relies on Discord, and if there’s some issue with the Discord server or the Midjourney. You can check the status of the Discord server as well as Midjourney from the Midjourney status page. 

If the page marks Discord server and website, then there’s no issue at their end, and you can generate images using Midjourney. In case, either of them is down, then you will have to wait for some time. Downtime and maintenance get fixed on their own after some time and then you will be able to generate images. 

7. Use Different Browser

Misconfigured browser settings or issues with your browser can also cause this error with Midjourney. If you have been trying to access Midjourney on a particular browser then switch to some other browser and then try again. 

If Midjourney is accessible on a different browser, then the issue is with your browser. Probably, it’s due to multiple attempts to access Midjourney. For the time being, you can use some other browser in that case and the issue will be fixed on its own after some time for the primary browser. 

8. Contact Midjourney Support

If you have tried everything that we have mentioned in this article, but Midjourney is still throwing the same issue then it’s time to reach out to Midjourney customer support. Do note that you can only contact Midjourny support from their Discord server. Here’s how-

1. Ensure you are a part of the Midjourney server. If you are not, then you can join the server using this link. 
2. Launch the Discord website on your PC or launch the app. 
3. Navigate to the Midjourney server from the left pane. 
4. Under the Support look for #support and open it. 
5. You can contact Midjourney support from this channel. 

Type in your query/issue that you have been facing with Midjourney and send it. Their customer support team will reach out to you as soon as possible and will solve the issue. 

Bottom Line

AI tools like Midjourney have become an integral part of everyone’s professional life. Issues like ‘Waiting to Start’ can be frustrating and can sometimes even halt your complete workflow if you rely on the software. You can follow the steps mentioned in this article to fix this issue and begin using Midjourney without any problem.