Nano Banana Not Working? Fixes and Status Check
When Nano Banana stops working, first check whether Google’s service is down, then work through the common causes below. Most failures come from usage limits, content refusals or a confused chat, not an outage.
Step 1: Is Nano Banana down?
- Gemini API and AI Studio: Google’s status page at aistudio.google.com/status.
- Gemini app for Workspace accounts: the Google Workspace Status Dashboard.
- Everyone else: third-party outage trackers can show a spike in reports before the official pages update.
If there is an incident, waiting is the only fix. Official pages can lag a little behind the first reports.
Step 2: Common problems and fixes
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Images stop appearing, or quality drops in the Gemini app | You reached your usage limit and Gemini fell back to a lighter model | Wait for the allowance to refill or use a paid plan; see Nano Banana limits |
| “I can’t help with that” | The request hit a safety filter (explicit content, many real people, some public figures) | Rephrase, remove sensitive details, or use your own photos |
| “Something went wrong” | Temporary error or a long, confused chat | Retry, then start a new chat with a clear prompt |
| The edit changes the face or the wrong part | The prompt asked for several things or did not say what to keep | One change per prompt, and add “keep the face exactly the same” |
| Text is misspelled | Long text in a Flash model | Put the words in quotes, shorten them, or use Nano Banana Pro |
Step 3: API errors
- 429 (resource exhausted): rate limit hit. Slow down, add retries with backoff, or raise your usage tier.
- 503 (overloaded or unavailable): the service is busy. Retry after a short wait.
- 400 (invalid argument): check the model ID and settings; image sizes must be written with an uppercase K, such as
"2K". - 403 or billing errors: image models need billing enabled on the project.
- Model not found: preview IDs get retired; use current IDs from the Nano Banana API guide.
Step 4: Photoshop problems
Update Photoshop, sign in again, and check that you have generative credits left and that partner models are allowed on your account. More in How to use Nano Banana in Photoshop.
Still stuck?
If one service is down or limited, the same models run elsewhere. Nano Banana AI offers Nano Banana, Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro on credits with no daily cap, and Nano Banana alternatives covers other models if Google’s service is down.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nano Banana down right now?
Check aistudio.google.com/status for the API and AI Studio, the Google Workspace Status Dashboard for Workspace accounts, and a third-party outage tracker for user reports.
Why is Nano Banana not generating images?
Usually a usage limit, a safety refusal or a temporary error. Wait for your limit to refill, rephrase the prompt, or start a new chat.
Why does Nano Banana keep changing my face?
Ask explicitly to keep it (“keep the face exactly the same”), use a clear photo and change one thing per edit.
Why is Nano Banana not working in Photoshop?
Update Photoshop, sign in again, check your generative credits and make sure your account allows partner models.