■ What this error actually is
“An error has occurred. (5)” is a generic internal failure in Gemini.
It mainly appears on the web version (Chrome/Windows) and often affects only one model (2.5 Pro or 2.5 Flash).
Many users report:
- PC browser → Error (5)
- Smartphone app → works fine
■ Main causes
- Corrupted browser session/cache
- A specific model (Pro/Flash) being temporarily down
- Extensions, VPN, or organization-level restrictions
- Google-side outage (quite common)
■ Fastest fixes (ranked by effectiveness)
- Switch the model
- Pro ↔ Flash
This alone fixes it in many cases.
- Pro ↔ Flash
- Open Gemini in Incognito mode
- Clear cache/cookies (Google/Gemini only)
- Restart browser → log in again
- Use the mobile app temporarily
If none works → it’s almost certainly a server-side issue, and users report it resolves after hours/days.
■ Environment assumed in this article
- Windows 11 + Chrome
- Gemini 2.5 Pro
- December 2025
- PC only shows “(5)” error, mobile app works
→ Matches multiple community reports