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Troubleshooting

A guide to the most common problems you may encounter when using the OpenWeather API and how to fix them.

API Key Issues

My key returns a 401 error immediately after creating it

New API keys take up to 2 hours to activate. Wait and try again.

I copied my key correctly but still get 401

Check for accidental spaces before or after the key when pasting it into Postman. Even one extra space will cause a 401 error.

Location Issues

The API returns the wrong city

Some city names exist in multiple countries. Add a country code to be specific: 

?q=London,uk
?q=Paris,fr
?q=Prague,cz

I get a 404 for a city I know exists

Try using coordinates instead of the city name: 

?lat=50.088&lon=14.421

Response Issues

The temperature looks wrong

Check your units parameter:

units value Temperature format
metric Celsius
imperial Fahrenheit
standard (default) Kelvin

Some fields are missing from my response

Not all fields are always present. For example rain and snow only appear when precipitation is actually occurring.

Connection Issues

I get no response at all

  • Check your internet connection
  • Make sure you are using https:// not http://
  • Check that your firewall is not blocking the request

Still Stuck?