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OpenAI reinstates 5-hour usage limit for ChatGPT Plus subscribers

The company restored the short-term cap on Codex and ChatGPT Work to manage computing load and manage user usage.

The short version

  • OpenAI is reinstating a five-hour usage cap on Codex and ChatGPT Work for ChatGPT Plus subscribers.
  • Higher-tier Pro, Enterprise, and Edu accounts remain unaffected by the change.
  • Affected users reaching the cap must wait for their usage period to reset or buy extra credits.

Key facts

  • OpenAI restored a five-hour usage limit on Codex and ChatGPT Work for ChatGPT Plus subscribers on August 25.[9to5Mac]
  • The five-hour limit had been temporarily paused for several weeks, leaving only a weekly cap active.[9to5Mac]
  • OpenAI engineering lead Thibault Sottiaux stated the cap helps balance compute load and prevents casual users from exhausting their weekly allocation too quickly.[9to5Mac]
  • The five-hour restriction will stay disabled for $100 and $200 Pro plan subscriptions over the coming months.[9to5Mac]

Sources