ChatGPT-5 File Upload Limits: maximum sizes, frequency caps, and plan differences in late 2025

ChatGPT-5 introduces stronger multimodal reasoning and deeper document interpretation, but the limits on file uploading continue to follow platform-level rules shared across the ChatGPT interface. In late 2025, maximum file sizes, upload frequency caps, storage limits, and plan-specific constraints remain essential to how users work with PDFs, spreadsheets, images, and compressed files inside ChatGPT. These limits apply across GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-5, and GPT-5.1, meaning model upgrades improve analytical depth but do not expand upload allowances. Understanding these constraints is necessary to manage complex workflows, avoid quota interruptions, and plan file-heavy tasks across Free, Plus, Team, and Enterprise tiers.

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ChatGPT-5 maintains fixed maximum file size rules for documents, images, and spreadsheets, with token-extraction caps applied after upload.

The upload system enforces strict size caps depending on file type. PDFs and document formats permit the largest files, while spreadsheets and images have tighter limits due to processing complexity. After a file is uploaded, ChatGPT applies a second constraint through token extraction, ensuring the model can handle text from extremely large documents without exceeding its processing ceiling. These limits are consistent across all plans unless enterprise contracts specify otherwise.

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Maximum File Size Limits — ChatGPT-5 (late 2025)

File Type	Max Size per File	Token/Content Cap	Behavior
PDF, DOCX, TXT	512 MB	~2,000,000 tokens	Full extraction with truncation
Spreadsheets (XLSX, CSV)	~50 MB practical	N/A	May timeout on complex sheets
Images (PNG, JPEG, WebP)	~20 MB	N/A	Vision layer applies decoding
Other Files (ZIP, JSON)	100–200 MB	Structural limits	Parsed by text or archive logic

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Upload frequency limits depend heavily on subscription tier, with Free users capped at minimal volume and Plus users receiving high rotational quotas.

ChatGPT applies rolling upload caps to protect system stability. Free-tier usage is deliberately restricted, while Plus users receive significantly more upload slots within short time windows. Team and Enterprise tiers may negotiate additional capacity. Upload frequency does not correlate with file size: a user can hit the quota even with many small files. The platform relies on rolling three-hour windows, daily quotas, and total storage limits to regulate file-heavy workflows.

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Upload Frequency Caps — ChatGPT-5

Subscription Tier	Upload Allocation	Reset Window	Notes
Free	~3 files/day	24 hours	For light tasks only
Plus	~80 files per 3 hours	Rolling window	High throughput
Team	80+ files per 3 hours	Admin-governed	Can be expanded
Enterprise	Negotiable	Custom	Contract-based controls

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Token extraction limits apply after uploading large documents, restricting extremely long text even when file size is within allowed parameters.

When a PDF or DOCX file is uploaded, ChatGPT performs text extraction and applies a token cap—typically around two million tokens. This prevents oversized academic papers, long reports, or full e-books from exceeding system memory. Files under the size limit can still hit token boundaries if heavily formatted or containing dense text. The extraction limit affects summarization, section navigation, and document-wide analysis.

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Token Extraction Behavior — ChatGPT-5

Document Type	Token Cap	Effect	Notes
Text-heavy PDFs	~2M tokens	Truncates overflow	Common on scanned books
DOCX / Reports	~2M tokens	Structured parsing	Formatting increases tokens
E-books	~2M tokens	Sections may be omitted	Requires splitting
Multi-column or scanned content	Lower effective limit	OCR inflation	Reduces usable length

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File storage limits apply across all plans, restricting the total volume of uploaded documents that remain in your workspace over time.

ChatGPT stores uploaded files temporarily so they can be reused during ongoing conversations. Free users receive low storage volumes, while Plus and Enterprise tiers receive higher allocations. Storage limits are independent from upload quotas—users may upload many files but must delete older ones to avoid hitting the storage ceiling.

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File Storage Limits — ChatGPT Plans

Plan	Approx. Storage Limit	Behavior	Result
Free	~10 GB	Strict cap	Must delete frequently
Plus	~50 GB	Generous	Ideal for multi-file workflows
Team	100 GB (shared)	Admin-allocated	Collaborative work
Enterprise	Negotiable	Configurable	Large archives permitted

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Different subscription plans determine not only upload volume but also the stability of long-document workflows and the reliability of file-heavy sessions.

Plan choice affects prioritization of uploads, responsiveness during vision/file interpretation, and support for heavy document pipelines. Free users experience upload throttling and frequent limits on large extractions. Plus users have enough headroom for research, writing, or coding-oriented workflows. Enterprise plans permit the construction of multi-stage RAG systems, extended analytics, and large project pipelines using ChatGPT-5.

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Plan Differences — ChatGPT-5 File Upload Performance

Plan	Upload Performance	Document Handling	Ideal Use
Free	Limited	Basic summaries	Casual use
Plus	High	Full analysis within limits	Academic & professional tasks
Team	High	Collaborative workflows	Multi-person projects
Enterprise	Highest	Long-form, multi-file pipelines	Organizations & RAG systems

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Model upgrades from GPT-4o to ChatGPT-5 increase reasoning power but do not modify file upload rules, which remain platform-level.

The jump to ChatGPT-5 improves depth of analysis, accuracy in reading complex PDFs, table interpretation, image reasoning, and structural extraction. However, upload caps—including file size, frequency, token extraction, and storage—remain the same. This distinction reflects architectural separation: uploads are governed by ChatGPT’s front-end infrastructure, while reasoning occurs within the model itself.

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Model Upgrade Impact — GPT-4o to ChatGPT-5

System Component	GPT-4o	ChatGPT-5	Upload Rule Change
Reasoning	Strong	Stronger	No change
Multimodality	Robust	Expanded	No change
File Size Limits	Fixed	Fixed	Same rules
Quota System	Fixed	Fixed	Same rules

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Managing uploads effectively in ChatGPT-5 requires preprocessing: splitting long PDFs, compressing images, and monitoring quotas based on workflow frequency.

Users handling large academic papers, multi-page financial statements, heavily scanned documents, or data-rich spreadsheets benefit from preprocessing files before upload. Splitting sections reduces token overflow. Compressing images ensures successful visual interpretation. Tracking upload quotas avoids interruptions during iterative tasks. These practices align well with ChatGPT-5’s analytical strengths and extend the usefulness of its file interpretation layer across professional and enterprise contexts.

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