OpenAI Reinstates Five-Hour Usage Limit on Codex and ChatGPT Work for Plus Subscribers

Overview

OpenAI is restoring a five-hour usage limit on Codex and ChatGPT Work for ChatGPT Plus subscribers, effective August 25, 2026, according to 9to5Mac. Following several weeks during which Plus users were subject only to a weekly usage cap, 9to5Mac reports that OpenAI announced it is bringing the five-hour window back on top of the existing weekly allowance. NewsBytes independently confirms the same August 25 effective date.

What We Know

Thibault “Tibo” Sottiaux, OpenAI’s engineering lead for Codex and ChatGPT, announced the change, according to both 9to5Mac and NewsBytes. Android Authority reports the announcement was made in a post on X.

Explaining the rationale, Sottiaux said, according to 9to5Mac, “the 5h limit allows us to smoothen the load on our compute, allowing to keep the plan generous in terms of weekly usage.” Android Authority corroborates the compute-management rationale, reporting that reinstating the limit will let OpenAI manage its computing resources more effectively while still offering “generous” weekly limits.

According to Android Authority, Sottiaux also framed the change as a way to help Plus subscribers — described as relatively casual and new users — avoid accidentally burning through their entire weekly allowance and being confused about their remaining usage.

Once a user reaches either the five-hour or the weekly limit, they can wait for the next reset cycle or purchase additional credits, 9to5Mac reports. OpenAI also occasionally resets users’ limits for free, and banked resets can be earned through certain promotions and referral offers, according to 9to5Mac and confirmed by NewsBytes.

During the weeks the five-hour limit was lifted, OpenAI reset users’ weekly usage early on several occasions to celebrate milestones, including adding another million active users across Codex and ChatGPT Work, which 9to5Mac describes as now-unified platforms; NewsBytes reports the same detail. Android Authority reports that the five-hour limits had originally been removed following the release of GPT-5.6.

The reinstated cap applies only to ChatGPT Plus subscribers. Subscribers on the $100 and $200 ChatGPT Pro tiers will not face the five-hour limit and will continue to have only weekly limits on their accounts, according to Android Authority, though the outlet reports that Sottiaux’s post indicated five-hour limits could be introduced for Pro accounts within a couple of months. 9to5Mac reports that Sottiaux did not mention any changes for Enterprise or Edu accounts, which currently use a separate credit-based usage system.

What We Don’t Know

OpenAI has not published an official help-center or blog post detailing the change independent of Sottiaux’s social media post; coverage relies on that announcement as relayed by the outlets cited above. It is not yet confirmed exactly when, or whether, five-hour limits will extend to Pro-tier accounts.