ChatGPT Plus 5-Hour Limits Return for Codex and Work

OpenAI is bringing back a rolling five-hour usage limit for ChatGPT Plus accounts using Codex and ChatGPT Work. The change was announced on August 25 and takes effect the following day, August 26, after a temporary period in which users were governed primarily by a weekly cap. 2037

The policy is aimed at the compute-intensive Work and Codex experiences—not ordinary ChatGPT conversations generally. The available evidence does not show a corresponding change to standard chat use. 635

What is changing for ChatGPT Plus

Plus users of Work and Codex will again have two usage controls operating at the same time:

• a rolling five-hour limit for concentrated bursts of activity; and
• a longer-term weekly allowance for total usage. 67

These are overlapping limits, not alternatives. Hitting the five-hour threshold can temporarily stop further Work or Codex activity even when part of the weekly allowance remains. Conversely, reaching the weekly allowance ends included usage for the week even if the current five-hour window has capacity left.

Codex and Work use a shared allowance and credit pool when those features are available on a user’s plan. Users approaching a limit can check Settings or the usage dashboard for the exhausted allowance, available credits, and the displayed reset time. 6

Why OpenAI reinstated the five-hour cap

OpenAI engineering lead Thibault Sottiaux said the shorter rolling window is needed for two reasons: it helps smooth demand on OpenAI’s computing infrastructure while preserving relatively generous weekly usage, and it reduces the chance that relatively casual or new Plus users consume an entire week’s allowance in one intensive session. 37

The five-hour restriction had been temporarily lifted on July 12, leaving users to work against the weekly limit instead. That change was not an unlimited-use promise; the broader weekly allowance could still apply. 1324

In practical terms, the reinstated cap trades uninterrupted marathon sessions for more controlled access across the week. A user who concentrates heavy Work or Codex activity into a short period may reach the five-hour limit before exhausting the weekly pool.

What happens when a limit is reached?

When an included limit is exhausted, the user must generally wait for the relevant allowance to reset. Depending on the account and feature, OpenAI may also offer a credit purchase, an available reset, an upgrade, or another option shown in the limit notice. 67

Credits are an add-on for supported features rather than a change to the underlying subscription. OpenAI says included plan usage is used first, after which eligible usage can draw from purchased credits. The current documentation specifically identifies Codex for Plus and Pro users as a supported credit use case. 7

The two limits should therefore be treated differently:

• Five-hour limit: a short-window guardrail that controls concentrated usage.
• Weekly allowance: the longer-period ceiling for included usage.
• Credits: a possible pay-as-you-go extension where OpenAI makes it available.

Which plans are exempt?

OpenAI’s announced exception covers the $100 and $200 Pro subscriptions. Their five-hour gate will remain disabled “for the upcoming months,” making the exemption temporary rather than permanent. 737

That exception does not establish that Pro users have unlimited weekly usage. Plan allowances and available credit options can still vary, so users should rely on the usage information shown for their account rather than assume that removing one guardrail removes every limit. 67

Enterprise and Edu workspaces use a separate usage and credit-management structure. OpenAI’s documentation describes monthly usage limits, credit-based work and Codex usage, and workspace-level controls for eligible Enterprise and Edu customers rather than applying the Plus five-hour policy directly. 245

Work is not available to Free and Go users. OpenAI’s rollout notes describe access beginning with paid tiers, with Pro, Pro Lite, Enterprise, and Edu receiving access before Plus and Business. 1

What is not changing

This announcement is limited to Plus access for ChatGPT Work and Codex. It should not be read as a new five-hour shutdown for regular ChatGPT conversations. Reporting on the change specifically distinguishes the more compute-intensive Work and Codex experiences from normal chat. 35

The available evidence also does not establish a new limit for every ChatGPT feature, model, or subscription tier. Account-specific usage notices remain the best source for the exact allowance and reset time.

A separate Codex change is coming August 31

OpenAI’s Codex changelog says GPT-5.4 and GPT-5.4 mini will no longer be available in Codex for users signed in through ChatGPT from August 31, 2026. The models will remain available through the OpenAI API and through Codex sessions authenticated with an API key. 17

That is separate from the restored five-hour Plus limit: one change concerns model availability in a particular sign-in path, while the other changes how Plus Work and Codex usage is paced.

The bottom line for Plus users

The July experiment with a weekly-only approach is ending. From August 26, Plus users should expect the five-hour rolling limit and weekly allowance to apply concurrently to Work and Codex. Heavy users may be paused by the short window even when weekly capacity remains, while users who exhaust the weekly allowance will need to wait for that longer reset or use an eligible paid extension.

The $100 and $200 Pro plans are temporarily exempt from the five-hour gate, and Enterprise and Edu accounts remain on their separate usage-management systems. For everyone else, the practical rule is simple: check which allowance the dashboard says you have reached before assuming that upgrading, waiting five hours, or buying credits will solve the problem.