The ChatGPT file upload limit is 512 MB per document, 2 million tokens of text per file, about 50 MB per spreadsheet and 20 MB per image, and how many files you can upload depends on your plan. This free checker tells you in seconds whether your file will upload, which limit you’d hit, and how to fix it if it won’t.
Pick your plan and drop in the file. It’s measured on your device, so nothing is uploaded to us or to OpenAI.
Free upload checker
Will your file upload to ChatGPT?
Pick your plan, then drop in a file or type its size. You'll see right away whether it fits ChatGPT's published limits, which limit you'd hit, and how to fix it if it doesn't. Your file never leaves your device.
Your ChatGPT plan
Or describe the file
Get the full limits table for every plan
Unlock a printable table of every ChatGPT upload limit, plan by plan: file sizes, the token cap, upload rates, storage, project and GPT files.
Unlocked: the full table is just below. You are also on the weekly HOW TO // AI newsletter.
Free. You also get the HOW TO // AI newsletter once a week. Unsubscribe any time.
Sources: OpenAI: Uploading files and audio to ChatGPT, OpenAI: ChatGPT Image Inputs FAQ, OpenAI: Data analysis with ChatGPT, checked October 18, 2026. Token counts are estimates (about 4 characters per token). OpenAI may lower limits at peak times, and the API has separate limits.
How to use the upload checker
- Choose your ChatGPT plan: Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, or Enterprise and Edu.
- Drop one or more files in, or pick the file type and type its size.
- Add how many files you’ve uploaded recently, and whether it’s going into a chat, a project or a custom GPT.
- Read the verdict, then follow the fixes for anything marked No or Check.
ChatGPT upload limits at a glance
| Limit | What OpenAI publishes |
|---|---|
| Documents and presentations | 512 MB per file |
| Text in one document | 2 million tokens per file (not spreadsheets) |
| Spreadsheets and CSV files | About 50 MB, depending on row size |
| Images (PNG, JPEG, non-animated GIF) | 20 MB per image |
| Audio | 512 MB per file, paid plans only |
| Upload rate | 80 files every 3 hours; Free: 3 files a day |
| Storage | 25 GB per user, 100 GB per organization |
| Files per project | Free 5; Go and Plus 25; Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu 40 |
| Custom GPT knowledge | 10 files per GPT, for its lifetime |
The per-file limits are the same on every plan. What changes by plan is the upload rate, audio, and how many files a project can hold. OpenAI also says it may lower upload limits during peak hours, and ChatGPT doesn’t show how much of your rolling upload quota you’ve used, which is why the checker asks you to estimate it.
Which file types does ChatGPT accept?
- Documents: PDF, DOCX and TXT. Data analysis also reads Markdown, JSON, XML and YAML files.
- Spreadsheets: XLSX, XLS, CSV and TSV.
- Presentations: PPTX.
- Images: PNG, JPEG and non-animated GIF. iPhone HEIC photos and WEBP images aren’t on OpenAI’s list, so convert them to JPEG or PNG first.
- Audio (paid plans only): MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC, OGG and more.
- Video: accepted on every plan and counted toward your upload limits, though OpenAI says the analysis may not cover the whole video.
A Google Docs shortcut file (.gdoc) can’t be uploaded. In Google Docs, choose File > Download and save a PDF or DOCX, then upload that.
What to do when a file won’t upload
- Too big: split a long PDF by chapter or page range, export only the pages you need, or save it as plain text, which drops the images and shrinks most files a lot.
- Too many tokens: 2 million tokens is roughly 1.5 million words, so this only bites on huge text exports. Split them into parts and work through one part at a time.
- Spreadsheet over 50 MB: delete unused sheets and columns, save it as CSV, or split it by rows.
- “Upload limit reached”: wait for your window to reset, make sure you’re signed in to the right account, and remember that failed tries can count against the limit. If uploads fail for no clear reason, check OpenAI’s status page.
- It uploaded, but the answer looks incomplete: OpenAI says a file can upload and still be too large or complex to analyze fully. Ask about one section at a time, or split the file.
Outside ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT reads the text in a PDF, not the images inside it. A scanned page or a chart may need to be uploaded as an image instead.
Related on HOW TO // AI
- ChatGPT pricing: every plan and what it includes.
- ChatGPT Go: the low-cost plan with more uploads than Free.
- ChatGPT Free vs Plus: what you actually get when you upgrade.
- AI chatbot pricing compared: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity side by side.
Checked against OpenAI’s help center articles on file uploads, image inputs and data analysis on October 18, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the file size limit for ChatGPT?
OpenAI allows 512 MB per file for documents and presentations, about 50 MB for spreadsheets and CSV files, and 20 MB per image. Text documents are also capped at 2 million tokens each.
How many files can I upload to ChatGPT per day?
Free accounts can upload 3 files a day. Paid plans can upload up to 80 files every 3 hours. OpenAI says it may lower these limits during peak hours.
Does ChatGPT Plus have a bigger file size limit?
No. The per-file limits are the same on every plan. Plus gets a much higher upload rate than Free (80 files every 3 hours instead of 3 a day), audio uploads, and up to 25 files per project.
Why does ChatGPT say upload limit reached when I've barely uploaded anything?
Failed upload attempts can count toward the limit, limits can drop at peak times, and you may be signed in to a different account or plan. Also check Settings > Storage, since storage is capped at 25 GB per user.
Can I upload audio or video to ChatGPT?
Audio files up to 512 MB can be uploaded on paid plans, not on Free. Video files can be attached on every plan and count toward your upload limits, but the analysis may not cover the whole video.