File Uploads and Library

ChatGPT accepts up to 20 files per message on the web, documents up to 512 MB each, and up to 80 files every 3 hours, while Free accounts get 3 uploads a day; everything uploaded is kept in Library, which holds 500 MB on Free up to 100 GB on Pro.

ChatGPT takes up to 20 files in one message on the web, documents and presentations of up to 512 MB each, and up to 80 files every 3 hours, but Free accounts are held to 3 file uploads a day, as of Nov 6, 2026. Every file uploaded or made in a chat is then saved in Library, ChatGPT's file store, whose size depends on the plan: from 500 MB on Free to 100 GB on Pro. This page covers what can be uploaded, the limits, audio files, Library and the cloud drives it connects to.

Quick facts

Files per message	Up to 20 on the web (10 before Feb 13, 2026)
Upload pace	80 files every 3 hours; Free: 3 a day
Document size	512 MB per file, text capped at 2 million tokens per file
Spreadsheet size	About 50 MB
Image size	20 MB per image
Audio	Up to 512 MB, paid plans only, since Oct 6, 2026
Library storage	Free 500 MB, Go 4 GB, Plus and Business 20 GB, Pro 100 GB, as of Nov 6, 2026
Library address	https://chatgpt.com/library

How do you upload a file to ChatGPT?

Open a chat and select + in the message box.
Choose Add photos & files and pick one or more files (OpenAI Help Center).
Type the question about the files and send.

A file already in Library goes in the same way through the composer menu's Add from library (OpenAI Help Center). On iOS, holding down + shows recent photos, an addition of Aug 21, 2026. Long pastes become attachments too: on all plans, text pasted over 10,000 characters turns into a file, and Show in text field turns it back.

Which file types can ChatGPT read?

The upload article lists documents (DOCX, PDF, TXT), spreadsheets (XLSX, XLS, CSV, TSV), presentations (PPTX), images, and audio in WAV, MP3 or MPEG, OGG or OGA, audio-only WebM, PCM, FLAC, AAC, M4A and audio-only MP4 (OpenAI Help Center). The Data Analysis article adds JSON, XML, YAML and Markdown for analysis, and says the types on offer vary by model, plan and workspace settings (OpenAI Help Center).

Scanned PDFs and tables saved as images are read less reliably than text: OpenAI's advice is to upload a spreadsheet or text file when exact values matter (OpenAI Help Center).

Upload limits by plan

OpenAI publishes only a few numbers. The upload article gives the 3 a day for Free and the 80 every 3 hours that applies above it; the pricing page describes the rest in words: Free "Limited messages with uploads", Go "More uploads", Plus "Expanded messages and uploads" (ChatGPT pricing, read Nov 6, 2026). Since Free and Go got unlimited everyday text chats in August 2026, uploads are one of the limits that still apply on those plans (OpenAI Help Center). Upgrading resets the limits (OpenAI Help Center); see ChatGPT Usage Limits.

Projects have their own file counts: 5 per project on Free, 25 on Go and Plus, 40 on Edu, Pro, Business and Enterprise, with only 10 uploaded at once.

Audio uploads

Since Oct 6, 2026, a recording can be uploaded so ChatGPT transcribes or summarizes it. It is for paid subscriptions and workspaces only, "not available on the Free plan", and a file may be up to 512 MB. Meetings recorded live on a Mac go through Record Mode instead.

Scanning paper documents

On iOS, the camera can scan a multi-page document: open the camera, then the three-dot menu, then Scan. It arrived on Oct 1, 2026. No release note read today mentions it for Android.

What is Library?

Library keeps every file uploaded to or created in ChatGPT in one place, at https://chatgpt.com/library; images ChatGPT draws stay under Images instead (OpenAI Help Center). It is on Free, Go, Plus, Pro and Business, and in Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare workspaces, the EEA, Switzerland and the UK included. It began on Mar 23, 2026 for Plus, Pro and Business on the web and reached Free and Go on May 14, 2026, when storage limits arrived (Settings > Storage).

Files sent in a Temporary Chat and files from Health are not saved to Library. A deleted file is gone for good within 30 days. Products saved with the bookmark icon while shopping land in Library > Favorites.

How much Library storage does each plan get?

Plan	Library storage
Free	500 MB
Go	4 GB
Plus	20 GB
Business	20 GB
Pro	100 GB

Source: Using Library to manage files in ChatGPT, read Nov 6, 2026.

OpenAI's pages do not agree on one point: the upload article caps storage at 25 GB per user and 100 GB per organization, which does not match Pro's 100 GB of Library. The Library article is the newer and more specific of the two.

Google Drive, Box, Dropbox and SharePoint in Library

Library can show files from cloud drives without uploading them: Google Drive since Aug 13, 2026, then Box, Dropbox and SharePoint on Sep 10, 2026, on the web first, in both Chat and Work. Since Sep 9, 2026, Library files can be shared with Viewer or Editor access and appear for others under "Shared with me". Connecting a drive is done through Plugins.

Library and Space

For accounts that have ChatGPT Space, "Space takes the place of Library" (OpenAI Help Center): Space holds files together with Pages. It is for Pro, Business and Enterprise (OpenAI Help Center), so Free, Go and Plus keep Library.

Frequently asked questions

How many files can I upload to ChatGPT at once? Up to 20 files in one message on the web, and up to 80 files every 3 hours in total, as of Nov 6, 2026. Free accounts are limited to 3 uploads a day.

What is the ChatGPT file size limit? Documents and presentations can be 512 MB each and hold up to 2 million tokens of text, spreadsheets about 50 MB, images 20 MB and audio 512 MB.

Can I upload a PDF to ChatGPT for free? Yes. Free accounts can upload PDFs and other files, but only 3 a day, and their Library holds 500 MB.

Can ChatGPT transcribe an audio file? Yes, on paid plans since Oct 6, 2026: upload WAV, MP3, M4A or another listed format up to 512 MB. Audio uploads are not available on Free.

Where are my uploaded files in ChatGPT? In Library, at chatgpt.com/library, or in Space if the account has it. Files from Temporary Chat and Health are not kept there.

Does deleting a chat delete its files? Library keeps files separately; delete a file from Library and it is removed permanently within 30 days.