Does the Codex 5-hour window reset on a fixed clock?
Updated
No. OpenAI's help center says 'A new window starts when you send your first message in Work or Codex after the previous window ends', so the clock is per account, not a fixed schedule. Local CLI messages and cloud chats share one allowance, and clearing the window does not refill the weekly limit. Since 2026-08-25 the five-hour limit applies to Plus but not Pro. Run /status in the CLI to see your own reset time.
What the official docs say
A new window starts when you send your first message in Work or Codex after the previous window ends.
Quoted from OpenAI Help Center: Managing usage with GPT-6 Astra in Work and Codex You may reach the five-hour limit before five hours have passed, even if you still have weekly usage remaining.
Quoted from OpenAI Help Center: Managing usage with GPT-6 Astra in Work and Codex Where both apply, you need allowance remaining in both to continue
Quoted from OpenAI Help Center: Managing usage with GPT-6 Astra in Work and Codex Local messages and cloud chats share your plan's usage allowance. Weekly limits may also apply.
Quoted from Codex docs: Pricing (learn.chatgpt.com) Temporarily removing the 5 hour usage limit restriction for all Plus, Business and Pro plans
Quoted from Tibo Sottiaux on X, 2026-07-12 (5-hour limit removed for Plus, Business and Pro) Tomorrow we will bring back the 5h limit for Plus accounts across ChatGPT Work and Codex.
Quoted from Tibo Sottiaux on X, posted 2026-08-25 01:16 UTC ("Tomorrow we will bring back the 5h limit for Plus")
How it is counted
Codex meters subscription usage in two windows. The help center says usage limits 'may apply over a five-hour window and a weekly window' depending on your plan, and 'Where both apply, you need allowance remaining in both to continue'. Hitting the five-hour cap does not touch the weekly clock, and you can hit it 'before five hours have passed, even if you still have weekly usage remaining'.
The pool is shared across surfaces. The pricing page states 'Local messages and cloud chats share your plan's usage allowance', and the help center adds that Codex, ChatGPT Work, ChatGPT for Excel and Workspace Agents 'use a shared allowance and credit pool when those features are available on your plan'. OpenAI publishes per-plan five-hour estimates, for example 5–45 GPT-6 Astra local messages on Plus, but calls them 'not fixed message limits'.
Which plans have the window has changed. On 2026-07-12 Tibo Sottiaux announced Codex was 'Temporarily removing the 5 hour usage limit restriction for all Plus, Business and Pro plans'. In a post timestamped 2026-08-25 01:16 UTC he wrote 'Tomorrow we will bring back the 5h limit for Plus accounts across ChatGPT Work and Codex'; read in Pacific time that puts the return on 2026-08-25, and the same post keeps the limit off for Pro. This site dates the return by the post, not by a separate announcement.
| Question | Codex answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| When does a new 5-hour window start? | With your first message in Work or Codex after the previous window ends | [1] |
| Is it a fixed clock? | No. It is per account and starts from that first message | [1] |
| Does clearing it refill the weekly limit? | No. Where both apply you need allowance remaining in both | [1] |
| Do CLI, IDE and cloud share it? | Yes. Local messages and cloud chats share one plan allowance; ChatGPT Work shares it too | [2] [3] |
| Which plans have it? | Plus since 2026-08-25; Pro $100 and $200 not enabled; Business not named in the return post | [4] [5] |
| Published number? | Estimates only, e.g. 5–45 GPT-6 Astra local messages per five hours on Plus; "not fixed message limits" | [2] |
FAQ
Can I hit the Codex 5-hour limit before five hours have passed?
Yes. OpenAI's help center says 'You may reach the five-hour limit before five hours have passed, even if you still have weekly usage remaining.' The window is an allowance that starts with your first message, not a timer that guarantees five hours of work.
Does the 5-hour window reset the weekly limit?
No. The help center says that where both windows apply 'you need allowance remaining in both to continue'. A fresh five-hour window does not add anything to the weekly allowance; only the weekly clock, a banked reset, a purchased reset or an official account-wide reset does.
Does the Codex 5-hour limit apply to Pro?
Not as of the last check. Tibo Sottiaux's post of 2026-08-25 01:16 UTC brought the 5h limit back for Plus the next day and said Codex was 'keeping the 5h limit not enabled for Pro $100 and Pro $200 subscriptions' for the upcoming months. Business plans were not named in that post.
Where do I see when my own 5-hour window resets?
Type /status in an active Codex CLI session; the pricing page says that is where you see your remaining limits. The desktop app and web show the same windows and reset times under Settings → Usage.
Is this the same as a reset on the DidReset board?
No. Your 5-hour window refreshes on its own per-account clock. The board records account-wide resets announced by OpenAI, which refresh everyone at once and are the only resets this site tracks.
Sources
- OpenAI Help Center: Managing usage with GPT-6 Astra in Work and Codexverified 2026-09-17
- Codex docs: Pricing (learn.chatgpt.com)verified 2026-09-17
- OpenAI Help Center: Using Codex with your ChatGPT planverified 2026-09-17
- Tibo Sottiaux on X, 2026-07-12 (5-hour limit removed for Plus, Business and Pro)verified 2026-09-17
- Tibo Sottiaux on X, posted 2026-08-25 01:16 UTC ("Tomorrow we will bring back the 5h limit for Plus")verified 2026-09-17
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