OpenAI Just Took the Handcuffs Off Your ChatGPT Work and Codex — At Least for Now
OpenAI has been on a gallop lately, releasing new updates left and right. Just a few days after launching its GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra, and Luna models for the general public, the company is back with another update that will please its users even more.
The headline change: the 5-hour usage limit restriction in ChatGPT Work and Codex is being temporarily removed for all Plus, Business, and Pro plans. If you have ever been in the middle of a long working session and watched the limit message appear at the worst possible moment, this one is for you.
A Temporary Window of Freedom
The word to focus on here is "temporary," so treat it as a window rather than a permanent change. OpenAI product lead Tibo confirmed the move on X, stating: "The last 48 hours of Codex and ChatGPT Work have been intense... [We're] temporarily removing the 5 hour usage limit restriction for all Plus, Business and Pro plans".
For those unfamiliar, Codex and ChatGPT count local messages and cloud-based tasks against a shared usage limit. ChatGPT normally uses a rolling five-hour window, with weekly limits also applying depending on the plan and model. With the shorter restriction removed, users are no longer forced to stop working simply because they have exhausted that five-hour window.
Your Usage Counter Just Reset
The third piece of news is the one users will feel immediately. OpenAI is doing a usage reset within the hour of the announcement, which means your counter starts fresh. If you had already burned through your allowance today, this is a pleasant surprise.
Stack it with the temporarily lifted cap and the efficiency improvements, and you are looking at the most generous version of ChatGPT Work and Codex we have seen in a while.
GPT-5.6 Sol Gets More Efficient
The second update is about efficiency. OpenAI is rolling out changes that will make GPT-5.6 Sol more efficient across the board, and that efficiency should show up as less usage being consumed for the same work. In plain terms, your usage should take you further than it did before.
Tibo noted that the exact impact is still being quantified and will be shared later, so we do not know whether this is a small trim or a meaningful jump. The optimization likely comes from lower token consumption, allowing the flagship model to handle more work before users hit their limits.
Why This Matters
This decision comes as demand for OpenAI's professional tools has surged dramatically over the past 48 hours following the launch of ChatGPT Work and the new GPT-5.6 models. According to reports, Codex and ChatGPT Work have surpassed 6 million active users, signaling that enterprises, developers, researchers, and students are integrating AI into their daily workflows at unprecedented speed.
The temporary relief also reflects broader competitive dynamics in the AI industry. Companies are no longer competing solely on model performance — user experience, accessibility, pricing, and customer satisfaction have become equally important battlegrounds.
What's Next?
While OpenAI has not specified how long this relaxed policy will remain in effect, the move demonstrates the company's responsiveness to user feedback. Tibo previously acknowledged that the team "didn't get everything right" with recent updates and promised larger improvements to address user concerns about quotas and interface changes.
The catch, as always, is that we do not know how long this window stays open. For now, users can breathe a little easier knowing they won't be interrupted by the dreaded limit message at a critical moment — at least for a little while.
