ChatGPT launched on 30 November 2022 and reached 900 million weekly active users by February 2026, according to CNBC reporting OpenAI. People send more than 2.5 billion prompts a day (Axios, using data from OpenAI), and the OpenAI Help Center caps uploads at 512MB per file.
Last checked October 2026.
ChatGPT numbers get quoted everywhere, usually without a date and often without a source. That's a problem, because the user count has changed every few months since launch, and the upload limits change quietly in the help centre. So this page keeps two kinds of number apart: how many people use ChatGPT and what they use it for, then the practical limits you'll hit when you upload files or write custom instructions. Each one names its source and the date it refers to.
ChatGPT usage fact table
| What | The number | Source | Refers to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch date | Launched 30 November 2022 as a free research preview | OpenAI blog, Introducing ChatGPT | Nov 2022 |
| Weekly users, Nov 2023 | About 100 million weekly active users | CNBC reporting OpenAI statement at DevDay 2023 | Nov 2023 |
| Weekly users, Feb 2025 | 400 million weekly active users | CNBC, OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap | Feb 2025 |
| Weekly users, Aug 2025 | 700 million weekly active users | CNBC reporting OpenAI statement | Aug 2025 |
| Weekly users, Oct 2025 | 800 million weekly users | CNBC live coverage of OpenAI DevDay 2025 (Sam Altman) | Oct 2025 |
| Weekly users, Feb 2026 | 900 million weekly active users | CNBC citing OpenAI's February 2026 statement | Feb 2026 |
| Prompts per day | More than 2.5 billion prompts a day worldwide, over 330 million of them in the US | Axios (data from OpenAI) | Jul 2025 |
| Messages per week | 18 billion messages a week from 700 million users | OpenAI, How People Use ChatGPT (NBER working paper, 15 Sep 2025) | Jul 2025 |
| Non-work share of messages | Non-work messages grew from 53% to more than 70% of consumer messages | OpenAI, How People Use ChatGPT (Table 1) | Jun 2024 to Jun 2025 |
| Top three topics | Practical Guidance, Seeking Information and Writing make up nearly 80% of conversations | OpenAI, How People Use ChatGPT | Jun 2025 |
| Coding share | Only 4.2% of messages relate to computer programming | OpenAI, How People Use ChatGPT | Jun 2025 |
| US adults who have used it, 2025 | 34% of US adults have used ChatGPT | Pew Research Center | Feb to Mar 2025 |
| Under-30s who have used it, 2025 | 58% of US adults under 30 have used ChatGPT, up from 33% in 2023 | Pew Research Center | Feb to Mar 2025 |
| US adults who use it, 2026 | 44% of US adults use ChatGPT, 61% of 18 to 29 year olds | Pew Research Center | Feb 2026 |
| Used for work, 2025 | 28% of employed US adults use ChatGPT for work | Pew Research Center | Feb to Mar 2025 |
ChatGPT limits fact table
| What | The number | Source | Refers to |
|---|---|---|---|
| File size limit | 512MB per uploaded file | OpenAI Help Center, File Uploads FAQ | Sep 2026 |
| Text file token cap | 2 million tokens per text or document file | OpenAI Help Center, File Uploads FAQ | Sep 2026 |
| Image size limit | 20MB per image | OpenAI Help Center, File Uploads FAQ | Sep 2026 |
| Spreadsheet size limit | CSV and spreadsheet files up to about 50MB | OpenAI Help Center, File Uploads FAQ | Sep 2026 |
| Upload rate | Up to 80 files every 3 hours | OpenAI Help Center, File Uploads FAQ | Sep 2026 |
| Files per GPT | Up to 10 knowledge files per custom GPT | OpenAI Help Center, File Uploads FAQ | Sep 2026 |
| Storage cap | 25GB of file storage per user, 100GB per organisation | OpenAI Help Center, File Uploads FAQ | Sep 2026 |
| Custom instructions limit, Plus and above | 5,000 characters on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu | OpenAI Help Center, Custom Instructions | Oct 2026 |
| Custom instructions limit, free | 1,500 characters on Free and Go | OpenAI Help Center, Custom Instructions | Oct 2026 |
How fast ChatGPT has grown
The OpenAI blog post Introducing ChatGPT dates the launch to 30 November 2022, as a free research preview. A year later, CNBC reporting an OpenAI statement at DevDay 2023 put it at about 100 million weekly active users. CNBC then reported 400 million weekly users in February 2025, 700 million in August 2025, 800 million at DevDay in October 2025 and 900 million in February 2026.
Daily use is just as striking. Axios (data from OpenAI) reported more than 2.5 billion prompts a day in July 2025, over 330 million of them from the US. The OpenAI research paper How People Use ChatGPT counted 18 billion messages a week from 700 million users.
What people use ChatGPT for
The same OpenAI paper found that non-work messages grew from 53% to more than 70% of consumer messages between June 2024 and June 2025. Practical Guidance, Seeking Information and Writing make up nearly 80% of conversations, and only 4.2% of messages relate to computer programming. So for most people ChatGPT is a writing and advice tool, not a coding tool.
That matches what I see from business owners. Most of them start with writing and everyday tasks, which is why my prompt libraries are organised by job rather than by feature. If you're comparing tools, when to use ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for marketing and ChatGPT against Gemini for real marketing work cover the practical side.
Who uses ChatGPT in the US
Pew Research Center found that 34% of US adults had used ChatGPT in February to March 2025, and 58% of adults under 30, up from 33% in 2023. In the same survey, 28% of employed US adults used it for work. By February 2026 Pew put use at 44% of US adults and 61% of 18 to 29 year olds, but Pew changed the question wording in 2026, so don't read the jump as a straight comparison. For the wider business picture, see generative AI business statistics and AI adoption among small businesses.
The ChatGPT limits you'll run into
The OpenAI Help Center, File Uploads FAQ sets a limit of 512MB per uploaded file and 2 million tokens per text or document file. Images can be up to 20MB, and CSV and spreadsheet files up to about 50MB. You can upload up to 80 files every 3 hours, store 25GB of files per user (100GB per organisation) and attach up to 10 knowledge files to a custom GPT.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
For custom instructions, the OpenAI Help Center, Custom Instructions page gives 1,500 characters on Free and Go, and 5,000 characters on Plus and the higher plans. If a long prompt keeps getting cut off, a prompt splitter for long prompts is the simplest workaround.
How to read these ChatGPT numbers
- Weekly users aren't the same as monthly users. OpenAI reports weekly active users. Other services often quote monthly users, which makes them look bigger by comparison.
- Some milestones come through the press. Several user counts are OpenAI statements reported by CNBC or Axios, not a page on OpenAI's own site. The source column says which.
- Survey wording changes results. Pew changed its question in 2026, so the 2025 and 2026 shares aren't directly comparable.
- Limits change without notice. The upload and character limits come from the help centre in September and October 2026. Check the help centre before you build a workflow around them.
- Usage isn't the same as trust. Lots of people using ChatGPT tells you nothing about whether it's right for a given task. Read why jailbreak prompts are a bad idea before you try to get around its rules.
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page comes from one of these named sources. I haven't linked them, so search the source name if you want to read the original.
- OpenAI blog, Introducing ChatGPT
- CNBC reporting OpenAI statement at DevDay 2023
- CNBC, OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap
- CNBC reporting OpenAI statement
- CNBC live coverage of OpenAI DevDay 2025 (Sam Altman)
- CNBC citing OpenAI's February 2026 statement
- Axios (data from OpenAI)
- OpenAI, How People Use ChatGPT (NBER working paper, 15 Sep 2025)
- OpenAI, How People Use ChatGPT (Table 1)
- OpenAI, How People Use ChatGPT
- Pew Research Center
- OpenAI Help Center, File Uploads FAQ
- OpenAI Help Center, Custom Instructions
Frequently asked questions
When was ChatGPT launched?
On 30 November 2022, as a free research preview, according to the OpenAI blog post Introducing ChatGPT.
How many people use ChatGPT every week?
CNBC reported 900 million weekly active users in February 2026, up from 800 million at DevDay in October 2025.
What is the file size limit in ChatGPT?
The OpenAI Help Center gives 512MB per uploaded file, 2 million tokens per text file and 20MB per image.
How long can ChatGPT custom instructions be?
1,500 characters on Free and Go, and 5,000 characters on Plus and the higher plans.
What do most people use ChatGPT for?
OpenAI's How People Use ChatGPT paper found that more than 70% of consumer messages are non-work, and only 4.2% relate to programming.
