OpenAI Brings ChatGPT Projects to Free Users with File Uploads and Customisation Features

OpenAI has officially expanded its ChatGPT Projects feature to free users, bringing powerful organisational and customisation tools that were previously exclusive to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Enterprise subscribers. This update makes one of the platform’s most valuable tools widely accessible, strengthening ChatGPT’s role as a leading AI productivity assistant.

What Are ChatGPT Projects?

The Projects feature in ChatGPT allows users to:

• Organise conversations by specific topics or workflows.
• Set custom instructions for how the AI responds.
• Control memory to ensure context accuracy.
• Upload and manage files for streamlined collaboration.

While Projects function like folders, the addition of file uploads, customisation options, and memory controls makes them a game-changer for students, professionals, and businesses using ChatGPT for research, writing, or project management.

Expanded File Upload Limits

As part of this rollout, OpenAI has increased file upload capacity across all plans:

● Free users: Up to 5 files per project.

● ChatGPT Plus subscribers: Up to 25 files.

● Pro, Business, and Enterprise users: Up to 40 files.

This change enables more efficient AI-powered document analysis, research projects, and content creation workflows.

Users can now personalise Projects by choosing colours and icons, making it easier to navigate and manage multiple workstreams. These features also enhance collaboration for teams using ChatGPT as a business productivity tool.

Rolling Out Across Platforms

The new Projects feature is already live on ChatGPT Web and the Android app, with iOS support launching in the coming days. This update follows OpenAI’s recent trend of democratising premium features. Earlier, tools like ChatGPT Voice, Deep Research, and even GPT-5 access were made available to free users with certain usage limits.

By extending ChatGPT Projects to free users, OpenAI is positioning its AI platform as not just a chatbot, but a versatile productivity ecosystem. This move boosts accessibility for students, researchers, content creators, and small businesses, further cementing ChatGPT’s dominance in the AI tools and productivity software market.