Is this your situation?
- The limit banner or Usage screen names a five-hour window and gives you a time to try again.
- A saved countdown says zero but the account still shows another exhausted allowance, possibly the weekly one.
- You have an available banked reset or credits and want to decide whether to use them now.
- A friend’s account recovered sooner, and you are tempted to infer a universal five-hour reset schedule.
Step by step
- Open the relevant account view
Check Settings → Usage, the Codex usage page, or the limit banner while signed into the account that reached the limit. In an active CLI session, /status can give account information. Record the allowance named by the notice and the exact reset time it displays; do not derive the time from when you remember starting a task.
- Check the other active constraints
The official guidance distinguishes five-hour and weekly usage windows. If one window refreshes while the other is still exhausted, access can remain blocked. Enterprise or workspace arrangements may also have administrator-set budgets. Identify which constraint the account screen actually names before assuming a client error.
- Read the offered options
OpenAI says the limit notice may offer waiting, adding credits, applying an available reset, or upgrading, depending on your plan. Use the exact options and prices shown to your account. A banked reset is not automatic; applying a full one refreshes both five-hour and weekly windows and can move your weekly reset date.
- If you decide to wait, use your displayed time
Save the displayed time in the local timer on this site if a reminder helps. The timer stores only what you enter in this browser. Recheck the account when it expires; the browser countdown itself cannot restore or prove restoration of an allowance.
- Investigate a missed return
If access is still unavailable after the stated account time, re-open Usage and confirm you are in the same account and workspace. Check for another exhausted limit and any updated reset date. If the figures appear incorrect or access has not returned, the official route is Support investigation, not a request for a courtesy reset.
Still stuck?
- If the page shows only a weekly allowance, use the weekly-limit guide rather than estimating a five-hour clock.
- If a public reset post is circulating, check its eligibility separately; it does not replace your account’s displayed time.
- If requests fail despite available allowance, check service status and then the exact error message before changing your setup.
Frequently asked questions
Can I calculate my Codex five-hour reset from the first request I made?
Do not rely on that calculation. The account Usage view or limit banner is the source for the reset time that applies to your allowance; the detailed accounting can differ by plan and workspace.
Will a full banked reset clear the five-hour window?
OpenAI says a full banked reset refreshes both the five-hour and weekly windows and changes the weekly reset date. Confirm that a reset is available and read its offer terms before using it.
Why am I still blocked when the five-hour window has reset?
Another allowance, such as the weekly window or a workspace budget, may still be exhausted. Compare all constraints named in your own account, then contact Support if access remains wrong after the stated time.
Sources and scope
The sources below support the product behavior described here. Any live transcript classification is our interpretation, not a reading of your OpenAI account.
- Using Codex with your ChatGPT plan ↗ — Account Usage view, named windows, limit options, and Support.
- How banked Codex resets work ↗ — A full banked reset refreshes both windows and changes the weekly date.