Short answer: Gemini accepts up to 10 files in a single prompt. Each file can be up to 100 MB, and videos up to 2 GB. Those numbers are the same on every plan. What the plan changes is how much Gemini can read at once (32,000 tokens free, 128,000 on Google AI Plus, 1 million on AI Pro and AI Ultra) and how many chats with files you get before a rolling usage limit stops you. Google does not publish a fixed daily file count.
Most people look this up after Gemini rejects a file, or after the message "You've reached your limit for chats with files" shows up halfway through a working session. Below are the limits as Google's own Gemini Apps help center and subscriptions page list them, what each Google AI plan changes, why the limit gets reached, and when paying for a bigger plan stops being the right fix for a set of documents you question every week.
Gemini file upload limit per prompt and per file
These limits apply in the Gemini app on the web, Android and iPhone. They do not depend on whether you pay.
| What you upload | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Files per prompt | Up to 10 | Every file inside an uploaded folder counts toward the 10 |
| Documents, spreadsheets, images, audio | 100 MB per file | PDF, Word, text, CSV, spreadsheets and more |
| Video | 2 GB per file | 5 minutes total free, 1 hour on AI Pro and Ultra |
| Audio length | 10 minutes total free | 3 hours on AI Pro and Ultra |
| ZIP archive | 100 MB, up to 10 files | No video or audio inside the ZIP |
| Code folder or GitHub repository | One per chat, 5,000 files, 100 MB | Counts as a single upload |
A file under 100 MB can still fail for a different reason. If its text is longer than the context window of your plan, Gemini takes it, but answers without reading all of it. That is the limit that quietly ruins answers about long contracts and annual reports, and it is covered below.
Gemini file upload limit by plan
Google sells four tiers for personal accounts in the US. The file size and files-per-prompt caps stay the same across all of them. The usage multiplier and the context window are what you pay for.
| Plan | US price | Usage vs Free | Context window | Roughly how much text at once |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Standard limits | 32,000 tokens | About 48 pages |
| Google AI Plus | $4.99 a month | 2x | 128,000 tokens | About 190 pages |
| Google AI Pro | $19.99 a month | 4x | 1 million tokens | About 1,500 pages |
| Google AI Ultra | $99.99 or $199.99 a month | 5x or 20x AI Pro | 1 million tokens | About 1,500 pages |
The page estimates use Google's own ratio: a 1 million token window holds up to 1,500 pages of text, so 128,000 tokens is roughly 190 pages and 32,000 is roughly 48. Deep Think on Ultra uses a smaller 192,000 token window. Prices are list prices from the gemini.google subscriptions page. Ultra comes in two sizes, $99.99 for 5x the Pro limits and $199.99 for 20x.
Gemini file upload limit per day
There is no published number of files per day. Gemini Apps use compute-based limits: the cost of each request depends on the model, the features you use, the length of the chat and the files in it. Your allowance refreshes every 5 hours until you reach a weekly limit, and separate rolling limits apply to chats with files. When you run out you see "You've reached your limit for chats with files", and the fix Google offers is to wait or upgrade.
In practice, people hit this limit in the same way. They upload the same set of client PDFs into a new chat each morning, ask a dozen questions with the Pro model, and by the afternoon the allowance is gone. Every re-upload is counted again, because Gemini treats each chat as new work.
Subscribers who reach the limit can keep chatting on the lighter Flash-Lite model until it refreshes. That keeps the conversation going, but a lighter model is a poor trade when the question is about clause 14 of a 90-page agreement.
Gemini file upload limit free vs Pro
The difference that matters for documents is the context window, not the file size. On the free plan Gemini reads about 48 pages of text at once. Upload three 30-page reports and ask a question that needs all three, and Gemini answers from what fits, without telling you what it skipped. On Google AI Pro the window is 1 million tokens, about 1,500 pages, which covers most real document sets.
Free accounts also get 5 minutes of video and 10 minutes of audio in total per upload, against 1 hour and 3 hours on AI Pro and Ultra, and free users can lose access to heavier features such as Deep Research when demand is high. If your files are long, AI Pro at $19.99 a month is the cheapest Gemini plan that reads them in full. AI Plus helps with usage, but its 128,000 token window still runs out at about 190 pages.
Does Gemini have a file upload limit per chat?
Yes, two of them. The first is the 10 files per prompt cap, which you can work around by sending more files in the next message. The second is storage. Gemini Apps keep their own storage for your chats, uploaded files and Gems, separate from your Google Drive quota, and when it fills up you cannot upload anything until you delete old activity. Chats and Gems that hold videos, photos or files from Drive and Gemini Notebook use the most space.
If you want a fixed set of sources that stays put, Google's answer is Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM), which holds 50 sources per notebook on the free tier, 100 on Plus and 300 on Pro. The full plan breakdown is in our article on NotebookLM pricing and limits, and the tools people use instead are tested in our NotebookLM alternatives roundup.
Gemini vs ChatGPT vs Claude file upload limit
The three assistants cap different things, so the right comparison depends on where you get stuck.
| Limit | Gemini | ChatGPT | Claude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max size per file | 100 MB (video 2 GB) | 512 MB | 500 MB in a chat, 30 MB in a Project |
| Files at once | 10 per prompt | 80 every 3 hours on paid plans, 3 a day free | 20 per chat |
| Text read at once, mid-tier plan | 1 million tokens on AI Pro | About 40 pages fast, 320 with reasoning on Plus | 200,000 tokens on Pro, about 500 pages |
| Mid-tier US price | $19.99 a month | $20 a month | $20 a month, $17 billed yearly |
Gemini reads the most text per answer at the $20 price point, while ChatGPT accepts the largest files and the most uploads per session. Plan-by-plan detail for the other two is in our guides to the ChatGPT file upload limit and the Claude file upload limit.
What to do when you reach the Gemini upload limit
Start with the cheap fixes. Combine small files into one PDF so they count as one of the 10. Remove scanned pages you do not need, since images use far more of the window than text. Delete old Gemini activity if the error mentions storage. If the error is "limit for chats with files", wait for the 5-hour refresh or upgrade.
Then look at the pattern behind the limit. If you hit it because you re-upload the same contracts, reports and notes every week, a bigger plan only lets you repeat that loop more often. A chat window is built for files you look at once. A library is built for files you keep asking about.
When a bigger Gemini plan is the wrong fix
Gemini is a strong general assistant, and for $19.99 a month AI Pro also gives you 5 TB of storage and Gemini in Gmail and Docs. If your uploads are one-off, stay there. It is the better deal.
The case changes when the same body of work keeps coming back: years of client reports, a consultant's past deliverables, a coach's course material, an author's drafts. MentalClone is built for that job. You upload the files once, up to 100 MB each, and every question searches the whole library, picks the most relevant documents and answers only from them, in your own voice, with the document it used named in the answer. Nothing is re-uploaded, there is no 10-files-per-prompt step, and you can share a question link with a client instead of sending the files.
It is not cheaper than AI Pro. Starter is 1,194 PLN a year, about $27 a month, or 199 PLN (about $54) month to month, with unlimited documents and questions. Compare the plans on the pricing page, or see how it stacks up against Google's notebook tool on the Gemini Notebook alternative page. The demo at the top of this page answers three questions about any text you paste, no account needed.
One note for anyone uploading bookkeeping exports to Gemini to get a balance sheet or P&L: a chat assistant can describe the numbers, but a financial statement generator built for that export does the formatting and checks the totals.
Questions people ask about the Gemini upload limit
Does Gemini have a file upload limit?
Yes. Gemini accepts up to 10 files per prompt, each up to 100 MB, with videos up to 2 GB. Total video length is 5 minutes and audio 10 minutes on the free plan, and 1 hour and 3 hours on AI Pro and Ultra. Rolling usage limits also cap how many chats with files you can run before waiting for a refresh.
Does Gemini have a file upload limit per day?
Not a fixed number. Google uses rolling, compute-based limits that refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly cap, plus a separate limit on chats with files. How fast you reach it depends on the model, the size of your files and the length of the chat. AI Plus doubles the free allowance and AI Pro quadruples it.
Does Gemini Pro have a file upload limit?
Yes, the same per-file limits as the free plan: 10 files per prompt and 100 MB per file. What Google AI Pro raises is everything around them: 4x the usage, a 1 million token context window that reads about 1,500 pages at once, 1 hour of video and 3 hours of audio per upload.
Does Gemini free have a file upload limit?
Yes. Free accounts get the same 10 files per prompt and 100 MB per file, but a 32,000 token context window, about 48 pages of text at once, 5 minutes of video and 10 minutes of audio. Free users are also limited first when demand is high, and heavier features like Deep Research may be unavailable.
What is the Gemini file upload size limit?
100 MB per file for documents, spreadsheets, images and audio, and 2 GB per video. A ZIP can be up to 100 MB with no more than 10 files inside, and a code folder or GitHub repository can hold up to 5,000 files and 100 MB. File size is not the same as readable length, which depends on your plan's context window.
What is the Gemini API file upload limit?
The developer API has its own rules, separate from the Gemini app. The limits on this page apply to the Gemini app and the Google AI plans for personal accounts. If you are building on the API, check Google's developer documentation for the Files API, because its quotas are set per project and per model.