File limits
ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini file limits, compared
Gemini takes 10 files per message, Claude 20 per chat, ChatGPT Plus 80 every 3 hours. None of them takes a folder of 200 invoices in one go; through the API, BatchAI Local does.
Sources: Gemini Apps Help, Claude Help Center, OpenAI Help Center, checked on October 31, 2026.
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10 files per message
10 / 200
20 separate messages
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20 files per chat
20 / 200
10 separate chats
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80 files every 3 hours
80 / 200
3 rounds, 6 h of waiting
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BatchAI Local
No file limit
∞
in a single batch
Every limit, side by side
| AI | Files | Size per file | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini | 10 per message | 100 MB (video 2 GB) | Gemini Apps Help |
| Claude | 20 per chat | 500 MB | Claude Help Center |
| ChatGPT | 80 every 3 hours with Plus, 3 per day free | 512 MB | OpenAI Help Center |
| BatchAI Local | No file limit: one request per file | Large PDFs split automatically |
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- Files
- 10 per message
- Size per file
- 100 MB (video 2 GB)
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- Files
- 20 per chat
- Size per file
- 500 MB
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- Files
- 80 every 3 hours with Plus, 3 per day free
- Size per file
- 512 MB
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BatchAI Local
- No file limit: one request per file
- Large PDFs split automatically
Every limit, AI by AI
- ChatGPT file limit ChatGPT Plus accepts up to 80 files every 3 hours, the free plan 3 files per day, 512 MB each. For a folder of 200 invoices on Plus, that means 3 rounds and 6 hours of waiting.
- Claude file limit Claude accepts up to 20 files per chat, 500 MB each. For a folder of 200 invoices, that means 10 separate chats.
- Gemini file limit Gemini accepts up to 10 files per prompt, 100 MB each. For a folder of 200 invoices, that means 20 separate messages.
Why chat apps limit files
In a chat, every file you attach is read in the same conversation, together with your messages. The more files, the more the AI has to keep in mind at once: the limit keeps each conversation within what it handles well.
In one message, the AI can also mix up two invoices or skip one. Sent one by one, each file gets its full attention.
How to process a whole folder
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Split the folder by hand
For 200 invoices: 20 Gemini messages, 10 Claude chats or 3 ChatGPT Plus rounds (6 hours of waiting). Each time, paste your instructions again, copy the answers into Excel and fix the columns. Then merge the pieces.
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Write a script against the API
The Anthropic, OpenAI and Google APIs have no files-per-chat limit: you send one file per request. You write the loop, the retries when the provider asks you to slow down, and the merge into one table.
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Use BatchAI Local
The same approach, without code: drop the whole folder, name your columns or pick a template, run. One request per file, several at once, one Excel sheet at the end, with your own API key or BatchAI Cloud, with no key. No file limit, even during the 3-day free trial. Then a lifetime license from $79, paid once, with your own key: your provider bills the AI; or BatchAI Cloud from $29/month, with the AI included.
File limits: questions
Which AI accepts the most files?
They don't count the same way: Gemini 10 files per message, Claude 20 per chat, ChatGPT Plus 80 every 3 hours. Details: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini.
How do I process more files than the limit?
Split the folder by hand, write a script against the API, or use BatchAI Local, which sends each file in its own request through the API, with no file limit.
Are these limits up to date?
Checked on October 31, 2026 in the three help centers. They change: each page shows the date of its last check.
Next month's folder, done in minutes.
Free 3-day trial with everything in Essential and no file limit. Then a lifetime license from $79 with your own API key, or BatchAI Cloud from $29/month with the AI included.