Guide
Upload a video to ChatGPT with the + button; what comes back is an analysis, not an edit
Updated
Tap the + icon, choose Add photos & files and pick your video, even on the Free plan. ChatGPT answers about it in text, and OpenAI says it may miss parts of it.
In short
- To upload a video to ChatGPT, tap the + icon in the prompt area, choose Add photos & files and pick the video.
- Video uploads work on the Free plan too, as of November 2026, and each one counts toward your plan's upload limit.
- ChatGPT answers in text, and OpenAI says it may not take in the whole video or read the audio correctly.
- ChatGPT doesn't hand back an edited video on its own. For that you need an editing app or an editor that works on your clip.
How do you upload a video to ChatGPT?
You attach a video the same way you attach a photo or a document. These steps come from OpenAI's help page, read on 12 November 2026.
If the upload fails, the file may be too big or in a format ChatGPT can't open. A smaller file or a plain MP4 is worth a try.
- Step 1: Open a chat on chatgpt.com or in the ChatGPT app.
- Step 2: Tap the + icon in the prompt area and choose Add photos & files.
- Step 3: Pick your video. On a phone, if you can't select it in Photos, attach it through Files instead.
- Step 4: Type what you want to know about the video, then send the message.
- Step 5: If it won't upload, Cutroom's free video compressor makes the file smaller, and its MP4 converter turns a MOV or HEVC file into a plain MP4.
What ChatGPT can tell you about the video
ChatGPT looks at the video and answers your question in text. It works best for questions where a rough answer is still useful.
- Ask for a short summary of what happens or what you say in the video.
- Ask for a title, a caption to post with it or a few hashtags.
- Ask for feedback on your opening line, or whether your point comes across.
- Ask what's in a shot, such as a product or the text on a sign.
ChatGPT upload limits, as of November 2026
From OpenAI's help pages, read on 12 November 2026. OpenAI says it may lower upload limits at busy times.
| What you want | Free plan | Paid plans |
|---|---|---|
| Upload a video | Yes | Yes |
| Files you can upload | 3 a day | Up to 80 every 3 hours |
| Upload an audio file for a transcript | No | Yes, up to 512 MB |
| Get an edited video back from ChatGPT itself | Not described | Not described |
What you want: Upload a video
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid plans
- Yes
What you want: Files you can upload
- Free plan
- 3 a day
- Paid plans
- Up to 80 every 3 hours
What you want: Upload an audio file for a transcript
- Free plan
- No
- Paid plans
- Yes, up to 512 MB
What you want: Get an edited video back from ChatGPT itself
- Free plan
- Not described
- Paid plans
- Not described
How Cutroom's Magic Editor edits a video like this
Jacob is the AI editor inside Cutroom's Magic Editor: it edits your video for you, then changes it when you ask in a chat.
The 4 styles, as example edits
Steps
Three steps, four angles
Skit
Hook, hard stop, demo card
Verdict
The tester's verdict
Poster
Typography does the talking
Hover or tap an example to play it, without sound. These are example edits of each style; the presenters in them are generated with AI.
- Your take: one video of you talking, up to 3 minutes
- Your style: one of 4: Steps, Skit, Verdict or Poster
- Your files: screenshots, a screen recording or a logo, if you have them
- Your goal: what the video is for, in a few words, if you like
- Jacob makes it: normally 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email
- Your edit: ask Jacob for changes in a chat, then export
Then you ask Jacob, for example
- “Make this about 10 seconds shorter”
- “Put a clip on the strongest sentence”
- “Change the music to something calmer”
Each change is a new version, and going back is free. First cut 250 credits, each change 40, questions free, export 30 credits per started minute.
What ChatGPT may miss, in OpenAI's words
OpenAI is upfront about it. Its help page says ChatGPT "may not analyze the entire video or accurately interpret its audio."
So a summary can skip the second half of your clip, or get a word you said wrong. Check the answer against the video before you rely on it.
- Ask about one part at a time, such as the last 10 seconds, and compare the answer with what you see.
- If you need your exact words, paid plans also take audio files such as MP3, M4A or WAV. OpenAI says an MP4 that is a video isn't accepted as audio.
- OpenAI also says transcripts may contain errors, so check names and numbers.
When you wanted the video edited
Then ChatGPT on its own isn't the tool. OpenAI's help pages describe analysing a video, not handing back an edited file.
One route is a connected app inside ChatGPT. Adobe says it can make a quick cut, a highlight reel or a resized version there.
- Adobe says you can start without an Adobe account, but some of its tools need a paid Adobe plan.
- Cutroom's Magic Editor turns one clip of you talking into a finished vertical video: Jacob, its AI editor, makes the whole edit, and you change it by asking in a chat.
- It normally takes 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email when your first cut is ready.
- Every change Jacob makes is a new version. The earlier versions stay, and going back to one is free. A message that changes the video costs 40 credits.
- It takes one clip up to 3 minutes and gives back one vertical MP4 at 1080 by 1920, which you post yourself.
- Cutroom is not affiliated with OpenAI, Anthropic or Google.
A dog trainer's 25-second tip, before and after
The same kind of clip you might upload to ChatGPT, drawn as Jacob's first edit in the Poster style.
Drawing of an example clip, not a customer video
Before · the clip as filmed
A 25-second iPhone video of a dog trainer giving one tip in a park
“Okay, um, stop pulling back on the lead. You, you just stand still, and your dog learns … (pause) that pulling gets him nowhere.”
struck through = what Jacob cuts
After · Jacob's first edit, Poster style
“Stop pulling back on the lead. stand still, and your dog learns that pulling gets him nowhere.”
- On “stop”: the word stop slammed big in red
- On “lead”: a b-roll clip of a dog on a lead from stock
- On “still”: a black-and-white moment while you say it
- Under the whole video: captions timed to your voice
Then you ask Jacob
- “Make the key words stand out more”v2the same edit with the key words bigger and in your accent colour
- “Put a flash right before the ending”v3a flash in white just before your last line
Questions people ask
- Can I upload a video to ChatGPT for free?
- Yes. OpenAI says ChatGPT accepts video attachments on the Free plan too, as of November 2026. Free users can upload 3 files a day, and a video counts as one of them.
- Why can't I upload a video to ChatGPT?
- Usually it's the upload method or a limit. OpenAI says video uploads vary by platform, upload method and account. On a phone, try Files instead of Photos. You may also have hit your upload limit, which OpenAI can lower at busy times.
- How long can a video be in ChatGPT?
- OpenAI doesn't give a length or size limit for video files on its help pages, as of November 2026. It does warn that ChatGPT may not analyze the entire video, so with a long video, ask about one part at a time.
- Can ChatGPT hear the audio in my video?
- Partly. OpenAI says ChatGPT may not accurately interpret a video's audio. For a transcript of what you said, paid plans accept audio files such as MP3, M4A and WAV.
- Can ChatGPT edit the video I upload?
- Not on its own. It answers about the video in text. To get an edited file back, use a connected editing app, or an editor such as Cutroom's Magic Editor for a clip of you talking.
Wanted the video edited, not described? Upload your clip to Cutroom and Jacob makes the whole edit. Your first video is free.