Unlocking ChatGPT o3-mini: Your Guide to Free Use

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After the launch of DeepSeek’s affordable R1 model, designed to rival OpenAI’s o1 model, OpenAI has rolled out its newest o3-mini reasoning model for all ChatGPT users at no cost. That’s right! Every user of free ChatGPT can access the o3-mini model, though there is a rate limit in place. OpenAI has introduced a “Reason” button next to the message input area in ChatGPT that utilizes the o3-mini model. If you’re unsure how to access this latest feature, simply follow the steps below:

How to Use ChatGPT o3-mini for Free on the Web

You can access the o3-mini model with “medium” reasoning capacity for free on ChatGPT. For users subscribed to ChatGPT Plus, there is an ‘o3-mini-high’ model available, which leverages more processing power and additional thinking time. A noteworthy feature of this update is that it allows users to combine web searches with the o3-mini model. Additionally, ChatGPT now displays a cleaned-up reasoning process, but this is not the unfiltered output.

Keep in mind that file analysis isn’t supported with the reasoning model at this time. Although ChatGPT permits file uploads, the o3-mini model cannot currently analyze files, so you’ll want to remember that. Lastly, you can send up to 10 messages for free each day, depending on the system’s overall load.

Visit the ChatGPT website and log in with your free account.
Click the “Reason” button to start using the o3-mini model.
You can now ask complex questions related to coding, science, math, and more.

It’s worth noting that the o3-mini model might not always deliver the correct answer at the “medium” reasoning setting. In our comparison between ChatGPT o1 and DeepSeek R1, we found that even larger reasoning models sometimes faltered on accuracy.

You can also access the o3-mini model via the regenerate feature. After a response is generated, click on the drop-down menu and select “o3-mini.”

How to Use ChatGPT o3-mini for Free on Android and iOS

Currently, the ChatGPT app on Android and iOS does not yet feature the “Reason” button. Therefore, you’ll need to regenerate the response and change the model afterwards. Here’s how to do that:

Launch the ChatGPT app on your Android device or iPhone.
Enter your question and execute the prompt.
Once the response is ready, press and hold the response, then select “Change model.”
Choose the “o3-mini” model and hit “OK.”
You’ll now receive a response from the o3-mini model.

using chatgpt o3 mini model for free on android

How to Use ChatGPT o3-mini on Windows and macOS

Open the ChatGPT desktop application on your Windows PC or Mac.
Click the “Reason” button and pose your question.
As previously mentioned, this will utilize the o3-mini model for the response.

That’s how you can access the o3-mini model for free on ChatGPT. From my own testing of the o3-mini at medium processing power, I found that the model does not quite reach the performance level of OpenAI’s o1 model. However, it appears to outperform GPT-4o and GPT-4o-mini when tackling complex challenges that were previously available to free users.

So, give the advanced reasoning model a try and share your experience in the comments below!

Arjun Sha

I’m passionate about technology, including Windows, ChromeOS, and Android, with a keen interest in security and privacy issues. I love tackling everyday computing challenges.