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You can now toggle GPT-5’s thinking time for faster or smarter answers – here’s how to do it
Graham Barlow
18 September 2025
Because sometimes speed isn’t everything
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ChatGPT-5 has a new thinking-time toggle for Plus and Pro users
Pro users get four options in total and Plus users get two
Thinking time is currently a ChatGPT web-only option
OpenAI has introduced a new timer toggle into the ChatGPT message window when Plus users select the ChatGPT-5 Thinking model from the model selector. The toggle lets you switch between Standard and Extended options for thinking time.
Standard, which is the default selection, balances speed with intelligence, while Extended, which was the previous default for Plus users, is also available.
ChatGPT Pro users get two additional options: Light (the snappiest option available) and Heavy (which uses deeper reasoning).
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The new thinking time feature has been introduced in response to user feedback that ChatGPT was spending too long thinking in its Thinking mode.
“We’ve heard from some of you that GPT-5 Thinking’s answers can take longer than you’d like. Now you can decide what you need in the moment”, says a message on the OpenAI website.
Light and Standard options still use reasoning, but provide quicker answers, while Heavy and Extended modes offer more time for deeper, more comprehensive responses, which are useful when you’re asking more difficult questions.
A new Thinking option appears in the message window when you select ChatGPT Thinking in the LLM selector. (Image credit: OpenAI)
How to change thinking speed
Firstly, you’ll need to be a Plus or Pro user to do this. If you are then at the top of the ChatGPT screen on the web you’ll see ‘ChatGPT-5’. If you click on this you get the option to choose between Auto, Instant, Thinking mini and Thinking models.
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Choose Thinking here, and then in the message window you should now see that a blue Thinking option has appeared with a drop-down menu from which you can toggle the Standard and Extended options.
Pro users will, of course, see two more options here.
It’s not on mobile
There is one big limitation with the new thinking time option though – you can only access it on the web for now.
If you look in the iOS or Android apps you’ll find that the feature simply isn’t available, and it won’t be any time soon either. A message on the OpenAI website says, “we’ll bring this control to our iOS and Android apps in the coming weeks”.
Finally, we can’t imagine that the new thinking time toggle will appear for ChatGPT free tier users any time soon – the Chat GPT-5 Thinking option only becomes available when you upgrade to Plus or Pro . Currently free users can only use ChatGPT-5 in standard mode.
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Graham Barlow
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Senior Editor, AI
Graham is the Senior Editor for AI at TechRadar. With over 25 years of experience in both online and print journalism, Graham has worked for various market-leading tech brands including Computeractive, PC Pro, iMore, MacFormat, Mac|Life, Maximum PC, and more. He specializes in reporting on everything to do with AI and has appeared on BBC TV shows like BBC One Breakfast and on Radio 4 commenting on the latest trends in tech. Graham has an honors degree in Computer Science and spends his spare time podcasting and blogging.
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