Official documentation
Colaboratory Frequently Asked Questions
Google Research, n.d.
Read the originalRead on October 17, 2026
- What it is
- Google's official FAQ for Colab. It describes free access to GPUs and TPUs, the resource limits of the free tier, and the maximum notebook run time.
- How much weight it carries
- Google's own statement of policy. Google says it does not publish the exact limits, which vary over time, so the FAQ gives the rules in general terms rather than exact numbers.
Facts taken from this source
- Google says a notebook on the free version of Colab can run for at most 12 hours, depending on availability and usage.
“In the version of Colab that is free of charge notebooks can run for at most 12 hours, depending on availability and your usage patterns.” (How long can notebooks run in Colab?)
- Google says that in the free version of Colab, access to expensive resources such as GPUs is heavily restricted.
“In the version of Colab that is free of charge, access to expensive resources like GPUs is heavily restricted.” (Resource Limits)
- Google says Colab provides free of charge access to computing resources, including GPUs and TPUs.
“provides free of charge access to computing resources, including GPUs and TPUs.” (The Basics)
- Google says Colab resources are not guaranteed and not unlimited, and that usage limits sometimes change.
“Colab resources are not guaranteed and not unlimited, and usage limits sometimes fluctuate.” (Resource Limits)