# Why can't I use a model or feature in ZeroTwo?

> Find out whether your plan, credit balance, workspace or a parental control is limiting a model or feature in ZeroTwo, and how to fix it.

Source: https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/10258669-why-can-t-i-use-a-model-or-feature-in-zerotwo
Section: ZeroTwo
Last updated: 2026-10-05

ZeroTwo can limit a model, a tool or a feature for several reasons. The usual ones are your plan, your credit balance, your workspace and a parental control. The notice on screen normally tells you which one applies, so find it below.

## A model is dimmed in the model picker

On a Free account, models outside the Free tier are dimmed in the model picker. Selecting one opens an upgrade prompt instead of switching the chat.

- **Buy credits to use any model.** A Free account that holds purchased credits can use any model and pays for each message from that balance. The 100 welcome credits and the daily login credits only cover Free-tier models.
- **Upgrade.** On Plus, Pro, Pro 2×, Ultra and Ultra 2× the picker does not lock models by plan. What a model costs is taken from your credits, and the models on your plan's unlimited list cost none in regular chat.
- **Check that your plan is active.** The picker only treats you as a paid user while the subscription is active. If a renewal payment failed, the account is on Free until you add a working card.

To see how models are grouped by credit cost, select the question-mark button (**Help and what's new**) in the sidebar footer, then choose **Help** > **Model Tiers**. This dialog is in the web and desktop apps. It states that Free-tier models cost about 0 credits on any plan.

## You see an out-of-credits notice

A banner appears above the message box when a message is turned down for lack of credits. It can also appear when your balance is zero and the model you selected uses credits. The title and the suggested action depend on whose credits ran out.

| Banner title | What it means | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| You're out of credits (Free plan) | Your credits are used up. The banner says you get 20 more when you log in tomorrow. | Choose **Upgrade** to keep going now, or open the account menu and choose **Buy credits**. |
| You're out of credits (paid plan) | Your monthly, bonus and purchased credits are all used. | Switch models, choose **Buy credits**, or upgrade your plan. |
| Your workspace is out of credits | You are working in an organization workspace and its credits ran out. | Ask your workspace owner to add credits or increase the plan. |

Open **Settings** > **Usage** to see what is left. For how credits are spent and topped up, see [How do credits work in ZeroTwo?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/12642688-how-do-credits-work-in-zerotwo)

## You see "Thread limit reached"

On Pro, Pro 2×, Ultra and Ultra 2×, a long conversation with some higher-cost models can reach a per-conversation message limit. The banner reads "Thread limit reached" and has a **Summarize** button. Choose it and ZeroTwo creates a new thread that starts with a summary of the old one, then choose **Continue in new thread** to carry on there.

## A tool says you reached the daily free limit

Some tools have a daily cap on Free accounts, for example read aloud, web scraping and web previews. When you hit one, ZeroTwo says you have reached the daily free limit for that tool and suggests adding credits or upgrading. Paid plans are not subject to these caps, and neither is a Free account that holds more than 25 purchased credits.

## Work or Code mode offers only a few models

On a Free account with no purchased credits, the model picker in Work and Code mode is limited to the models Free accounts can run there, and the rest are greyed out. Buying credits removes this limit. Accounts that work inside an organization workspace are not restricted this way.

## Voice, memory or images are turned off

If your account is linked to a parent, the parent can turn off features for you. Open **Settings** > **Parental controls**. The **Managed by your parent** list shows **Memory**, **Voice mode** and **Image generation** as **Disabled** when they are off, and shows the **Quiet hours** window when one is set.

- During quiet hours ZeroTwo responds that it is unavailable during quiet hours set by your parental controls.
- When a feature is off, ZeroTwo responds that the feature is disabled by your parental controls.

Only the parent can change these settings, from the same **Parental controls** page under their linked family member. On your side of the link, **Unlink account** removes the link and notifies your parent.

## Still stuck?

Select the question-mark button (**Help and what's new**), then choose **Help** > **Support**. A **Send Feedback** dialog opens with the **Help** choice selected. Describe what you were doing and what the notice said, and send it. To compare what each plan includes, see [What does ZeroTwo Plus include?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/6950777-what-does-zerotwo-plus-include)