Key takeaways
- OpenAI is combining ChatGPT's Chat and Work tabs on desktop, per an email to users reported by TechCrunch on November 2.
- The change reaches select users first, then everyone, with no date given.
- Codex stays a separate experience, and Chat and Codex share one usage allowance.
OpenAI is merging the Chat and Work tabs in the ChatGPT desktop app into one, according to TechCrunch, which reported on November 2 from an email OpenAI sent to users. The ChatGPT Chat and Work merge starts with select users who will give feedback before a wider rollout.
The email says the change lets people "move from exploring an idea to having ChatGPT carry it through, all in one place." The merged tab will support bringing in files and plugins and reviewing and guiding ChatGPT's work as it goes.
What stays separate
Codex stays its own experience in the desktop app. The email says it "will remain a separate experience." Chat and Codex will draw from the same usage allowance. OpenAI says most users won't notice, but some may wait for usage resets more often, depending on how much they use and which model they pick.
That matters if you already hit limits. Work mode was included on every plan, with limits shared with chat, as we covered in Is ChatGPT Work free?. Folding it into the main chat tab does not change that pool, but it makes it easier to spend it without noticing.
How it compares
TechCrunch notes that Anthropic merged Claude's chat and Cowork functions into one interface in September. Both companies are heading toward a single assistant that talks and also does tasks on your computer. Our comparison of ChatGPT Work and Claude Cowork covers plans and limits for each.
What we don't know yet
OpenAI has not published a blog post on the change, and the report gives no date or list of who gets it first. We also don't know whether the Work tab will be removed from the app once the rollout finishes.
What to watch: the ChatGPT release notes, where OpenAI usually posts rollouts.
