OpenAI is rolling out a new ChatGPT desktop app for macOS and Windows that folds three products into one client: Chat, ChatGPT Work and Codex. For people who already have the older desktop app, that rollout may leave two icons on the machine, according to OpenAI’s help documentation.
The plain version: “ChatGPT” is now the new app. “ChatGPT Classic” is the previous ChatGPT desktop app. OpenAI says users can keep using Classic at launch, and that no migration is required if it stays installed alongside the new client.
That answers the small but predictable naming mess. OpenAI describes ChatGPT Classic as the old desktop app, not as a separate throwback edition users go hunting for. If the new app installs next to the existing one, the previous app is labeled ChatGPT Classic.
What changes for current desktop users
OpenAI says people already using the ChatGPT desktop app should follow the in-app prompt to download the new version, then sign in with the same ChatGPT account. The company says the new app may install separately rather than replacing the older one.
If both apps remain, OpenAI says the new “ChatGPT” app includes Chat, Work and Codex. The “ChatGPT Classic” app is the previous desktop app. OpenAI says Classic will continue to get model updates, bug fixes, security patches and support for existing Enterprise capabilities.
The catch is feature placement. OpenAI says some new agent features may only appear in the new ChatGPT app. Work and Codex are specifically listed as features of the new app.
Codex users get folded in too
For people already using the Codex app, OpenAI says the usual app update turns it into the new ChatGPT desktop app. Existing Codex tasks and projects should remain after that update, according to the company.
OpenAI says existing Codex users will land in Codex when the updated app opens. They can also keep Codex as the default opening view and choose the Codex app icon in settings.
Work is still rolling out
OpenAI says ChatGPT Work is being made available gradually to eligible accounts over the coming days. If Work is missing from an account, the company says that account may not have access yet, with availability expanding during the rollout.
OpenAI describes Chat as the mode for asking questions, searching and conversations. It describes Work as the mode for research, analysis and creating documents, spreadsheets, presentations, reports and Sites. Codex is for software development using local files, repositories, terminals and developer tools.
The sync rules are uneven, which is the sort of detail that matters once files and projects enter the picture. OpenAI says Chat conversations sync between ChatGPT on the web and the desktop app. At launch, cloud Work conversations do not appear in desktop Work. Desktop Work threads and local files stay on that computer.
Codex also has platform limits. OpenAI says Codex is not a selectable mode on web or mobile, although supported desktop Codex tasks can be accessed from the Remote tab in the ChatGPT mobile app. First-time users are directed by OpenAI to download the desktop app for their operating system and sign in.
This story draws on original reporting from OpenAI Help Center.
