ChatGPT Work

ChatGPT Work is the agent mode that takes a task to a reviewable result: a brief, a deck, a spreadsheet, a hosted site, a recurring update. It is not Chat, and it is not Codex.

Official wording: “ChatGPT Work is a way to delegate real work to ChatGPT.” Start at Get started with ChatGPT Work.

Prerequisites

Need	Requirement
Account	Any ChatGPT plan; surfaces and limits are on the pricing page
Web	The Work switcher at chatgpt.com
Desktop	The ChatGPT desktop app (macOS / Windows; Linux is preview)
Local files / apps	Work locally in the desktop app
Keep running after you close the laptop	Cloud, or Work on the web

Learning objectives: tell Chat / Work / Codex apart; delegate one task with a clear deliverable; know local vs cloud; use plugins and scheduled tasks.

Non-goals: CLI sandbox setup (Codex CLI); prices and quotas (Plans and access).

What Work is — and is not

Official docs split the same desktop app into three ways of working:

Choose	When you want	Examples
Chat	A question or a short draft	Compare options, rewrite a message, clarify a brief
ChatGPT Work	An outcome you can review	An eight-slide deck, a comparison sheet, a weekly agenda
Codex	Developer views and repo-level edits	Debug, run tests, review a PR, implement a feature

Work plans the steps, pulls in files and plugins, and stops at something you can open and check. You can follow progress, change direction, and approve consequential actions.

It is not:

• A replacement for Codex’s coding UI (no pull-request pane; Git / shell detail is hidden by default)
• A replacement for Chat (short questions belong in Chat)
• A third app you install separately (since 2026-07-09, Work and Codex live in the ChatGPT desktop app)

Official note: if you already used Codex for non-coding work, you can stay there or switch to Work. The capabilities overlap; the interface is built for everyday knowledge work. Work and Codex share usage limits.

Capabilities

Capability	What it does	Official page
Research and analysis	Search, browse, compare sources, read files, summarize	Use ChatGPT
Files and tools	Uploads, Projects, Library, Memories, plugins	Projects · Plugins
Finished files	Documents, decks, spreadsheets, PDFs — preview, then download	Work with files
Visual and hosted work	Images, visualizations, Sites for websites and apps	Sites
Browser and desktop	Built-in browser, Chrome extension, Computer Use, Appshots	Browser
Long tasks	Subagents, long-running work, mid-flight course changes	Long-running work
Repeatable work	Scheduled tasks + skills	Scheduled tasks

Features depend on plan, platform, region, rollout, and workspace settings. Administrators can disable Work, plugins, browser use, and network access.

First 15 minutes

1. Switch to Work

In the web or desktop app, open the switcher and choose Work. A good first task has a clear outcome, a few source files, and a result you can review.

2. Choose local or cloud

The desktop composer exposes Work locally. If Cloud is offered, pick by the job:

	Cloud	Work locally
Runs on	An isolated OpenAI-hosted environment	Your computer
After you quit / sleep	Continues; resume from web or mobile	Stops
Local files / apps	No direct access; upload, Project, or an authorized plugin	Yes
Work on the web	Web Work is cloud	Desktop only
Use when	Long jobs, watching websites on a schedule, continuing on another device	Sorting a local folder, driving a desktop app

Cloud scheduled tasks do not need your computer awake. Local scheduled tasks do: the machine must stay on and the desktop app must stay running.

3. Specify the result, not the vibe

Weak:

Make me a presentation about our customer research.

The official shape: outcome, sources, constraints, what “good” looks like, and when to stop for review.

Review the attached interview notes and survey results. Create an eight-slide presentation for the product leadership meeting. Focus on the three most common customer problems, include supporting evidence, separate findings from recommendations, and flag any claims that are not well supported. Use @Google Drive for the source docs. Return a draft for my review before treating it as final.

Three official starter tasks

A presentation

Review the attached source materials and create an eight-slide presentation for [audience]. Focus on the main themes, include supporting evidence, and flag anything that needs human review. Return a draft for my review.

A comparison spreadsheet

Create a spreadsheet comparing the options for [decision]. Use the attached notes and source materials. Include the most important criteria, score each option, flag risks or missing information, and add a summary tab with a recommendation and next steps.

A recurring update

Every Monday morning, review new updates from @Slack and @Google Drive for [project]. Refresh the meeting agenda with decisions, blockers, owners, and open questions. Send me a draft before sharing it.

Manage runs from Scheduled in the sidebar. Details: Scheduled tasks.

Plugins (the connector layer)

Plugins are the consumer-facing counterpart to Claude Connectors: Slack, Google Drive, SharePoint, mail, calendars, CRMs, project trackers.

1. Open Plugins in the left sidebar and install what you need.
2. Mention a tool with @plugin-name in the prompt.
3. Availability depends on plan, workspace, and the plugin itself.

Enterprise / Edu workspaces keep plugins off by default; Business keeps them on. Making a plugin available is not the same as granting your account access — you still enable it and sign in.

Repo wiring, CI, and custom MCP stay on Project Integration. Do not treat those as Work plugins.

Sites, when you need a hosted page

Sites is a public beta: ChatGPT creates, hosts, refines, and shares websites, internal tools, or small apps without a separate deploy stack. Web entry: chatgpt.com/sites. Full tutorial: Sites.

It is not Claude Design. There is no official “import a design system from the repo, then hand off a bundle” product on the OpenAI side. Sites is a hosting workflow.

Documented constraints:

• Every deployment URL is production. To review first, ask it to save a version without deploying.
• The CLI and IDE extension have no Sites management UI; create and publish from web or the desktop app.
• Enterprise workspaces keep public publishing off by default.
• No data residency at launch; do not process PHI or payment-card data.

For frontend work: implement and test in the repo with Codex, then publish via Sites — or use Work for a throwaway internal dashboard. Do not treat Sites as your production frontend stack.

Work vs Codex on desktop

Official comparison (Use ChatGPT):

Difference	ChatGPT (including Work)	Codex in the desktop app
Where to start	Select ChatGPT, then Work	Select Codex in the product selector
Chats you see	Chat from web/mobile plus Work	Codex chats and development projects
Technical detail	Hides Git / shell by default	Shows diffs and review views
Voice	Prefers non-technical, finished outputs	Can include implementation detail
Pull requests pane	Not available in Work	Available when enabled

Changing code, inspecting a diff, or driving a PR → Codex. A file someone else can open → Work.

Safety boundaries worth internalizing

• The cloud browser is not your Chrome: no local tabs, extensions, history, or passwords, and it cannot sign in or pay. Unsupported steps stop the task.
• Local Work can reach files and apps you authorize. Do not point it at a secrets directory.
• Review approval prompts before spend, account changes, or outbound sends.
• Admin policy wins. Turning on public internet access does not override a workspace restriction.

Enterprise isolation, retention, and compliance: ChatGPT Work Overview.

Common pitfalls

Pitfall	What happens	Do this instead
Opening Work for a one-line question	Multi-step agent work burns more quota	Use Chat
Editing a repo in Work and looking for the PR pane	Work has no PR sidebar	Switch to Codex
Expecting a local schedule to run on a sleeping laptop	It will not	Use Cloud when the job is not local
Treating a Sites URL as staging	Deploy URLs are production	Save a version; deploy after review
Prompting “make a deck”	Polished slides with thin evidence	Name the audience, sources, and review gate
Assuming an installed plugin is authorized	Enterprise defaults off; OAuth is per user	Enable it and sign in

Real-world use

A frontend weekly: Work pulls decisions from @Slack and @Google Drive into an agenda draft; the actual code change goes to Codex CLI or desktop Codex. Keep the design conversation in Chat. Do not mix it into the same Work thread as the implementation.

Next steps

1. Still choosing a surface → the decision tree on the Learning Map.
2. Writing code → Codex CLI or the product line.
3. Plans and the Chat surface → ChatGPT Plans and Access.
4. Wiring a real repo → Project Integration.

Official sources

• Get started with ChatGPT Work
• Use ChatGPT (Chat / Work / Codex)
• ChatGPT desktop app
• Scheduled tasks
• Sites
• Plugins
• ChatGPT Work Overview
• What's new (2026-07-09 Work + desktop merge)