OpenAI merges ChatGPT's Chat and Work tabs, pooling usage with Codex

OpenAI is merging the Chat and Work tabs inside the ChatGPT desktop app, according to an email the company sent to users. The change will first go to a select group of users for feedback before OpenAI rolls it out more widely.

The ChatGPT desktop app currently splits into ChatGPT and Codex sections, and within ChatGPT there are separate Chat and Work tabs. That layout has made it easy to lose track of which tab a project lives in or which mode is active, and the merger appears to be an attempt to fix that confusion.

“This will enable you to move from exploring an idea to having ChatGPT carry it through, all in one place,” OpenAI said in the email. “You can bring in your files and plugins and ask ChatGPT to build a website, create a presentation, or do things for you on the web, while reviewing and guiding its work.” The email added that Codex will stay a separate experience within the ChatGPT desktop app, so the merger applies only to the Chat and Work tabs themselves.

The bigger practical change is behind the scenes. OpenAI said that once the merger takes effect, both ChatGPT and Codex will draw tokens from the same usage allowance pool rather than from separate ones. OpenAI said this won’t affect most users, but depending on how much someone uses the tools and which model they rely on, some people may need to wait longer between usage resets. That means a user who leans heavily on Codex for coding work could burn through shared capacity faster, leaving less headroom for general chat before the next reset.

The move follows a similar step by Anthropic, which merged Claude’s chat and Cowork functions into a single screen in September. OpenAI has not said when the merged Chat and Work experience will reach all ChatGPT users, or whether the shared token pool will be adjusted based on feedback from the initial rollout.