Quick answer: ChatGPT Work is OpenAI’s new long-running agent for turning a goal into finished work across connected apps, files, the web, and—on desktop—local tools. Start with one bounded workflow, connect only the apps it needs, require approval before important actions, and review every output before sharing it.
ChatGPT Work availability at a glance
| Where | Availability announced by OpenAI | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Web and mobile | Rolling out first to Pro, Enterprise and Edu; Plus and Business over the following days | Your account may not show it immediately during the phased rollout. |
| Windows and Mac desktop app | Available globally on every plan, including Free | Chat, Work and Codex are combined in the updated desktop app. |
| Existing Codex desktop app | Updates into the new ChatGPT desktop app | Codex projects remain accessible; developers can keep Codex as the default view. |
OpenAI announced ChatGPT Work on July 9, 2026. Availability can still vary by account, workspace policy and rollout timing. OpenAI did not announce a separate flat price for Work; it said usage follows the same usage structure as Codex, and complex tasks may consume more included usage.
What ChatGPT Work can do
- Gather information from connected services such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, SharePoint, email, calendars, CRMs and project trackers.
- Create and refine sheets, slides, documents, analyses and web apps.
- Break a large goal into smaller steps and keep working on longer projects.
- Run scheduled tasks once, repeatedly, on an event or while monitoring for changes.
- Use a built-in browser for web-based research and workflows.
- On desktop, work with local files and apps through computer-use capabilities.
- Create shareable interactive sites, dashboards, trackers and prototypes with Sites, which OpenAI launched in public beta.
The key difference from a normal chat is execution: Work is designed to carry context through a multi-step workflow and produce a finished artifact, rather than only answer a question.
Safe setup checklist
- Update the desktop app if needed. Download the current Windows or Mac app from OpenAI’s official download page. If you use the Codex app, update it normally.
- Choose a low-risk first task. Good examples include summarizing meeting notes, building a draft campaign brief or reconciling a copy of a spreadsheet.
- Connect the minimum required apps. Use the unified plugins directory and avoid connecting an entire workspace when one data source is enough.
- Define the output before starting. Specify the format, audience, source files, deadline and acceptance criteria.
- Set approval boundaries. Require confirmation before sending messages, publishing, changing records, moving files or sharing data.
- Ask for source traceability. Require a source list and make the agent mark assumptions, missing information and conflicting inputs.
- Review the result manually. Check calculations, links, names, permissions and confidential information before the artifact leaves your workspace.
- Scale only after a successful pilot. Turn the workflow into a Scheduled Task only when the manual version is repeatable and reliable.
Copy-paste starter prompt
You are helping me complete this workflow: [GOAL].
Use only these sources: [FILES / APPS / URLS].
Deliver the result as: [DOC / SHEET / SLIDES / SITE / REPORT].
Audience: [WHO WILL USE IT].
Deadline or reporting period: [DATE / RANGE].
Before acting:
1. List the steps you plan to take.
2. Identify any missing access or information.
3. Ask for approval before sending, publishing, deleting, purchasing, changing permissions, or updating a system of record.
While working:
- Keep a source list.
- Label assumptions and uncertain findings.
- Do not invent missing figures, quotes, dates, or customer information.
- Flag conflicting data instead of choosing silently.
Before finishing:
- Check names, dates, totals, links, and permissions.
- Give me a short review checklist and a change log.Three useful first workflows
1. Weekly meeting pack
Ask Work to collect approved project updates, compare them with last week’s plan, flag blocked items and prepare a draft agenda. Keep sending and calendar changes behind an approval step.
2. Campaign brief from customer research
Provide interview notes, existing brand guidance and a campaign template. Ask for audience themes, evidence-linked messages, channel variants and a list of claims that still need verification. This is a natural implementation use case for digital teams, but human brand and legal review should remain mandatory.
3. Monthly variance review
Use copies of the relevant sheets, define the reporting period and ask Work to reconcile totals, highlight material changes and build a draft presentation. A finance owner should verify formulas and source records before the report is accepted.
What not to automate first
- Payments, purchases or irreversible financial actions.
- Deletion or bulk movement of files.
- Publishing to a public website or social account without review.
- Unsupervised changes to customer, HR, legal or medical records.
- Workflows that depend on undocumented business rules.
- Any task where the connected account has broader permissions than the agent needs.
ChatGPT Work vs regular ChatGPT vs Codex
| Tool | Best fit | Typical output |
|---|---|---|
| Regular ChatGPT chat | Questions, brainstorming and shorter tasks | Answer, draft or analysis |
| ChatGPT Work | Longer multi-app business workflows | Finished document, sheet, deck, site or recurring workflow |
| Codex | Software development and repository work | Code changes, reviews and engineering tasks |
These are now presented together in the new desktop app. OpenAI says Codex technology is built into Work, while Codex remains available for developer-focused workflows.
Privacy and admin controls
Connecting an app gives the workflow access to data and actions available through that connection, so permission scope matters. OpenAI says Enterprise and Edu administrators can manage access, connected tools, browser and network use, and actions. Its Compliance API provides visibility into Work conversations and actions at scale. OpenAI also describes an auto-review layer for important tool and API actions.
Those controls do not remove the need for internal governance. Before team deployment, define approved data classes, prohibited actions, retention requirements, human approvers and an incident path. Test with non-sensitive data before connecting production systems.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT Work available on the Free plan?
OpenAI says Chat, Work and Codex are available in the updated Windows and Mac desktop app on every plan, including Free. Its July 9 announcement described web and mobile rollout for Pro, Enterprise, Edu, Plus and Business plans.
Does ChatGPT Work have a separate price?
OpenAI did not announce a separate flat price in the launch post. It says Work follows the Codex usage structure and that longer or more complex tasks can use more of a plan’s included usage.
What happened to the Codex desktop app?
OpenAI says the Codex app is merging into the new ChatGPT desktop app. Existing users can update normally, keep Codex as their default view and continue accessing desktop Codex projects through the ChatGPT mobile app.
Can ChatGPT Work run on a schedule?
Yes. OpenAI says Scheduled Tasks can run once, repeat on a schedule, respond to an event or monitor for changes. Connected apps, the browser and—on desktop—computer use may be part of a scheduled workflow, subject to access and approvals.
Official sources
- OpenAI: ChatGPT is now a partner for your most ambitious work (July 9, 2026)
- Official ChatGPT desktop app download
- Official ChatGPT Work page
Last checked: July 13, 2026. Rollout timing, plan limits and workspace controls can change; verify your account and OpenAI’s official pages before deployment.