ChatGPT Desktop App: How to Download and Use It (2026)
ChatGPT desktop app is OpenAI's free app for macOS, Windows and Linux. It combines Chat for everyday questions, Work for research and finished documents, and Codex for software development, with a built-in browser and access to your local files with your permission. Download it from chatgpt.com/download, open it, and sign in with your ChatGPT account.
What is the ChatGPT desktop app?
The ChatGPT desktop app is the official Windows, macOS and Linux app from OpenAI. It replaced the previous ChatGPT desktop app, which is now called ChatGPT Classic, and it brings three experiences together in one window: Chat for everyday questions, Work for longer research and document tasks, and Codex for software development.
OpenAI announced the new unified app on 9 July 2026, and it is free to download. According to OpenAI's own figures from February 2026, more than 900 million people use ChatGPT each week, and the desktop app is part of how OpenAI is moving ChatGPT from a browser tab into the tools you already work in.
This guide explains how to download the app, what Chat, Work and Codex each do, which plans include which features, and how the app differs from the website. If you are completely new to the tool itself, our guide to what ChatGPT is explains the basics first.
Every fact below was checked against OpenAI's own help pages on 21 October 2026.
Table of contents
How do you download the ChatGPT desktop app?
Downloading the app takes a few minutes. OpenAI distributes it directly from its own site, so there is no reason to download it anywhere else.
Open chatgpt.com/download in your browser.
Choose your operating system: macOS, Windows or Linux.
Run the installer and follow the prompts.
Open the app and sign in with your existing ChatGPT account.
If you already use the separate Codex app, update it as usual. After the update it becomes the new ChatGPT desktop app, and OpenAI says your existing chats and projects should remain. If you used the earlier ChatGPT desktop app, follow the prompt inside it to download the new version. The old app may stay installed alongside the new one under the name ChatGPT Classic.
Linux is the newest arrival. The Linux app has been in preview since August 2026, and OpenAI's supported list covers Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and 26.04 LTS, Debian 13, and Fedora 43 and 44, on both x64 and ARM64 computers. If your distribution is based on one of these, the app may work there too.
What is the difference between Chat, Work and Codex?
The app has three modes, and OpenAI's help centre describes each one distinctly. Here is what each is for.
Mode | What it does | Where you find it |
Chat | Everyday questions, searching and conversation | All plans, on desktop, web and mobile |
Work | Research, analysis and finished documents, spreadsheets, presentations, reports and Sites | Eligible paid plans, on desktop, web and mobile |
Codex | Software development with local files, repositories, terminals and developer tools | The desktop app, plus Codex Cloud from any device |
You switch between them from the top-left menu. Inside ChatGPT, a toggle at the top of the page flips between Chat and Work. Chat and Work chats sit together in your Recents list, where you can sort, filter and pin them, and your existing Projects appear under Projects. Codex keeps its own separate history.
If you have read our guide to ChatGPT Work, you already know the shape of this: Work is the agent mode OpenAI built for longer tasks. On desktop, Work can open a local folder, use your files with your permission, and hand back a finished document.
What can the desktop app do that the website cannot?
The website is where most people start, and it covers almost everything. The desktop app adds four things the browser version does not have.
Local files and apps: in Work, the app can read and edit files on your computer, but only the folders you grant it access to. OpenAI notes that even when a task runs locally, messages and task context may still be stored in the cloud.
A built-in browser: ChatGPT can gather information from websites and work with supported web tools, without you pasting content in by hand.
Voice in Work and Codex: on the desktop app for macOS and Windows, you can speak to Work or Codex, interrupt naturally, and ask it to start tasks.
Full Codex: the coding agent works with your repositories, terminals and developer tools directly on your machine, and Codex Cloud can keep tasks running while your computer is asleep.
On Windows, several guides and OpenAI's community forum also document a quick companion window opened with Alt and Space while the app is running, so you can ask a question without leaving what you are doing. If that shortcut clashes with another program, you can change it in the app's settings.
One thing that does carry over everywhere: your chats sync. Conversations you start on the desktop appear on the web and mobile apps too, so you are not locked into one device.
Which plans include the desktop app features?
The app itself is free to download, and signing in works with a free ChatGPT account. Chat is included for everyone. The agent modes are where the paid plans come in.
Work is available on eligible paid plans. OpenAI's download page lists Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise.
Codex signs in with your ChatGPT plan. Work and Codex share the same usage structure, so heavier tasks draw down the same allowance.
Limits vary by plan. Our ChatGPT limits by plan page sets out what OpenAI publishes for each tier, with the date we checked each figure.
If you are weighing up a subscription, our honest verdict on ChatGPT Plus explains what a paid plan is actually worth for everyday users, and our guide to what is free in ChatGPT covers everything you can do without paying.
What is ChatGPT Classic and do you still need it?
ChatGPT Classic is the previous ChatGPT desktop app. When you install the new app, the two can sit side by side, and it is easy to end up running the wrong one by accident.
According to OpenAI's help centre, Classic continues to receive model updates, bug fixes and security patches, and keeps its existing Enterprise capabilities. But new agent features such as Work and Codex are only in the new app. For most people there is no reason to keep Classic once the new app is signed in, and no migration is needed: you simply sign in with the same account.
Is the ChatGPT desktop app safe?
Yes, provided you download it from OpenAI's own site or an official app store. The app asks for permission before it can reach your files, screen or microphone, so nothing is accessed silently.
Two habits keep you safe. First, download only from chatgpt.com/download, because third-party desktop wrappers are unofficial and their privacy handling is not covered by OpenAI's terms. Second, treat the app like the website: anything you would not paste into a browser tab, do not hand to the desktop app either. Our plain-English privacy guide explains what ChatGPT does with your conversations.
If you mostly use ChatGPT on your phone, our complete guide to the ChatGPT app covers installation there.
Key takeaways
The ChatGPT desktop app is free to download on macOS, Windows and Linux.
It combines Chat, Work and Codex in one app, and the old desktop app is now called ChatGPT Classic.
Chat is free for everyone. Work needs an eligible paid plan: Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise.
The desktop app adds local file access, a built-in browser and Voice in Work and Codex, each with your permission.
Download only from chatgpt.com/download and sign in with your usual ChatGPT account.
Frequently asked questions about the ChatGPT desktop app
Is the ChatGPT desktop app free?
Yes. The app is free to download and you can sign in with a free ChatGPT account, which includes Chat. Work, the agent mode for research and documents, is the part that needs an eligible paid plan.
Can you get the ChatGPT desktop app on Linux?
Yes. The Linux app has been available in preview since August 2026, and OpenAI supports Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and 26.04 LTS, Debian 13, and Fedora 43 and 44, on x64 and ARM64 systems.
What is the difference between ChatGPT and ChatGPT Classic?
ChatGPT Classic is the previous desktop app. The new ChatGPT app combines Chat, Work and Codex. Classic still receives model updates and security patches, but new agent features appear only in the new app.
Does the ChatGPT desktop app work offline?
No. ChatGPT runs on OpenAI's servers, so the app needs an internet connection in the same way the website does.
Do I need a paid plan to use Work or Codex?
Work is included for eligible paid plans, which OpenAI lists as Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise. Codex signs in with your ChatGPT plan and draws from the same usage allowance.
Is it safe to download ChatGPT from other websites?
No. Only download the app from chatgpt.com/download or an official app store. Third-party desktop clients are unofficial, and their privacy and security are not covered by OpenAI's terms.
The bottom line
The ChatGPT desktop app is the easiest way to keep ChatGPT beside your work instead of lost in a browser tab. Chat is free for everyone, Work and Codex sit behind the paid plans, and Classic users can move across just by signing in.
Explore more ChatGPT guides on whatischatgpt.co.uk, including our limits by plan page and the complete beginner's guide.
References
Moving to the new ChatGPT desktop app, OpenAI Help Center.
ChatGPT Work and Codex, OpenAI Help Center.
Download ChatGPT, chatgpt.com.
