OpenAI now offers two ChatGPT applications for Mac, and the names matter. The new ChatGPT desktop app, released globally for macOS and Windows in July 2026, brings Chat, Work, and Codex into one application. The earlier Mac application has been renamed ChatGPT Classic. It remains supported, but OpenAI directs people who want agentic Work and Codex features to the new desktop app.
This guide explains the current product split, installation requirements, the Option+Space shortcut, desktop app access, voice, privacy, and review habits. It is based on OpenAI’s published documentation and release notes. It does not claim personal testing, and it does not assume that a feature or usage allowance is available on a particular plan unless the cited documentation says so.
Choose the right ChatGPT app for your Mac
The new desktop app has a global switcher between ChatGPT and Codex. Inside ChatGPT, Chat handles questions and conversational help, while Work is intended for longer tasks that can produce finished deliverables. Codex keeps its own view and software development workflows. Chat and Work conversations appear together in Recents, and existing ChatGPT Projects are available in the desktop app.
ChatGPT Classic is the previous macOS app under a new name. OpenAI says no migration was required when it was renamed and that it continues to receive model updates, bug fixes, security patches, and support for its existing Enterprise capabilities. New agent features such as Work and Codex belong to the new app. If you already used the Codex app, updating it moves you to the new combined desktop app. If you used the previous ChatGPT app, OpenAI says to follow its prompt to download the new version. Classic may remain installed.
This distinction prevents a common source of confusion. An older help page may describe a companion window or the original Work with Apps interface, while the July 2026 release notes describe the combined Chat, Work, and Codex application. Check which application you have before following interface instructions.
System requirements and safe installation
The current minimum requirement is macOS 14 on either Apple Silicon, starting with M1, or an Intel processor. OpenAI’s download page detects the processor and supplies the appropriate installer. Download from OpenAI’s ChatGPT download page rather than a third-party software directory. After installation, open the application from Finder and sign in or create an account.
If an older copy is already installed, look at its displayed name. ChatGPT Classic is not the same product surface as the new combined desktop app. Keeping both can help while you confirm your required workflows, but OpenAI says no migration was required at the Classic rename. For background on an earlier certificate change, see our ChatGPT Mac app security update guide.
Use Option+Space without inventing extra shortcuts
Option+Space is the documented shortcut for opening ChatGPT quickly on macOS. OpenAI’s Work with Apps instructions say it opens the Chat Bar, and the menu bar icon provides another route. In the macOS app settings, the access shortcut can be changed under ChatGPT > Settings > Keyboard Shortcut.
The exact behavior can depend on the app generation and its current window state. Earlier macOS release notes describe Option+Space as starting a new chat, returning focus to an open companion window, or reopening the last companion window. The safest current advice is simple: use Option+Space as the documented quick access command, then follow the controls shown in your installed app. This guide does not treat older release-note shortcuts as promises about every current surface.
For routine use, the shortcut works best as an entry point. Open ChatGPT, state the task, attach or select only the context needed, and inspect the response or proposed action before accepting it.
Chat, Work, and Codex serve different jobs
Chat is suitable for quick questions, explanations, drafting, and conversation. Work is for tasks that may research information, use connected material, and create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, reports, or Sites. The desktop app can let Work use local files and desktop apps with your permission. Its built-in browser can gather information from websites and work with supported web tools and files.
Codex is the software development view. OpenAI’s July release notes describe inline editing in diffs, pull-request review in a side panel, faster computer use, and multiple repositories in one project. Those are Codex capabilities, not generic promises about every Chat conversation.
Context location also matters. Cloud Work conversations sync across web, mobile, and desktop, so you can continue them on another device. Local conversations stay on the computer. OpenAI documents that distinction, but it should not be stretched into a blanket claim that all processing is local. If a task contains sensitive material, confirm whether you are starting local or cloud Work and review the relevant workspace policies before adding files.
How Work with Apps handles Mac content
OpenAI separately documents Work with Apps for ChatGPT on macOS. You can connect an active compatible app from the Chat Bar or use the Work with Apps button. A banner identifies the apps ChatGPT is working with and the content it recognizes. If the banner is absent, the feature is not adding app content to that message. When you send, the recognized content and any selection are included with the message, and the chat shows what ChatGPT examined.
Supported text tools listed by OpenAI include Apple Notes, Notion, TextEdit, and Quip. Coding support includes Xcode, Script Editor, Visual Studio Code and several related builds, plus a long list of JetBrains IDEs. Supported terminals include Terminal, iTerm, Warp, and Prompt. The definitive compatibility list is available inside ChatGPT > Settings > Work with Apps > Manage Apps, which is more useful than assuming that any open Mac application will work.
The amount of context is limited. For terminal panes, ChatGPT includes the last 200 lines of open panes. If you select text in a pane, it focuses on that selection and adds neighboring text up to a truncation limit. Editing is available only with IDEs. For an IDE edit, ChatGPT can generate a diff for review and application, with an option to apply it automatically. OpenAI says changes can be reverted in the ChatGPT interface or with Command+Z in the editor.
Permissions, extensions, and admin controls
Most compatible apps require macOS Accessibility permission so ChatGPT can query their content. You can remove that access in System Settings by disabling ChatGPT’s Accessibility permission. Visual Studio Code requires the extension named ChatGPT – Work with Code on macOS. Manage Apps shows what each integration needs.
You can turn off the entire feature with Enable Work with Apps in ChatGPT settings. Enterprise administrators can also disable Work with Apps for workspace members, and an admin setting can disable code edits on macOS. If an expected control is missing on an Enterprise or Education account, an administrator may have restricted it. That is a better first check than repeatedly reinstalling the app.
Permissions should match the task. Do not leave an unrelated note, terminal pane, repository, or document selected merely because the connection is convenient. Before sending, read the app banner and narrow the selection. For code changes, review the diff and run the project’s normal tests rather than accepting an edit solely because it applies cleanly.
Voice in the desktop app
Voice now exists in more than one desktop context. OpenAI announced on July 23, 2026 that ChatGPT Voice is available in Work and Codex in the new desktop app. You start a new task in Voice, speak naturally, interrupt, and ask Voice to start or coordinate work using the tools and permissions available to the selected experience.
The Work with Apps help page also documents Advanced Voice in the Mac app. It starts from the wave icon in the main window’s chat bar and requires microphone access. During an Advanced Voice session, the Work with Apps button controls which apps are in context. That page states two limits: Advanced Voice cannot yet be launched from the companion window, and voice mode does not support code edits.
These statements address different interfaces, so they should be read together rather than collapsed into a broader promise. Voice can initiate or coordinate tasks in Work and Codex, while the documented Work with Apps voice flow still excludes code edits. Check the visible mode, app permissions, and proposed action before relying on speech for a desktop task.
Privacy, chat history, and review boundaries
Content sent through Work with Apps becomes part of the chat history and is saved to the account until the chat is deleted. OpenAI says deleted chats or a deleted account are removed from its systems within 30 days, unless the content was already de-identified and disassociated from the account or must be retained for security or legal reasons.
For consumer accounts, the Improve the model for everyone control determines whether conversations may be used to improve models. Temporary Chat is not saved in the ChatGPT account and is not used to improve OpenAI’s models. OpenAI also states that content submitted through its business offerings is not used to improve model performance. Workspace rules can still affect feature access and retention, so business users should follow their administrator’s policy.
Local versus cloud Work is a continuity choice as well as a context choice. Local conversations remain on the computer; cloud Work conversations sync across supported surfaces. Neither label excuses careless input. Remove secrets, credentials, personal records, and unrelated customer information unless the task and organization explicitly permit them. Our guide to ChatGPT memory and controls covers related account settings.
ChatGPT output also needs human review. Check cited sources, calculations, file changes, and external actions. For code, inspect the diff and test it. For a report, confirm that claims match the supplied material. For a message, verify the recipient and attachments. OpenAI’s documentation describes controls and capabilities, not a guarantee that every response or proposed edit is correct.
A practical desktop routine
- Confirm whether you are using the new ChatGPT desktop app or ChatGPT Classic.
- Choose Chat, Work, or Codex according to the task rather than treating them as interchangeable.
- Open the app with Option+Space or the menu bar icon.
- Check whether the task is local or cloud Work when that choice is offered.
- Connect only the file or supported app needed for the current request.
- Read the Work with Apps banner before sending and remove irrelevant context.
- Review diffs, citations, calculations, and actions before approval.
- Delete the chat or adjust data controls when the retained context is no longer appropriate.
Official sources
- Downloading the ChatGPT macOS app
- Work with Apps on macOS
- ChatGPT macOS app release notes
- ChatGPT release notes
FAQ
Is ChatGPT Classic being discontinued?
OpenAI says ChatGPT Classic continues to be supported. It receives model updates, bug fixes, security patches, and support for existing Enterprise capabilities. Work and Codex agent features are in the new desktop app.
What Mac is required for the new ChatGPT desktop app?
You need macOS 14 and either Apple Silicon starting with M1 or an Intel processor. OpenAI’s download page detects the processor and provides the matching installer.
Does Work with Apps read every open application?
No. OpenAI lists specific compatible text editors, IDEs, and terminals. The Chat Bar banner shows which connected apps and recognized content will accompany a message. Manage Apps shows the current compatibility list and permission requirements.
Can Voice edit code while working with a Mac app?
The Work with Apps documentation says voice mode does not support code edits. Separately, Voice is available in Work and Codex for starting or coordinating tasks with the tools and permissions of the selected experience. Review the mode and any proposed changes before approval.