The short answer
ChatGPT Work is OpenAI's agent experience inside ChatGPT for longer, multi-step tasks: it creates documents, presentations and spreadsheets, uses connected apps through plugins and works in a browser. Free and Go get limited Work in the desktop app; Plus and Pro get it on desktop, web and mobile. It runs on its own models, including GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6.1 Terra (rolling out since 26 October 2026). OpenAI plans to merge Chat and Work into one experience.
What ChatGPT Work is
ChatGPT Work is the part of OpenAI's ChatGPT built for longer, multi-step jobs that end in a finished deliverable. OpenAI's help centre splits ChatGPT into two experiences: Chat for fast, conversational help and everyday questions, and Work, which it describes as an agent for longer, multi-step work. Codex sits beside them for software development. In practice, Work is where you hand over a goal rather than a question: research a topic, analyse a spreadsheet, then produce a document, a spreadsheet, a presentation, a report or a Site.
Work can read the files you add, use connected apps through plugins, and use a browser. In the desktop app it can also, with your permission, work with local files and desktop apps. It runs on its own set of models, separate from the Chat tab, and its usage is counted the same way as Codex. If the word "agent" is new to you, our explainer on what an AI agent is covers the idea, and what computer use means explains how an AI can operate a browser or an app.
One thing to know before you build habits around it: on 2 November 2026 OpenAI emailed users to say it will merge Chat and Work into a single experience, starting with a small test group in the coming weeks. The steps below describe Work as it is today, and the section on what is changing explains the rest.
Who gets ChatGPT Work, on which plan
OpenAI's pricing page lists ChatGPT Work on every individual plan, with real differences in where and how much:
| Plan | ChatGPT Work access (pricing page, checked 3 November 2026) |
|---|---|
| Free | Limited, desktop app only |
| Go | Limited, desktop app only |
| Plus | Expanded access on desktop, web and mobile |
| Pro | Desktop, web and mobile, with longer Work and Codex sessions |
| Business, Enterprise, Edu | Available when your workspace allows it; admins control it |
The models matter as much as the plan. OpenAI lists GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6.1 Terra, GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna as models for Work and Codex, and says they are not available in regular ChatGPT conversations. GPT-6.1 Sol arrived in Work and Codex on 29 September 2026, starting with Pro and expanding to Plus, Business, Enterprise and Edu, and it has a default context window of 500,000 tokens in Work. GPT-6.1 Terra began rolling out on 26 October 2026 to Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, and OpenAI says it handles visual reasoning, computer use and writing. The pricing page shows GPT-6.1 Sol on Plus and Pro, not on Free or Go. Plus also includes limited use of GPT-6 Astra in Work, while Pro 100, Pro 200 and Business Premium seats can use their full allowance for it. Prices change by country, so check the official pricing page before you upgrade.
What you need first
- A ChatGPT account with Work access. On Free or Go that means the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS or Windows. On Plus and above you can also use the web and the iOS and Android apps.
- The new desktop app, if you use one. If you still open the old app now called ChatGPT Classic, move now: according to 9to5Mac, it shows a notice that it retires on 30 January 2027, and Work lives in the new app.
- A clear outcome. Work does best with a finished thing to aim at: "a six-slide deck for the Monday sales meeting" beats "help with sales".
- Your material. The files, figures, notes or example documents it should use. On the web and mobile, Work cannot reach files on your computer, so upload them.
- The right plugins connected. If the task needs your Gmail, Slack, Google Drive or another service, connect it from Plugins in the sidebar first. Connect only what this task needs.
- Time to review. Work can run for a while. Plan to check its output and approve important actions.
How to use ChatGPT Work step by step
These steps follow OpenAI's help article, ChatGPT Work and Codex. Menu names may change during the Chat and Work merge.
On the desktop app
- Open the ChatGPT desktop app and sign in. If you do not see the newest models, use Menu then Check for Updates.
- Select ChatGPT from the menu, then select Work from the toggle. Chat and Work chats appear together in Recents, where you can filter to Work only.
- Start a new chat or open a project. From a project, choose Work to start a Work chat that uses the project's files and instructions. You can also open a local folder and grant access only to the files the task needs.
- Pick a model or keep Default. In the model picker, Default combines models and reasoning levels along one slider. Selecting a named model, such as GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6.1 Terra, lets you choose its reasoning level instead. OpenAI notes that some Plus and Pro users may now see GPT-6.1 Terra at Medium rather than GPT-6.1 Sol at Light in the default Power presets. Higher settings use more of your allowance.
- Describe the outcome. Say what you want delivered, add the files, give constraints (length, audience, format) and tell it how you will judge the result.
- Review, answer and approve. You can follow progress, answer its questions, change direction and approve important actions. Then ask for changes in the same chat.
On the web or mobile
- Open ChatGPT and select Work. On mobile it is in the Chat or Work dropdown.
- Start a new chat or open an existing project.
- Add files and context, then describe the task or deliverable. Work on the web and mobile runs in the cloud, and those chats sync to the desktop app, so you can start a task on your phone and finish it at your desk.
- Optional: talk instead of typing. Select the Voice control in Work to start a Live conversation. If a task is still running when you hang up, it can carry on in text. Spoken approval is not supported, so you approve actions on screen.
Make it repeat
Work tasks can also run once, on a schedule or when something happens. Eligible Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu users can set a task to fire on a new Gmail message, a new Slack channel message or GitHub pull request activity, then manage it under Scheduled. Event-triggered tasks are not available on Free or Go, and you create them on the web or mobile, not in the desktop app.
A worked example: from a spreadsheet to a deck
Say you have a quarterly sales export and a page of notes from your regional leads, and you need a short deck for Monday. This is how the task would run in Work.
- In the desktop app, select Work, open your "Q4 sales" project and attach the spreadsheet and notes.
- Give the brief: "Analyse the attached Q4 sales export by region and product. Then build a six-slide presentation for the regional leads: one title slide, one summary slide with the three numbers that matter, three slides on what changed and why, and one slide of decisions we need. Use the notes for the why. Show every number's source cell in the speaker notes. Ask me before you assume anything about missing data."
- Work will usually analyse the data first. Read its findings before it builds slides. If it has grouped two regions you keep separate, say so now; fixing the analysis is cheaper than fixing six slides.
- When the deck arrives, check three things: that the headline numbers match your spreadsheet, that the "why" comes from your notes and not from a guess, and that it followed the slide count.
- Ask for one round of edits in the same chat, for example "make slide 3 a chart, not a table" or "cut the text on every slide by half".
If you are on Pro, Business or Enterprise with Space access, you can instead ask Work to create the presentation in Space. That uses ChatGPT Slides, launched on 16 October 2026: you and your teammates can edit text, images, shapes and charts directly, leave shared comments, present from ChatGPT, and on the web export to PowerPoint, PDF or Google Slides. For more ways to build a deck, see how to make a presentation with AI.
Plugins, the browser and your files
Plugins are how Work reaches your other tools. A plugin can bundle skills (reusable instructions) and connected apps (links to services such as Slack or Google Drive). Find them under Plugins in the sidebar on web, desktop or mobile, select one, then Install plugin and Connect if it asks you to sign in. ChatGPT uses installed plugins when they are relevant, or you can call one with an @ mention, for example @Data for the Data plugin, which analyses connected business data in Work and Codex. A plugin can never see more than the app connection behind it allows.
Work can also use a browser. The desktop app has a built-in browser, listed on every plan on the pricing page, and supported websites can offer their own tools to Work through it. The ChatGPT browser extension now works in Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi, so you can mention your open tabs as context or ask Work to complete a browser task from the desktop app. Sensitive actions still ask for your confirmation.
Usage limits and what is changing
Work follows the same usage structure as Codex, and the two share one allowance. OpenAI does not publish exact numbers per plan, so the practical rule is simple: bigger models, higher reasoning levels and longer tasks use more. Recent changes worth knowing:
- 29 October 2026: OpenAI increased the Work and Codex usage in Pro and Business Premium plans. Pro 100 and Pro 500 now include twice their previous allowance, the planned Pro 200 reduction was cancelled, and Pro 200 subscribers on the lower allowance were doubled to the same limit.
- 2 November 2026: In an email reported by TechCrunch and 9to5Mac, OpenAI said it will merge the Chat and Work tabs into one experience, tested first with a small group of users in the coming weeks. Codex will remain a separate experience in the desktop app. ChatGPT and Codex will draw from one shared allowance, replacing their separate limits. OpenAI says most users will not need to wait for resets more often, that unlimited Instant use is included and will not draw from the allowance, and that advanced models and complex tasks use more. No start date for the shared allowance has been given.
- 30 January 2027: the ChatGPT Classic desktop app retires, according to an in-app notice reported by 9to5Mac (OpenAI's help pages do not give the date yet). The notice says your full chat history comes with you to the new app.
Privacy and permissions in ChatGPT Work
Work uses the same data settings as the rest of ChatGPT. On personal Free, Plus and Pro accounts, Improve the model for everyone is on by default. To turn it off on the web, open your account menu, select Settings, then Data controls. On iOS and Android, open the sidebar, tap your profile icon, then Data controls. By default OpenAI does not train on content from Business, Enterprise, Edu or ChatGPT for Healthcare workspaces.
Three Work-specific points. First, even when Work runs locally in the desktop app, OpenAI says messages and task context may be stored in the cloud. Second, the more you connect, the more Work can reach, so connect apps per task and check the actions a plugin can take; plugin permissions sit under Settings then Plugins. Third, in managed workspaces admins decide who gets Work Cloud and Work Local under Workspace settings then Permissions & roles, so if Work is missing, ask your admin before you contact support. Our guide to using AI agents covers safe habits that apply to any agent.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Using Work for a quick question. It spends allowance and time. Fix: use Chat for questions and rewrites, and Work when you want a finished file.
- A vague goal. "Make a report" gets an average report. Fix: name the audience, the length, the format and what "done" looks like.
- Not checking the analysis before the output. Errors in step one flow into every slide. Fix: ask Work to show its findings and wait for your go-ahead before it builds.
- Expecting local files on the web. Work on web and mobile cannot open files on your computer. Fix: upload them, or use the desktop app and open a local folder.
- Running everything at the highest setting. It drains the shared allowance. Fix: keep Default for routine jobs and raise the model or reasoning level only for hard ones.
- Connecting every app at once. Fix: connect the one or two plugins the task needs, and disconnect what you no longer use.
- Waiting for the Classic app to stop working. Fix: install the new desktop app now so January is not a surprise.
When to use Work, Chat, deep research or another tool
Use Chat for questions, drafts and quick analysis. Use Work when the result is a file or a multi-step job: a deck, a spreadsheet model, a report built from several sources, or a recurring task that watches your inbox. Use deep research when the job is a cited research report from many web sources. Use Codex for code. Work is not for you if you are on Free and only use ChatGPT on your phone, because Free and Go access is desktop-only, and it is overkill if most of your work is short writing.
If you are choosing between assistants, Anthropic's Claude folded its chat and Cowork agent features into one screen in September, as TechCrunch noted in its report on the ChatGPT merger. Our ChatGPT vs Claude comparison explains which suits which work, the ChatGPT guide covers the rest of the product, and the ChatGPT lessons in Learn let you practise step by step.
5 ChatGPT Work prompts to copy
Each one is a full brief for Work. Replace the [placeholders] and attach the files it mentions.
Prompts to copy
Spreadsheet to presentation
Analyse the attached [file] by [region / product / month]. Show me the three findings that matter most and wait for my go-ahead. Then build a [number]-slide presentation for [audience] with a summary slide, one slide per finding and a final slide of decisions needed. Put the source cells for every number in the speaker notes.
You get: A checked analysis, then a deck built on it
Report from several sources
Using the attached [documents] and my connected [Google Drive / SharePoint] folder [folder name], write a [length] report on [topic] for [audience]. Structure: summary, what we know, open questions, recommendations. Quote the file name for every claim and list anything you could not confirm.
You get: A sourced Word-style report with gaps flagged
Spreadsheet model
Build a spreadsheet that models [scenario, for example hiring two people next quarter] with inputs for [variables]. Add a summary tab with three scenarios (low, expected, high) and a chart. Explain every formula in a notes column and tell me which assumptions matter most.
You get: A working spreadsheet with clear assumptions
Weekly update that runs itself
Every [Friday at 3 p.m.], check [Slack channel / Gmail label] for updates on [project]. Draft a weekly update with milestones, blockers and next steps in this format: [paste template]. Do not send anything; leave the draft for my review.
You get: A scheduled task that drafts, never sends
Web research to a one-pager
Use the browser to compare [product A], [product B] and [product C] on [criteria], using only their official websites and pricing pages. Build a one-page comparison document with a table and a recommendation for a [team size] team. Mark anything you could not find as unconfirmed and link every source.
You get: A one-page comparison with links