ChatGPT’s redesign brings Chat, Work, and Codex together in a broader work platform, with a new desktop app and a more organized navigation system. Some controls that look missing may simply have moved; the exact locations can vary by app version. Access to newer features also depends on plan, platform, workspace settings, and—in some cases—country.
What changed in ChatGPT’s new interface?
OpenAI is bringing Chat, Work, and Codex into one product experience. The updated desktop app combines those areas, while the redesigned interface also adds connected apps and expands how Voice, visual answers, and shopping work inside ChatGPT. This is a consolidation of product areas, not just a visual refresh.
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OpenAI says ChatGPT Work began rolling out on web and mobile. Its updated desktop app is available globally for Mac and Windows, with Chat, Work, and Codex on every plan, including Free. That desktop availability does not mean every feature within the app is available to every account: workspace settings, account access, and regional rollouts still matter.
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Where did Projects, GPTs, Plugins, and Skills go?
Some users may find familiar controls in menus rather than in the main sidebar. A September 27, 2026 report from the OpenAI Developer Community, describing Windows desktop version 26.924.22138, observed the following locations:
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- Projects: Project chats may show in the general Recent view. Use Organize sidebar → Show to toggle Projects in the sidebar.
- Projects, Sites, Maps, GPTs, and pull requests: The report found these grouped under a menu.
- Plugins and Skills: The report found these under a dedicated Customize surface.
- Settings: Settings were reorganized into Personal, Integrations, and Programming areas.
These placements are a community observation for one Windows build, not a formal OpenAI changelog or a guarantee for every platform and version. If an item is absent, check the sidebar’s menus and Customize area, then confirm that your app is up to date and that your account or workspace has access to it.
How Chat, Work, and Codex fit together
The updated desktop app presents Chat, Work, and Codex as parts of the same broader platform. A useful way to choose is by the kind of task: use Chat for a direct question or short request, Work when you want to carry out a broader work task, and Codex for coding-oriented work. The available evidence establishes that these areas are brought together; it does not specify a universal task-length threshold or guarantee that every capability is available on every account.
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If you already have the Codex desktop app, OpenAI says updating it turns it into the new ChatGPT desktop app. The former ChatGPT desktop app is renamed ChatGPT Classic. Classic continues to receive model updates, bug fixes, security patches, and existing Enterprise capabilities. Newer agent features, including Work and Codex, are in the new app. Conversation history remains available subject to plan, workspace settings, and account access.
What are apps inside ChatGPT?
Apps are connected partner services that can respond to natural-language requests and provide interactive experiences inside a conversation. They differ from built-in ChatGPT features: ChatGPT supplies the conversation, while an app connects it to a named service or workflow.
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| App | Example OpenAI gives |
|---|---|
| Spotify | Ask it to make a playlist. |
| Canva | Ask it to turn an outline into slides. |
| Zillow | Browse listings on an interactive map. |
| Booking.com, Coursera, Expedia, Figma | Named as launch partners; specific examples are not stated. |
OpenAI says the Apps SDK is in preview and is built on the Model Context Protocol. Apps are initially available to logged-in users outside the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. When you connect an app for the first time, ChatGPT prompts you about data sharing.
OpenAI says it plans to support app submissions, add a searchable directory, and provide monetization details, including support for the Agentic Commerce Protocol. Those plans do not establish any particular app’s commission, cookie, or affiliate terms.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What else is new in Voice, visual answers, and shopping?
Voice
The unified Voice experience can show spoken answers alongside streamed text, images, charts, maps, and widgets. You can type while Voice is active and refer to earlier messages in the conversation.
Visual answers
Some answers can highlight people, places, products, and ideas. Selecting a highlight opens a side panel with key facts and trusted sources.
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Shopping research and checkout
Shopping research lets you describe what you need, respond to clarifying questions, and receive a personalized guide with options, tradeoffs, and purchase links. This is distinct from Instant Checkout, which lets eligible users complete a purchase in ChatGPT with participating merchants.
OpenAI says Instant Checkout began rolling out to Shopify merchants including Spanx, Skims, and Glossier for logged-in Free, Plus, and Pro users in the United States. The stated rollout is limited to those users and merchants; it should not be read as general availability across countries, plans, or retailers.
How to think about availability
Availability differs by feature, so a single label such as “available in ChatGPT” can be misleading. The distinctions OpenAI describes are:
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute- Updated desktop app: Globally available for Mac and Windows, with Chat, Work, and Codex on every plan, including Free.
- ChatGPT Work: Began rolling out on web and mobile; the announcement does not establish that every account has it.
- Apps: Initially for logged-in users outside the EEA, Switzerland, and UK on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro.
- Instant Checkout: Began rolling out to logged-in Free, Plus, and Pro users in the US for participating Shopify merchants.
- Conversation history and workspace features: Subject to plan, workspace settings, and account access.
For any feature you cannot find, first check the product version and relevant menus, then consider whether your plan, workspace, or location is included in that feature’s rollout.
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