OpenAI to Combine ChatGPT’s Chat and Work Tabs Starting December
OpenAI will merge the Chat and Work tabs in its desktop app this December, sharing usage allowances across ChatGPT and Codex.
OpenAI announced that it will merge the Chat and Work tabs in the ChatGPT desktop app beginning in December, according to a post on the company’s website.
The current desktop layout includes a ChatGPT and Codex section, with the ChatGPT side split into the Chat and Work tabs, a setup the company says is “not especially easy to navigate.”
OpenAI’s note titled “Understanding ChatGPT and Codex usage limits” explains that, starting in December, the usage allowance for Plus, Pro, and Business plans will be shared across ChatGPT and Codex as the “agentic capabilities of Work” move into the main ChatGPT experience.
An email to existing users, reported by TechCrunch, confirmed the tab merger and said the integrated experience will first be available to a limited group for feedback before a wider release.
The email added that the new setup will let users “move from exploring an idea to having ChatGPT carry it through, all in one place,” allowing files and plugins to be used for tasks such as building a website or creating a presentation while the user reviews and guides the work. Codex will remain a separate experience in the desktop app.
OpenAI said the transition will cause both ChatGPT and Codex to draw tokens from the same allowance pool. Most customers should not notice a change, but depending on usage and model, some users may need to wait for resets more often than usual.
According to the online note, “Your usage for ChatGPT and Codex will be measured in tokens, the units of information a model processes and generates. How much of your allowance you use will depend on the model you choose and the task you ask it to do. More advanced models and complex tasks generally use more of your allowance. Instant chat will not draw from your usage.”
OpenAI referenced Anthropic’s September move that combined Claude’s chat and Cowork functions into a single screen, noting that it does not expect the upcoming change to disrupt users’ current experience.
“We’re preparing carefully for this transition to help prevent disruption to your workflows. We expect most users won’t need to wait for their usage to reset more often than they do now,” OpenAI said.
