No: ChatGPT Dots do not run locally in an offline mode. A Dot has its own cloud computer, so cloud tasks can continue when your personal devices are off. To work with files or apps on your personal computer, that computer must be online and the ChatGPT desktop app must be open. App connections are a separate permissioned feature—not a promise to continuously sync every service.
What “offline” means for ChatGPT Dots
OpenAI describes a Dot as living in the cloud with its own computer and browser. That means its cloud-based work can continue while your own computer is off. It does not mean you can run a Dot without an internet connection or that the Dot is operating on your device. A website session in the Dot’s cloud browser is separate from the session in your personal browser. OpenAI’s computer and app guide explains the distinction.
There are three different ways a Dot can interact with services or devices. They are not interchangeable:
| Connection | What it enables | Requirement or limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Dot cloud computer | Cloud tasks and browsing in the Dot’s own environment. | Runs separately from your personal computer; cloud work can continue while your devices are off. Website sessions are separate from your personal browser. |
| Connected app or plugin | Access to information and actions in supported services. | The app must be supported, installed, and enabled for your account. Permissions and the available environment limit what the Dot can do. |
| Connected personal computer | Work involving local files, code, or apps. | Connect one personal computer at a time. Keep it online with the ChatGPT desktop app open while the Dot uses it. |
How to set up a Dot and connect apps
1. Check whether your account can use Dots
Access is rolling out gradually and depends on plan, region, and workspace settings. OpenAI’s getting-started guidance currently describes access for Pro users outside the EEA, Switzerland, and UK; Business Premium users in supported ChatGPT regions; and Enterprise users when a workspace administrator enables the beta. Rollout details can change, so check your ChatGPT account and, for a managed workspace, ask its administrator if Dots are available.
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2. Create the Dot on desktop
Open ChatGPT on desktop web or in the desktop app, start creating a Dot, and follow the onboarding prompts. OpenAI says Dot creation is not currently supported on mobile or mobile web. The Meet dots guide describes the setup and connection options.
3. Connect only the apps the task needs
Choose supported apps or plugins that are installed and enabled for your account. Review which account is connected and what actions its permissions allow. An app connection lets the Dot work within those configured capabilities; it does not establish that all services are available to every account or that their data is continuously synchronized. See OpenAI’s guide to computers and apps for connection and permission details.
4. Grant local-computer access only when needed
If a task requires files, code, or apps on your own computer, connect that computer from the Dot profile in the ChatGPT app and approve the requested access. Keep the computer online and the ChatGPT desktop app open while the Dot works with it. The Dot’s cloud computer remains a separate environment.
5. Treat messaging as a communication channel
You can use a messaging channel to communicate with a Dot where that option is available. Adding a contact method does not, by itself, connect your apps or give the Dot access to your personal computer. Those require their own setup and permissions.
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Does “over 4,000 apps” mean every app will sync?
Tom’s Guide reported in 2026 that Dots could connect to more than 4,000 apps through plugins. That number is a secondary publication’s report, not a count stated in the OpenAI setup and product documentation cited here. OpenAI’s documentation confirms supported app connections but does not give an equivalent total. Read Tom’s Guide’s report.
In practice, the relevant question is whether the app you need is supported and enabled for your account, and whether its permissions allow the task. “Connect” should not be read as universal or continuous syncing: the available documentation does not establish that every service in the reported count is available to every user or that app data is kept continuously synchronized.
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How to disconnect an app—and what happens to its data
If you no longer want a Dot to access a connected app, disconnect that app in ChatGPT. OpenAI says disconnection does not delete information the Dot already obtained from it; deleting the Dot is required to delete that information. For current account and data-handling guidance, see Getting started with your dot.
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