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The current ChatGPT desktop app for Windows brings Chat, Work, and Codex into one interface. Use Chat for quick questions, Work for longer tasks and deliverables, and Codex for software development. The app also combines Chat and Work threads in Recents, makes Projects available on Windows, supports cross-device Cloud Work, and provides a companion window opened with Alt + Space.
OpenAI says the new desktop app is available globally for Windows and macOS in its ChatGPT release notes. Some Windows installation and shortcut labels come from an earlier help article, so compare the wording with the version installed on your PC.
What changed in the ChatGPT Windows app?
The major change is a unified desktop experience rather than a separate window for every kind of task. A global switcher lets you move among ChatGPT and Codex, while ChatGPT itself is organized around Chat, Work, Recents, and Projects.
| Experience | Best for | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Quick questions and conversational help | Ask a question, refine an answer, or have a normal back-and-forth conversation. |
| Work | Longer tasks and deliverables | Work can use relevant files, websites, and supported desktop context when you grant permission. |
| Codex | Software development | Switch to the development-focused experience when the task involves writing or working with code. |
The desktop announcement describes Work as able to use local files and desktop apps with your permission. Its built-in browser can gather website information and work with supported web tools and files. Those capabilities do not mean that every file or application is automatically available: access depends on what you authorize in the app.
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OpenAI’s current desktop description is in the ChatGPT release notes; availability and labels can change as the Windows app is updated.
How to choose the right mode
A simple decision rule prevents misplaced conversations. Choose Chat when the answer itself is the main outcome: an explanation, rewrite, brainstorm, or short list. Choose Work when you want a sequence of actions, source gathering, file handling, or a finished deliverable. Choose Codex when the central task is software development, such as creating or changing code.
These modes are not merely different names for the same thread. Starting in the appropriate mode makes the available context and workflow clearer. If a quick question grows into a multi-step assignment, start a Work conversation rather than assuming a Chat thread will automatically acquire Work features. Likewise, keep code-centered requests in Codex so development work is easy to distinguish from general project discussions.
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- Open the ChatGPT Windows app.
- Open the global switcher at the top of the desktop interface.
- Choose ChatGPT to enter the ChatGPT side of the app, or choose Codex for software-development work.
- When ChatGPT is selected, choose Chat for a quick question or Work for a longer task, investigation, or deliverable.
- Enter your request and attach files only when they are needed for the task. If Work asks to use local files or desktop applications, review the permission request before allowing access.
When to choose Chat
Chat is the fastest route for a direct answer, brainstorming, rewriting, explanation, or other conversational request. It is also the appropriate starting point when you do not need a persistent project context or a multi-step deliverable.
When to choose Work
Choose Work when the result requires several steps, source gathering, file handling, or a structured deliverable. Work can use desktop context with your approval, so check each permission prompt and avoid granting access that the task does not require.
When to choose Codex
Use Codex when the central job is software development. Keeping development work in its own top-level experience makes it easier to distinguish coding tasks from general conversations and longer non-code projects.
How to find conversations in Recents
The unified Recents list combines Chat and Work conversations. You no longer need to remember which of those two experiences created a thread.
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- Open Recents in the ChatGPT Windows app.
- Use sorting or filtering to narrow the list when you have many conversations.
- Pin threads that you return to frequently.
- Select a conversation to resume it with its existing history.
A Chat thread and a Work thread remain different conversations even though they appear together in Recents. If you need to continue a specific task, check the conversation title and its mode before sending a new request.
Pinning is most useful for active work that you revisit repeatedly, while sorting and filtering help when several projects produce similarly named threads. Treat Recents as an index, not as a conversion tool: moving a thread into the list does not change Chat into Work or turn a local conversation into Cloud Work. Open the original thread and confirm its context before sharing new files or granting new permissions.
How to use Projects on Windows
Existing ChatGPT Projects appear in the desktop app. A Project is useful when several conversations need the same ongoing context.
- Open the ChatGPT Windows app and select a Project from the Projects area.
- Start a Chat conversation inside that Project when you need a conversational answer using its context.
- Start a Work thread with the Project context when you need a longer task or deliverable.
- Keep related requests in the same Project so that you can return to the appropriate context from the desktop app.
A Project does not remove the need to select a mode. You can have a conversational Chat thread and a longer Work thread associated with the same Project, then find both through Recents. Before starting, open the Project whose context actually applies; otherwise, the response may be based on a different set of conversations or files than you intended.
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If a Project does not appear, confirm that you are signed in to the account that contains it and that the desktop app has finished loading your account data. Project availability in the interface can change with app updates, so use the labels shown in your installed version.
How to continue ChatGPT Work on another device
Continuity depends on whether the conversation is a Cloud Work thread or a local conversation.
| Conversation type | Where it can be continued | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Work | Web, mobile, and desktop | The thread syncs among supported surfaces when you use the same account. |
| Local conversation | The computer where it was created | It should be expected to remain on that computer rather than appearing on another device. |
- In the Windows app, open the Work conversation you want to continue.
- Confirm that it is a Cloud Work thread if you need access away from the PC.
- Sign in to the same ChatGPT account on the supported web or mobile app.
- Open the synced conversation from your history or Recents and continue where you stopped.
Use the Cloud Work distinction when planning handoffs. A conversation that is visible in the Windows app is not automatically portable simply because it appears in Recents. If a colleague or another device must pick up the task, establish that it is a Cloud Work thread and use the same account on the destination surface. Local conversations should be treated as computer-specific, so preserve any needed files or notes separately within your normal workflow.
Do not assume that every desktop conversation is automatically portable. The Cloud Work/local distinction determines whether another device can see it.
How to open the Windows companion window
The Windows help article documents Alt + Space as the shortcut for the ChatGPT Companion Window while the ChatGPT app is open. The companion window is intended for quick actions without moving through the full main interface.
- Leave the ChatGPT Windows app running.
- Press Alt + Space.
- Ask a question, upload a file, generate an image, or start a new conversation from the companion window.
- Use New chat when you want to clear the companion window’s current content.
- Close the window when finished. Its last position is remembered, so it should reopen in the same place next time.
The companion window is useful when another application is in front of you and you need a quick prompt, file upload, image-generation request, or separate conversation. It is still part of the ChatGPT Windows app, so keep the app running when you expect the shortcut to work. Use New chat deliberately: it clears the companion window’s current content, whereas simply closing the window leaves the conversation available in history.
Closing the companion window does not delete the conversation. Reopen it with the shortcut, or continue the conversation from chat history in the main app.
If Alt + Space does nothing
Another Windows application may already have registered Alt + Space. The documented recovery path is to open the ChatGPT app’s settings and change the shortcut under Settings > App > Companion window hotkey.
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The Windows help page calls the app an early version, and menu names may have moved. If you do not see that exact path, search the current Settings screen for “companion” or “hotkey” and verify the shortcut shown by your installed release. The official instructions are maintained at Using the ChatGPT Windows app.
How Work uses files, websites, and desktop context
Work is designed for tasks that need more than a single conversational exchange. According to the desktop-app announcement, it can use local files and desktop apps after you grant permission. Its built-in browser can gather information from websites and work with supported web tools and files.
- Grant the narrowest permission needed. A request to summarize one document does not require broad access to unrelated folders or applications.
- Review file selection. Check that the file you attach is the intended version and does not contain confidential material you did not mean to share.
- Watch the task scope. A Work request that involves local applications may take actions beyond a normal text conversation, so read the confirmation shown by the app.
- Expect support limits. The announcement refers to supported web tools and files; it does not promise that every website, file format, or Windows program will work.
Permission is a prerequisite for the local-context features described in the announcement. Without permission, Work should not be treated as having access to your desktop.
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A good operating habit is to separate discovery from execution. First ask Work to inspect or summarize the selected material. Then, only if needed, approve a follow-up action involving a desktop application. This gives you a chance to check the proposed scope, filename, website, or application before allowing the next step. If a task can be completed by uploading one file, use that narrower route instead of authorizing general desktop access.
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The Windows help page lists these system details:
- Windows 10, x64 or Arm64
- Version 17763.0 or higher
- Installation through the Microsoft Store
Check both the processor architecture and the Windows version before troubleshooting an installation failure. A computer can be running Windows 10 but still fail the listed build requirement, and an Arm64 system should use the supported package for that architecture. The Microsoft Store is the documented consumer installation route in the Windows help material.
These requirements and menu paths are version-sensitive. Before installing, check the current official Windows instructions at Using the ChatGPT Windows app rather than relying on an old copy of the page.
Enterprise and Education deployment
For Enterprise and Education environments, access follows organizational Microsoft Store policies. The Windows help material says IT administrators can deploy the app through mobile device management or mobile application management tools such as Microsoft Intune. It also documents a winget installation method, but the exact command can change; administrators should copy the current command from the official help page and test it against their organization’s deployment policy.
Administrators should also account for account access and permissions, not just package installation. A managed device may have the app installed while organizational Microsoft Store rules or identity policies still control who can use it. Test the global switcher, Projects, Work permissions, and the companion shortcut under a representative managed account. Do not distribute an old command or menu path from internal documentation without checking the current official page.
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A practical Windows workflow
The following sequence covers the most useful features without mixing task types:
- Open the app and use the global switcher to enter ChatGPT.
- Choose Chat for a quick question, Work for a multi-step task, or Codex for software development.
- If the task belongs to an existing initiative, open its Project before starting the conversation.
- Use Work permissions only for the local files, desktop apps, or web tools that the task needs.
- Return to Recents to sort, filter, pin, or reopen the thread later.
- If you need to leave the PC, continue only a Cloud Work conversation from the web or mobile app; treat local conversations as computer-specific.
- For a quick interruption while another Windows application is in front, press Alt + Space to open the companion window.
For repeatable team work, add one final check before closing the app: identify whether the thread is Chat or Work, whether it belongs to a Project, and whether it is Cloud Work or local. That small classification determines how you find it later, what context it carries, and whether it can be resumed away from the Windows computer.
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The global switcher or Work option is missing
- Confirm that the desktop app is signed in and fully updated.
- Look for the switcher at the top of the desktop interface rather than inside an individual conversation.
- Close and reopen the app if account data or Projects have not loaded.
- Check the current release notes because feature labels and rollout timing can change.
A Project is not listed
- Verify that you are using the account that owns or can access the Project.
- Wait for the app to finish synchronizing account data.
- Try opening the Project on the web to determine whether the issue is specific to the Windows client.
A conversation is missing on another device
Check whether it was created as Cloud Work. Local conversations remain on the computer where they were created, so they should not be expected to appear on a different device.
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Change the companion hotkey in the app’s Settings. The older documented path is Settings > App > Companion window hotkey; confirm the current label if your release uses a different layout.
Work cannot use a file or desktop app
- Confirm that you granted the requested permission.
- Check that the file or application is among the supported types referenced by the desktop experience.
- Retry with a narrower request and attach the needed file directly when appropriate.
- Do not grant broader access simply to bypass an unsupported format or application.
The companion window opens but shows the wrong conversation
Use New chat to clear the current companion content, then begin the intended request. If you need an earlier thread, close the companion window and reopen that conversation from chat history in the main app. Remember that closing the window alone does not erase its conversation.
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What to remember
The Windows app’s new organization is easiest to use when you match the mode to the job: Chat for conversation, Work for longer tasks, and Codex for development. Recents brings Chat and Work history together, Projects carry existing context into desktop conversations, and Cloud Work provides continuity across web, mobile, and desktop. The companion window adds a fast Windows entry point through Alt + Space, with a configurable shortcut when another application claims that key combination. Because the Windows help documentation describes an early version and the app continues to change, verify exact labels, requirements, and deployment steps in the current release before standardizing them for a team.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Chat, Work, and Codex in the Windows app?
Chat is intended for quick questions and conversational help. Work is for longer, multi-step tasks and deliverables, including approved use of files, websites, and desktop context. Codex is the top-level experience for software-development work.
How do I switch from ChatGPT to Codex?
Open the global switcher at the top of the desktop interface, then choose Codex. Choose ChatGPT in the same switcher to return to Chat or Work.
Can I find Chat and Work conversations in one place?
Yes. Recents combines Chat and Work threads and supports sorting, filtering, and pinning. The conversations remain separate modes even though they share the list.
Why is my Windows conversation missing on my phone or the web?
It may be a local conversation. Cloud Work threads sync among supported web, mobile, and desktop surfaces when you use the same account; local conversations remain on the computer where they were created.
How do I open the ChatGPT companion window?
With the ChatGPT Windows app open, press Alt + Space. You can ask a question, upload a file, generate an image, or start a new conversation there.
What if another app already uses Alt + Space?
Change the shortcut in ChatGPT Settings. The Windows help article documents Settings > App > Companion window hotkey, but the exact location may differ in a newer release.
Does Work automatically see everything on my computer?
No. The desktop announcement says Work can use local files and desktop apps with your permission. Review each request and grant only the access needed for the task.
What Windows versions are listed for the app?
The Windows help page lists Windows 10 on x64 or Arm64, version 17763.0 or higher, with Microsoft Store installation. Requirements and menu paths are version-sensitive, so verify the current help page before deployment.
The Bottom Line
Use Chat for quick answers, Work for multi-step deliverables, and Codex for development. Recents and Projects keep related work organized, Cloud Work enables supported cross-device continuation, and Alt + Space opens the Windows companion window. Check permissions and current menu labels before relying on any desktop feature.
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