ChatGPT Work is the mode that hands you a finished file
Chat answers you. Work does the job. It takes an outcome, plans the steps, pulls context from your apps and files, and delivers a spreadsheet, deck, document, report or Site you can actually send.
VERIFIED 2026-08-23 · OPENAI HELP CENTERThe short answer
ChatGPT Work is an agent experience inside ChatGPT, sitting alongside Chat and — in the desktop app — Codex. Where Chat is built for fast conversational help, Work is built for longer multi-step tasks that end in a deliverable. OpenAI's own framing: use Chat to ask, use Work to research a topic, analyze information, or create a document, spreadsheet, presentation, report, or Site, and use Codex to write and debug code.
It runs in the cloud on web and mobile. In the desktop app it can additionally reach local files and desktop apps, with your permission, when your plan and workspace allow it.
Four kinds of deliverable
The thing that separates Work from a long chat is the output. You are not collecting messages to copy-paste later — you are waiting on a file.
- .XLSX
Spreadsheets
Comparison tables, budget models, trackers — built with real formulas, not pasted numbers.
- .PPTX
Presentations
Structured decks from your notes, source docs, or an existing reference template.
- .DOCX
Documents
Reports, briefs, agendas and summaries, formatted and ready to circulate.
- SITE
Sites
Small interactive web pages and apps generated from the same brief.
How it differs from just using ChatGPT
| Chat | Work | Codex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finish line | An answer | A deliverable | Working code |
| You stay involved | Every message | At check-ins and approvals | At review |
| Runs for | Seconds | Minutes to hours | Minutes to hours |
| On web & mobile | Yes | Paid plans only | Not selectable |
| Reads local files | No | Desktop app only | Yes, on desktop |
Three things that surprise people
It shares a usage pool with Codex. OpenAI states that Work follows the same usage structure as Codex, and that tasks draw from the same shared agentic usage and credit pool. Heavy Work usage eats into your Codex allowance and vice versa.
Cloud and local are different products in practice. Work on web and mobile runs in the cloud and cannot touch files on your computer. Only the desktop app can open a local folder — and admins control Work Cloud and Work Local as separate permissions.
It can run while you are away. Through Scheduled Tasks, Work can run once, repeat on a schedule or trigger, or monitor for changes — so a task can start without you being at the keyboard.
Common questions
Is ChatGPT Work a separate subscription?
No. It is an experience inside ChatGPT, available on eligible paid plans rather than sold separately. Usage is metered and shared with Codex.
Can ChatGPT Work use files on my computer?
Only in the desktop app. You open a local folder or project and grant access to the files the task needs; those files and outputs stay on that computer unless you move or share them. Work on web and mobile cannot directly access files on your computer.
Do my Work chats sync between devices?
Cloud Work chats sync across web, mobile and desktop. Chats you start locally on the desktop app stay on that computer.
Is Codex going away?
No. Codex remains a separate view in the desktop app with its own history and workflows. It is not selectable on web or mobile, though the mobile app Remote tab can reach supported desktop Codex chats.
What happened to regular ChatGPT?
Chat is unchanged and still there. On desktop you pick ChatGPT from the top-left menu and then Chat from the toggle; on mobile you pick Chat from the dropdown at the top.