OpenAI is preparing to fold ChatGPT's Chat and Work tabs into a single experience, according to TechCrunch, which reports the plan from an email OpenAI sent to users. Digital Trends reports the same change. We couldn't check OpenAI's email or announcement directly, so everything below is attributed to those two outlets.
The short version: one place to talk and to get work done, a staged rollout that starts with a small group, and a change to how usage limits are counted.
What the two tabs do today
It helps to start with the current layout, because the change only makes sense against it. TechCrunch describes the ChatGPT desktop app as having separate ChatGPT and Codex sections, and, inside ChatGPT, separate Chat and Work tabs. With that many options, the outlet notes, it is easy to lose track of where you are working and where a project lives.
Digital Trends sets out the split. Chat handles regular conversations, questions and brainstorming. Work is meant for heavier tasks, such as researching a topic, creating presentations and building websites.
What changes
Under the new arrangement, Digital Trends reports, you start a conversation and then ask ChatGPT to carry out the work from the same place, instead of moving to another tab. You can bring in files and plugins, and have ChatGPT work on different projects while you keep an eye on progress.
TechCrunch quotes OpenAI's email describing the goal: "This will enable you to move from exploring an idea to having ChatGPT carry it through, all in one place." According to the same email, users can ask ChatGPT to build a website, create a presentation or do things for them on the web, while reviewing and guiding its work.
The practical consequence is mostly about where things live. If you currently start a question in Chat and then switch to Work when it turns into a project, that hand-off should no longer be needed.
Who gets it, and when
Not everyone at once. OpenAI said the combined experience will first be available to select users for feedback before it rolls out widely, TechCrunch reports. Digital Trends adds that OpenAI hasn't shared an exact date for the wider release.
What stays separate
Codex does. "Codex will remain a separate experience in the ChatGPT desktop app," the email said, according to TechCrunch. If you use Codex for programming, its place in the app doesn't change.
The usage allowance
The second change is less visible but may matter more to heavy users. TechCrunch reports that, with this transition, ChatGPT and Codex will draw tokens from the same allowance pool.
Digital Trends gives more detail: starting in December, ChatGPT and Codex will share the same usage allowance for Plus, Pro and Business subscribers, and regular Instant chats won't count toward it. Both outlets say OpenAI expects most users not to notice, but that some, depending on the model and how much they use it, may have to wait for their limits to reset more often.
In plain terms: if you split your time between ChatGPT and Codex, from December the two will draw on one budget. Light use should look the same. If you lean hard on both, you may reach the limit sooner than you do today.
A familiar move
OpenAI isn't the first to do this. Rival Anthropic merged Claude's chat and Cowork functions into one screen in September, TechCrunch reports.
Cole's take: Merging the tabs removes a decision you shouldn't have had to make in the first place, which is a good thing. The allowance change is the part to watch. A shared pool is simpler to explain, but it also means a long Codex session can now eat into your ChatGPT budget, and the only guidance so far is that some users "might" see resets more often. If that's you, it's worth checking your usage once the December change lands rather than finding out mid-task.
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