OpenAI will merge ChatGPT's Chat and Work tabs into a single experience

OpenAI is preparing to merge the Chat and Work tabs in the ChatGPT desktop app, TechCrunch reported in a short piece on November 2, 2026. The report is based on an email the company sent to its users.

The article lays out the starting problem: the ChatGPT desktop app is confusing because it has separate ChatGPT and Codex sections, and the former contains both Chat and Work tabs. With so many options, it can be easy to lose track of where you're working and where exactly a project lives.

According to the email, the new unified experience will let users go from exploring an idea to having ChatGPT carry it out, all in one place. Users will be able to bring in their files and plugins and ask ChatGPT to build a website, create a presentation or carry out tasks on the web while they review and guide its work. Codex will remain a separate experience within the desktop app.

Initially, the experience will be available only to select users so the company can gather feedback before a general rollout. No specific dates were given for that rollout.

Another notable change is that ChatGPT and Codex will draw tokens from a single shared usage pool. OpenAI says this will not affect most users, but depending on usage and the model used, some people may have to wait for limit resets more often.

For context, the article notes that in September Anthropic merged Claude's chat and Cowork features into a single screen, suggesting that the major providers are converging on interfaces where conversation and autonomous task execution sit side by side.

Note: the source material is a short news brief, so this summary is limited to what it contains and includes no further details on pricing, plans or timing.