OpenAI to Merge ChatGPT's Chat and Work Tabs, With Codex Sharing One Usage Allowance

The ChatGPT desktop app currently has distinct ChatGPT and Codex sections, and within ChatGPT users must choose between Chat and Work. TechCrunch described the arrangement as confusing, noting that users can lose track of where a given project lives.

In the email, OpenAI said the merged version would let users "move from exploring an idea to having ChatGPT carry it through, all in one place." Users will be able to bring in files and plugins and ask ChatGPT to build a website, produce a presentation or carry out tasks on the web while reviewing and steering its work, the company said. Codex, OpenAI's coding product, will stay as a separate experience inside the desktop app.

The change will not reach everyone at once. OpenAI said the combined interface will first be offered to selected users for feedback before a wider rollout. The company did not give a date for general availability in the email as reported.

Shared Usage Limits

Alongside the redesign, OpenAI said ChatGPT and Codex will draw on the same pool of tokens. The company said this would not affect most users, but that depending on how much they use the products and which models they choose, some people may need to wait for their allowance to reset more frequently.

The Competitive Picture

The move brings OpenAI into line with its main rival. Anthropic merged the chat and Cowork functions of its Claude assistant into a single screen in September, TechCrunch noted.

For business users, the change reflects a broader shift in AI assistants from answering questions towards carrying out multi-step work, such as producing documents or acting on websites, under human supervision. Merging the conversational and task-based modes removes a decision point for users, while the shared token pool links the cost of agent-style work and coding more closely to a single budget, which matters for organisations managing heavy use across teams.