If you have become accustomed to opening the application ChatGPT and always work from the same place, when you update you may find yourself with a quite different experience. OpenAI is reorganizing its products and, with them, the routines of those who had already turned their solutions into tools for daily use. The move promises to concentrate functions, but it also forces us to understand again which application should be opened, which environment corresponds to each task, and which parts of the previous flow continue to work the same.
Three main pieces. The desktop application that we knew is now called ChatGPT Classic, while a new ChatGPT application brings together Chat, Work and Codex in the same environment. At the same time, Atlas enters its countdown: the browser will remain available for a few weeks, but OpenAI has set its withdrawal for August 9, 2026. The company thus concentrates more capabilities under a single brand, although during the transition names, applications and functions that are not obvious at first glance will coexist.
They are not three versions of the same ChatGPT. Chat continues to be the space to talk, write, search for information, analyze files or resolve specific queries. Work is designed for longer, multi-stage tasks, such as researching a topic, cross-referencing documents, and preparing reports or presentations. Codex keeps the focus on software development and can work with code, repositories, terminals and other technical tools. All three share an application, but each one responds to a different way of working.
The new desktop experience. The changes land on both macOS and Windows. Chat access appears in the left panel next to Work and Codex. When selected, the conversation opens within the general environment, although it can be separated into another window. OpenAI thus retains the most recognizable feature of ChatGPT, but makes it a part of a broader product, with a different organization for those who used the previous application.
Atlas, in retreat. OpenAI is moving some of its capabilities to the new app’s built-in browser and to a extension for chrome. The architecture also includes a remote browser from which agents can complete tasks. Anyone who used Atlas as their regular browser will have to prepare for the move: the bookmarks they want to keep can be exported to Chrome, while cookies and passwords can be moved to the new application. Open tabs and browsing history are not transferred automatically.
There are alternatives outside. Google is taking Gemini to Chrome itself to understand the open page, summarize content, compare information between multiple tabs, and, in supported accounts, complete multi-step actions. The deployment continues to be limited by region and Spain is not currently among the supported territories. Comet by Perplexitymaintains the browser-agnostic formula and is available on Mac, Windows, Android, iPhone and iPad. Perplexity Pro users can also choose between models from companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.
The idea behind the changes. OpenAI wants ChatGPT to stop being just a chatbot and become the gateway to practically its entire ecosystem. Instead of maintaining separate apps for chatting, scheduling, or browsing, concentrate those functions under one brand. The commitment is reminiscent of the evolution of other large technological platforms, which over time have absorbed previously separate tools to reduce fragmentation and turn a single application into the center of the experience.
Background. OpenAI wanted to reduce the complexity of the selector with the arrival of GPT-5but encountered users who did not see the models as interchangeable parts. Some depended on GPT-4o for specific jobs; others preferred his creative abilities and his way of conversing. The company backtracked and offered it again to paying users, before permanently removing it from ChatGPT on February 13, 2026.
Perhaps in a few months this transition will be easier than it seems today. But the change brings to mind a well-known idea in software design: We don’t just learn to use a tool, we also build habits around it. When these habits are changed suddenly, the adaptation period becomes as much a part of the experience as the new functions. OpenAI’s challenge will be to make the integration easier for the user than the collection of products it aims to replace.
Images | OpenAi
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