OpenAI restores ChatGPT chats in Mac app

OpenAI has updated its redesigned ChatGPT app for Mac, restoring more direct access to conversations after users criticized last week’s overhaul.

What changed in the Mac app

OpenAI launched the new app last Thursday, combining ChatGPT, Codex, and Work in a single client while rebranding the previous app as ChatGPT Classic. The new version replaced the former native Mac app with a larger Electron-based client and introduced an interface that made standard ChatGPT harder to reach.

Users initially encountered a prominent selector for Codex and Work, while Chat was moved behind a less visible button that opened a floating window without access to existing conversation history or Projects. Complaints quickly appeared on OpenAI’s Community forums and X.

The next day, Thibault “Tibo” Sottiaux, who leads OpenAI’s effort to combine ChatGPT and Codex into a unified “super app,” said the company would return chats and Projects to the sidebar, better distinguish Work from Codex, and fix other usability problems.

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OpenAI’s latest update now adds a prominent toggle at the top of the window for switching between Chat and Work. A sidebar drop-down lets users choose between regular ChatGPT and Codex, restoring a more direct route to the chatbot and existing chats.

A partial fix, not a clean reset

9to5Mac says the interface remains confusing, but users who open the app primarily for ChatGPT can once again use it much as they did before. The publication also criticizes the rollout, arguing that placing ChatGPT behind Work and Codex—and moving to Electron—made the app feel unfinished.