OpenAI is preparing a major change to the ChatGPT desktop experience. The company plans to merge the separate Chat and Work tabs into a single experience starting in December 2026.
The update aims to make ChatGPT easier to use by bringing everyday conversations and advanced agentic tasks into one place. Users will be able to move from exploring an idea to asking ChatGPT to complete the work without switching between separate tabs.
The upcoming changes were first reported by TechCrunch, which highlighted OpenAI’s plans to bring the separate Chat and Work experiences together. The company also confirmed a shared usage allowance for Plus, Pro, and Business subscribers.
According to OpenAI, the updated experience will first reach selected users for feedback before a wider rollout.
OpenAI Plans to Combine Chat and Work Into One Experience
ChatGPT currently separates its regular Chat and Work experiences into different tabs within the desktop application.
The Chat tab focuses on everyday conversations, research, and questions. Work provides agentic capabilities for handling more complex tasks, including creating documents, building websites, preparing presentations, and working with connected tools.
OpenAI wants to bring these capabilities together.
In an email sent to users, the company explained that the unified experience will allow people to move from exploring an idea to completing a task in one place.
Users will also be able to bring files and plugins into their workflows and guide ChatGPT as the system performs tasks on the web.
The goal is to reduce friction between conversations and task execution.
Codex Will Remain a Separate Experience
One important detail in OpenAI’s announcement concerns Codex.
The company confirmed that Codex will remain a separate experience within the ChatGPT desktop application.
The upcoming change focuses on combining the Chat and Work tabs inside the ChatGPT experience. OpenAI has not announced plans to remove the separate Codex section.
This distinction matters for developers who rely on Codex for software development and coding workflows.
The updated interface will bring ChatGPT’s conversational and agentic capabilities closer together while preserving Codex as a separate environment.
ChatGPT and Codex Will Share Usage Limits
Alongside the interface update, OpenAI is changing how usage allowances work for paid subscribers.
Starting in December 2026, Plus, Pro, and Business plans will share their usage allowance across ChatGPT and Codex.
OpenAI confirmed the change in its official Help Center article titled “Understanding ChatGPT and Codex Usage Limits.”
The company will measure usage in tokens, which represent the information processed and generated by AI models.
Your consumption will depend on the model you select and the complexity of your tasks. More advanced models and demanding workflows generally use more of your allowance.
OpenAI also clarified that Instant chat will not draw from this usage allowance.
Users will be able to check their combined remaining usage and reset times under Settings → Usage.
Will ChatGPT Users Face Lower Usage Limits?
The shared allowance raises an important question for people who regularly use both ChatGPT and Codex.
If you spend more time running advanced tasks through Codex, your shared allowance will reflect usage across both products.
This means heavy users could reach their limits sooner, depending on their model choices and workloads.
OpenAI expects most users to continue their usual workflows without needing more frequent usage resets.
The company also explained the available options after reaching a limit:
- Wait for the allowance to reset.
- Upgrade to a higher subscription plan.
- Purchase credits to continue using eligible features.
The actual impact will depend on individual usage patterns.
Selected Users Will Get Early Access
OpenAI plans to introduce the unified Chat and Work experience gradually.
According to reporting by TechCrunch and Yahoo Tech, selected users will receive early access and provide feedback before the company expands availability.
OpenAI says it is preparing the transition carefully to avoid disrupting existing workflows.
The company has not announced an exact rollout date or a complete list of eligible users.
Plus, Pro, and Business subscribers should watch for further updates as December approaches.
OpenAI’s Move Follows Anthropic’s Claude Update
OpenAI’s decision also comes amid growing competition in the AI assistant market.
Anthropic previously combined its Claude chat and Cowork experiences into a single screen in September 2026.
Both companies are moving toward AI assistants that handle complete tasks rather than responding only to individual prompts.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Work experience supports tasks such as creating presentations, building websites, working with files, and interacting with connected tools.
Combining Chat and Work gives users a more direct path from an initial conversation to a finished result.
This shift also highlights the growing importance of agentic AI features in mainstream AI products.
When Will the New ChatGPT Experience Arrive?
OpenAI says the Chat and Work merger will begin in December 2026.
Selected users will receive the updated experience first, followed by a broader rollout.
The shared usage allowance across ChatGPT and Codex will also start in December for Plus, Pro, and Business plans.
OpenAI has not provided an exact launch date for the interface update.
PromptBulletin will follow the rollout and update this article as more information becomes available.
