# OpenAI fixes chat access in the ChatGPT app for Mac

> Source: <https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/17/openai-fixes-chat-access-in-the-chatgpt-app-for-mac/>
> Published: 2026-07-17 18:01:27+00:00

OpenAI has updated its recently redesigned ChatGPT app for Mac to make chats easier to access once again. Here are the details.

## OpenAI addresses main complaint after confusing Mac app overhaul

Last Thursday, OpenAI launched a new ChatGPT app for Mac that combined ChatGPT, Codex, and the newly announced [Work agent](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/09/openai-announcing-the-next-chapter-for-chatgpt-today-watch-here/), while rebranding the previous app as ChatGPT Classic.

The move caused controversy for two major reasons: first, the new app replaced the previous native Mac client with a [much larger](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2026/07/09/todays-the-day-openai-fucked-up-the-chatgpt-mac-app) Electron-based app. Second, its interface was [confusing](https://www.threads.com/@benedictevans/post/Dano_uvDr8F), with a prominent drop-down for switching between Codex and Work, while the standard Chat experience was relegated to a less prominent button that opened a floating window without access to users’ existing conversation history or Projects.

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Immediately after the update, users took to [OpenAI’s Community forums](https://community.openai.com/t/macos-app-does-not-show-chat-history-or-projects-while-web-version-works-normally/1386686/4), as well as to X, to protest the confusing change. The next day, Thibault “Tibo” Sottiaux, who has been leading OpenAI’s effort to merge ChatGPT and Codex into a unified “super app,” acknowledged the criticism, and promised to restore chats and Projects to the sidebar, clarify the distinction between ChatGPT Work and Codex, and address other usability issues.

OpenAI has now updated the new ChatGPT app to address some of the complaints, chief among them the lack of direct access to chats. Users can now switch between Chat and Work using a prominent toggle at the top of the window, while a sidebar drop-down menu lets them choose between the regular ChatGPT and Codex.

## 9to5Mac’s take

While the ChatGPT app’s interface remains confusing, users who open it simply to use ChatGPT can once again access the chatbot as they always have.

Still, the inexplicably botched rollout, relegating ChatGPT to second-class status behind Work and Codex, combined with the move to Electron, suggests OpenAI is more concerned with competing with Anthropic than with delivering a polished experience to its users. Thank goodness for ChatGPT Classic, for as long as it remains available.

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