You ask a chatbot a question and you get an answer. But what if you want a finished report, a clean spreadsheet or a slide deck built from your own files? That is the job of ChatGPT Work, the OpenAI agent that takes a goal and works through it step by step across your apps and files.
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Work on 9 July 2026, and its help page now says the older ChatGPT agent mode is no longer available. This guide shows you how to start it, what to ask, and how to stay safe. The steps and plan details below come from OpenAI’s own pages, and where OpenAI does not share a detail, we say so.
Quick answer: ChatGPT Work is the agent inside ChatGPT for long, multistep tasks such as reports, spreadsheets and slide decks. To use it, open ChatGPT on an eligible paid plan, select Work, add your files or connected apps, and describe the finished result you want. You decide what it can access and when it needs your approval.
What is ChatGPT Work?
ChatGPT now has three main modes. Chat is for fast answers and everyday questions. Work is for research, analysis and making documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Codex is for writing and fixing code.
In plain terms, Work is an AI agent. It breaks a big goal into smaller steps, uses tools such as a browser and your connected apps, and keeps going until it has something for you to review. In its launch post, OpenAI says Work can stay with a project for hours if needed.
It took over from agent mode, which OpenAI’s agent help page now says is no longer available. Here is what Work can produce:
- Documents, slides and spreadsheets
- Interactive web pages through Sites, which launched as a public beta
- Repeating reports through scheduled tasks
- Answers that pull from connected apps such as Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive and SharePoint
Plans, availability and limits
OpenAI’s help article on Work and Codex says Work is available on the web and in the mobile apps for eligible paid plans. At launch, it reached Pro, Enterprise and Edu users first, then Plus and Business users.
The Windows and Mac desktop app is a little different. The launch post said the app brings Work to every plan, including Free. The current help page says Work appears there when it is included for your plan and workspace, so check what your app shows.
| Plan | Work on web and mobile | Event triggered tasks | Active scheduled tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | No | No | 3 |
| Go | Not listed by OpenAI | No | 3 |
| Plus | Yes | Yes | 5 |
| Pro | Yes | Yes | 15 |
| Business | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Enterprise | Yes, for eligible workspaces with EKM, unless your admin turns it off | Yes, once an admin turns it on | 15 |
| Edu | Yes, for eligible workspaces with EKM, unless your admin turns it off | Yes, once an admin turns it on | 10 |
The scheduled task numbers apply to all of ChatGPT, not just Work.
Usage limits you should know
- Usage varies by task. OpenAI does not give a fixed count. It says usage depends on how much work a task needs, and complex tasks use more of your plan’s allowance.
- Top model access varies. Plus and Business Standard plans include limited use of GPT 6 Astra, with optional credits after that.
- Event triggered tasks have caps. They can run up to 30 times per hour and 720 times per day in total.
- Voice uses your Voice minutes. On the web and mobile, voice in Work draws from your daily Voice allowance.
How to start ChatGPT Work step by step
On the web or in the mobile app
- Open ChatGPT and sign in.
- Select Work. In the mobile app, pick Chat or Work from the dropdown.
- Start a new chat, or open an existing project so Work can use its context.
- Add any files and context, then describe the task or result you want.
- If an action needs your approval, approve or decline it with the on screen controls. Spoken approval is not supported.
- Review the result and ask for changes in the same chat.
In the desktop app
- Open the ChatGPT desktop app and sign in.
- Select ChatGPT from the top left menu.
- Choose Work from the toggle at the top of the page.
- Start a new chat or open a project. You can also open a local folder so Work can use files on your computer.
- Describe the outcome, and add files, constraints and review criteria.
- Review the result and ask for follow up work in the same chat.
Connect your apps
OpenAI’s connected apps guide explains the setup:
- Open Settings > Plugins. Very old versions of the phone app may show Apps instead.
- Select the app, and choose Install plugin if you see it.
- If asked, select Connect or continue the setup, sign in to that account if needed, and review the permissions.
- In your prompt, type @ followed by the app name.
Permission choices range from Always ask up to Allow all actions for eligible apps. Start with Always ask until you trust the setup.
Example tasks and prompts you can copy
Good Work prompts describe the finished result, the sources to use, and how you will judge the output. Change the details in square brackets to fit your job.
1. A weekly team update
> @Slack Read the [#project] channel messages from the last 7 days. Write a one page update with three parts: what shipped, what is blocked, and decisions needed. Keep it under 300 words.
2. A research brief with sources
> Compare the top 5 [project management apps] for a team of 10 people. Make a table of price, free plan, main features and limits. Use only official pricing pages, link every price, and flag anything you could not confirm.
3. A spreadsheet from messy files
> Combine the three attached CSV files of monthly expenses into one spreadsheet. Remove duplicate rows and add a summary tab with totals by month. List every row you changed.
4. An inbox catch up
> @Gmail Find emails from the last 3 days that still need my reply. Group them by urgency and draft short replies. Do not send anything.
Make it repeat with scheduled tasks
Work can also run on a schedule. One of OpenAI’s own examples is checking websites each morning and reporting what changed.
> Every Monday at 9 am, check these three competitor pricing pages: [links]. Show what changed since last week in a short table.
You can pause, edit or delete a task from the Scheduled page, as OpenAI’s scheduled tasks guide explains. On eligible plans, a task can also start when a new Gmail message, Slack channel message or GitHub pull request event arrives.
Tips to get better results
- Describe the finish line. Say the format, length, audience and tone you want.
- Give real context. OpenAI’s Academy says Work does best with your actual messages, docs and trackers, not a blank page.
- Add review criteria. For example: “every number needs a source link.”
- Treat it as a first draft. Check the output before anyone else sees it.
- Set check ins. Tell Work to stop and ask before it edits a shared file.
- Start small. Try one clear task before you hand over a whole weekly workflow.
Safety and privacy tips
OpenAI says a feature called auto review uses its most advanced models to check important actions in connected tools before they happen. Still, you decide how much access to give.
- Connect only what the task needs, and keep sensitive apps on Always ask.
- Share narrow folders on desktop. OpenAI’s desktop security notes say file excerpts, screenshots and browser content may be sent to OpenAI, and task context may be stored in the cloud even when work runs locally.
- Check your training setting. On Free, Go, Plus and Pro, OpenAI may use information from connected apps to train its models if Improve the model for everyone is on. On Business, Enterprise and Edu, it does not by default.
- Read every approval request. Decline anything you did not expect, because web pages and emails can hide instructions meant to trick AI agents.
- Watch signed in browsers. If you approve the Chrome extension for Work, it can use tabs and accounts you are already signed in to.
- Keep secrets out of prompts, such as passwords and card numbers.
ChatGPT Work vs free alternatives
Work needs a paid plan on the web and phone. If you want to try agent style help for free first, here are honest options, plus one paid rival.
| Tool | Cost to start | Good for | Main limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Work | Eligible paid plans such as Plus, Pro and Business | Long tasks across apps and files, with finished docs, slides and sheets | Uses your plan allowance |
| ChatGPT scheduled tasks | Free | Reminders, daily briefs and simple monitoring | 3 active tasks, no event triggers |
| Perplexity Comet | Free, with optional Perplexity Pro and Max plans | Research and summaries with an AI assistant built into the browser | Works inside its own browser |
| Copilot Mode in Edge | Free for personal use when signed in to Edge | Browsing help, with Copilot Actions being added for handing off tasks | Windows and Mac, free version is for personal accounts |
| Gemini Spark | Google AI Pro or Ultra | Workflows and ongoing tasks in Gemini apps | Paid, and not offered in the EEA, Nigeria, Switzerland or the UK |
Microsoft’s Copilot Mode FAQ confirms the Edge feature is free, and Google’s Gemini Spark help page lists the plan it needs. For more on Comet’s maker, read our Perplexity AI guide.
The free tools suit research and quick browser jobs. Work makes more sense when you need a finished file built from your own apps and documents.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT Work free?
Not on the web or phone, where it needs an eligible paid plan. The desktop app may offer it on more plans, so check your app. Free users can still create up to 3 scheduled tasks.
What happened to ChatGPT agent mode?
OpenAI’s help page says agent mode is no longer available and recommends Work for longer tasks.
Can ChatGPT Work use files on my computer?
Yes, but only in the desktop app, where you can open a local folder. On the web and phone, upload the files you need instead.
Can I use my voice with ChatGPT Work?
Yes, on eligible accounts. Live in Work runs on the web, iOS and Android, and Voice works in the Windows and Mac desktop apps. You still approve actions on screen.
Does ChatGPT Work act without asking me?
That depends on your settings. You decide what Work can access and when it needs approval, and each connected app has its own permission level.
Final thoughts
ChatGPT Work turns ChatGPT from a question box into a helper that finishes tasks. Start small: connect one app, give one clear goal, and read every approval. Add scheduled tasks once you trust the results.
Plans, models and limits change often, so check OpenAI’s help pages before you rely on a feature. For more options, see our list of free AI tools like ChatGPT and our guide to AI tools for PPT if slides are your main task.