ChatGPT Chrome Extension Work Mode: It Now Operates Your Tabs
On 15 October 2026 OpenAI brought computer use to its Chrome extension: in Chat it reads across your open tabs to compare and summarise, and in Work it controls tabs to send messages, fill forms, download files and group tabs
Tool Interface
Interactive tool will be available soon
Features
- ✓ Chat mode reads across every open tab so it can compare, summarise and answer using what is already on screen
- ✓ Work mode operates the tabs: send messages, fill out forms, download files and group a messy window of tabs
- ✓ It runs in the background without taking over your browsing session, so the UI is not hijacked mid-task
- ✓ The extension already has roughly 7 million users, and OpenAI framed the update as bringing computer use to everyone who uses Chrome
- ✓ It succeeds the retired Atlas browser: the sidebar and tab features from that standalone browser live on as an extension
How to Use
- Install the ChatGPT extension from the Chrome Web Store and sign in to your account
- In the desktop app open Settings, then Computer Use, and select the browser you want to authorise
- Start with side-effect-free Chat mode work: have it compare a few tabs or summarise a long page and check that it reads accurately
- Switch to Work only for actions with external effects - filling forms, sending messages - and stay in the room while it runs
FAQ
How do Chat and Work differ?
Chat is read-only: it gathers information across tabs, compares and summarises. Work actually acts - sending messages, filling forms, downloading files and grouping tabs. One improves answers, the other operates the web on your behalf.
Is it available on free plans?
OpenAI says the Chrome extension is available across ChatGPT plans, but browser control runs through Work, and Work was previously rolled out to paid plans other than Free and Go. So installing is one thing; whether it can act depends on your plan - verify after installing.
Does it snoop on my other tabs?
It reads your open tabs - that is the entire premise of the feature. For businesses that cuts both ways: staff will point it at internal tools full of customer data, and customers will point it at your app and let it click through. Define internally which systems are allowed first.
How do I enable computer use?
Install the extension, then in the desktop app open Settings, go to Computer Use and pick the browser to authorise. Without that step it only chats in the panel and cannot act on tabs.
How does this relate to the retired Atlas browser?
Atlas was OpenAI's standalone browser; the company said its sidebar and tab features would shift into an extension before retiring it. This extension is the continuation of that line, so users do not need to switch browsers to get the capability.
What is it good for?
Repetitive web chores: grouping a dozen tabs by topic, comparing the same fact across several pages, filling a batch of forms from a checklist, downloading files from multiple sites in one sweep. Conversely, keep a human in the loop for payments, outbound messages and anything that mutates production data.