Appshots let you send the frontmost app window to a task in ChatGPT. Use them when you’re actively working in another app on your computer and want to provide ChatGPT with your current context so it can help you with the task.
Appshots are available in the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS. Press both Command keys, or your custom Appshots hotkey, to take one.
What appshots capture
An appshot captures the frontmost window only. It can include:
- An image of the visible window.
- Available text from that window, including visible text and text the app makes available outside the visible scroll area.
After you add an appshot to a task, it behaves like an attachment. ChatGPT stores appshots locally in the session file, like files or images you attach manually.
When to use appshots
Use appshots when ChatGPT needs context from a Mac app before it can act.
Examples:
- Share an API reference page and ask ChatGPT to write a script that uses it.
- Share an email or calendar view and ask ChatGPT to draft the next step.
- Share an image editor, design, or preview window and ask ChatGPT to revise the related assets or code.
- Share an error, settings panel, or app state that’s easier to show than describe.
Take an appshot
- Bring the app window you want to share to the front.
- Press both Command keys, or the custom hotkey you configured in ChatGPT settings.
- Allow macOS permissions if ChatGPT asks.
- Ask ChatGPT to perform a task with the appshot.
By default, ChatGPT starts a new task for the appshot. If you interacted with a task in the last 60 seconds, ChatGPT adds the appshot to that recent task instead. Taking consecutive appshots adds them to the same task.
You can change the Appshots hotkey in the app settings.
Permissions and safety
ChatGPT may ask for permissions before it can take appshots:
- Screen & System Audio Recording lets ChatGPT capture an image of the frontmost window.
- Accessibility lets ChatGPT read available text from the frontmost window.
Taking an appshot shares the captured image and available text with ChatGPT. Avoid taking appshots of sensitive content unless the task requires that content.
Review appshots the same way you would review sharing screenshots and documents with ChatGPT.
Limits and troubleshooting
Appshots are available in the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS. If you resume a task in the CLI that already contains an appshot, the attachment is part of the task history, but the CLI can’t create a new appshot.
For some apps and websites, including Google Docs, Gmail, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, ChatGPT may receive only the visible screenshot and may not receive the full document or off-screen text. In ChatGPT Work or Codex, ChatGPT can use a matching installed plugin to access the relevant app content and help with your request.
If appshots don’t work:
- Open System Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Check Screen & System Audio Recording and Accessibility for Codex Computer Use.
- Restart the app and try again.