Projects and chats

Use a project to organize related chats and give ChatGPT the context it needs. The Projects view in the ChatGPT desktop app includes ChatGPT projects and local projects that connect to folders on your computer.

Choose a project or start without one

Create a project when work will continue over time, produce more than one output, or depend on the same files and sources. Start a chat without a project when the work is self-contained and doesn’t need shared project context.

Use a project to keep related chats, files, instructions, and sources together. The same project can contain chats started in Chat mode and Work mode.

Choose a project or chat without one

Create a project when work will continue over time, produce more than one output, or depend on the same files and sources. Start a chat without a project when the work is self-contained and doesn’t need shared project context.

Each project has a Chats section that lists project chats and a Sources section for uploaded files and connected context. Project instructions apply across its chats. A ChatGPT project doesn’t provide direct access to a folder on your computer, so upload or connect the sources you want ChatGPT to use.

In either mode, start a new chat from the project to use its shared files and instructions, then return to it under Chats.

Codex CLI treats the directory where you start it as the project for the chat. Run codex from the directory you want Codex to work in, or pass --cd <directory> (-C) to set it explicitly. The CLI doesn’t expose the ChatGPT Projects view.

The IDE extension treats the folder or workspace open in your IDE as the local project. In a multi-root workspace, select the workspace root for the chat. The extension doesn’t expose the ChatGPT Projects view from the web or desktop app.

Work in a project

The Projects view brings ChatGPT projects and local projects into one place. ChatGPT projects carry project files and context across related chats. A local project gives chats access to one or more folders on your computer, such as a collection of source files or a codebase.

Start a separate chat for each distinct outcome so its messages and results stay focused while the project keeps related work organized.

Work in a project

A ChatGPT project gives its chats access to the same uploaded files, project instructions, and connected sources. Use Chat mode for a quick chat or Work mode for a larger deliverable; both appear as chats in the project’s Chats section. Start a separate chat for each distinct outcome so its messages and results stay focused while the project preserves shared context.

Work in a project directory

Start Codex from the directory that should provide the chat’s file context. Use /new to start a separate chat for each distinct outcome. Use /resume while Codex is open, or run codex resume, to continue a saved chat.

The chat keeps its transcript and recorded working directory, while Codex reads files from the current working tree. Keep durable project guidance in AGENTS.md or checked-in documentation so it is available to future chats.

Work in a workspace

Open the folder or workspace that should provide the chat’s file context. Start a new chat for each distinct outcome, then select it from Recent chats to continue it. Chats in the same project can work with the same files, while each chat keeps its own transcript.

The current selection and open files provide context for the current turn. Keep durable project guidance in AGENTS.md or checked-in documentation so it is available to future chats.

Organize projects and chats

Keep active work visible and move finished work out of the way:

• Pin a project to keep it near the top of the sidebar. You can also pin it from the Projects view.
• Pin a chat when you return to it often, even if newer chats appear in the project.
• Rename a chat with a short title that describes its outcome, such as “Q3 launch brief” or “Checkout accessibility review.”
• Search projects from the Projects view. Press Cmd/Ctrl+G to search past chats when you remember a phrase or branch name but not the title.
• Archive a chat when you finish the work. From a project’s menu, select Archive chats to archive its chats together.

Pinning doesn’t add context or change what ChatGPT can access. It only changes where the project or chat appears in the sidebar.

Restore archived chats from Settings > Archived chats.

Organize projects and chats

Keep active work visible and move finished work out of the way:

• Pin a project to keep it near the top of the sidebar. You can also pin it from the Projects view.
• Pin a chat when you return to it often, even if newer chats appear in the project.
• Rename a chat with a short title that describes its outcome, such as “Q3 launch brief” or “Checkout accessibility review.”
• Search projects from the Projects view. Search past chats with Cmd/Ctrl+K when you remember a phrase or branch name but not the title.
• Archive a chat when you finish the work.

Pinning doesn’t add context or change what ChatGPT can access. It only changes where the project or chat appears in the sidebar.

Restore archived chats from Settings > Data Controls > Archived chats.

Use local projects for folders and codebases

Add a local project when ChatGPT needs to read or change files in a folder on your computer. For a codebase, the project folder becomes the working directory for Codex chats.

If a repository contains more than one app or package, use distinct local projects when each chat should access only one part of the repository. This keeps the working context focused. Use local environments to define setup actions and common commands for a project.

When you want to isolate code changes from your current checkout, select Codex and start the chat in a worktree. Projects and worktrees organize work, but the sandbox enforces what local commands can read, change, or access over the network.

Start a chat without a project

Select New chat when the work is self-contained and doesn’t need shared project files, instructions, or folder access. Create a project first when several chats will depend on the same context.

Start a chat without a project

Start a chat from ChatGPT Home when the chat doesn’t need shared project files, instructions, or sources. You can use Chat mode or Work mode; on the web, both create chats.

If the work grows, move it into a project and use clear chat names for each outcome. A project can hold parallel chats for research, drafting, review, and follow-up without mixing every message into one context.

Use Quick chat for a quick question

Quick chat opens an ordinary ChatGPT chat. ChatGPT chats don’t appear in the Codex sidebar, which contains your Codex chats and projects.

Point to New chat, then select the Quick chat icon on its right. You can also press

Cmd+Option+N on macOS or Ctrl+Alt+N on Windows. From New chat, you can open an existing ChatGPT chat and add it to a Codex chat.

• Attach files or image inputs directly to a chat when they apply only to that request.
• Install plugins to bring in context and actions from other services.
• Configure MCP servers when your organization or developer setup exposes tools through Model Context Protocol.
• Use memories, where available, to carry useful context from past work into future chats.

• Pass image inputs to a chat when visual context applies only to that request.
• Install plugins to bring in context and actions from other services.
• Configure MCP servers when your organization or developer setup exposes tools through Model Context Protocol.
• Use memories, where available, to carry useful context from past work into future chats.

• Reference open files or select code in the editor to add context for the current turn.
• Configure MCP servers when your organization or developer setup exposes tools through Model Context Protocol.
• Use memories from the connected Codex host, where available, to carry useful context into future chats.

• Add files and connected sources to the project’s Sources section when they should be available across its chats.
• Attach files or image inputs directly to a chat when they apply only to that chat.
• In Work mode, install plugins to bring in context and actions from other services.
• Use memories, where available, to carry useful context from past work into future chats.