What happened to ChatGPT Atlas? Why OpenAI retired its browser and what to use instead

ChatGPT Atlas was OpenAI’s own web browser, launched in October 2025 with ChatGPT built in. It has now been retired. OpenAI announced on July 9, 2026 that it was deprecating Atlas and folding its browser-based agent features into ChatGPT and Codex, with the app scheduled to stop working a month later, on August 9, 2026. This guide explains what Atlas was, what happened, how to save your bookmarks and where to go next. Everything here comes from OpenAI’s help centre.

What happened to ChatGPT Atlas

OpenAI’s explanation is in the title of its own help article: it is “evolving” Atlas into ChatGPT for browser-based agentic work. In practice, the standalone browser is retired, and the ability for ChatGPT to browse and act on the web now lives inside the ChatGPT desktop app and Codex.

What ChatGPT Atlas did

According to OpenAI’s release notes, Atlas launched as a browser with ChatGPT built in, on macOS for Free, Plus, Pro and Go users worldwide, and in beta for Business. It included:

• A new tab page and an Ask ChatGPT sidebar.
• In-line writing help.
• Browser memories, a memory feature for your browsing.
• Agent Mode, in preview for Plus, Pro and Business, which could act on pages for you.
• Later additions, including multiple ChatGPT logins, tab search, tab organisation and saved prompts.

OpenAI set boundaries on Agent Mode. It couldn’t run code, download files or install extensions, it had no access to your file system or passwords, its pages weren’t added to your browsing history, and you could use it in a logged-out mode. OpenAI also said Atlas content wasn’t used to train its models by default.

What to do with your Atlas data

OpenAI’s guidance on moving away from Atlas is short:

• Bookmarks, history and open tabs don’t transfer automatically. Export your bookmarks to an HTML file, then in Chrome choose More, then Bookmarks and lists, then Import bookmarks and settings.
• Cookies and signed-in sessions can’t be imported. Expect to sign in to your sites again.
• Your ChatGPT conversations are safe. They are separate from Atlas browser data.
• If you run a workspace, OpenAI says admins should tell their users about the change.

What replaces ChatGPT Atlas

OpenAI’s answer is the new ChatGPT desktop app, plus a Chrome option:

• The built-in browser in the ChatGPT desktop app. It works on macOS and Windows, with multiple tabs, downloads, improved navigation and account login support. Open a Work or Codex chat, then open the browser from the toolbar or press Cmd+Shift+B (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+B (Windows).
• A separate browser state. The built-in browser uses its own state rather than your everyday profile. ChatGPT can work across tabs, download files and wait while you sign in, and it asks before using a new website. There is also an annotation mode.
• The Chrome route. If you need ChatGPT to work in your existing Chrome profile, OpenAI points to the Codex Chrome extension. It also mentions the ChatGPT Chrome extension or sidebar where available.
• A cloud browser. For background jobs, a cloud browser runs remotely.

The built-in browser sits inside ChatGPT Work, OpenAI’s agent for everyday tasks, and Codex, its coding agent, so it needs a Work or Codex chat rather than a standalone app icon.

Should you switch browsers?

Atlas’s end doesn’t mean you have to give up an AI browser. Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Perplexity’s Comet each have an assistant built in, and they work differently from the ChatGPT desktop app. Our guide to the best AI browsers compares them, including what each costs and where each is available. For a browser-based agent that isn’t tied to one browser, see What is Perplexity Computer?.

For the assistant behind it all, see the ChatGPT profile and our guide to ChatGPT models.