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use-cases/use-your-computer-with-codex.md 2026-07-08 02:01 UTC to 2026-07-14 17:03 UTC

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2026
Tue 14 17:03 Wed 8 02:01 Mon 6 22:58

name: Use your computer with ChatGPT tagline: Let ChatGPT click, type, and navigate apps on your Mac. summary: Use Computer Use to hand off multi-step tasks across Mac apps, windows, and files, and monitor progress in picture-in-picture. bestFor:

  • Tasks that move across apps, windows, browser sessions, or local files on your Mac

  • Work you want to hand off and let ChatGPT continue in the background starterPrompt: title: Hand Off One Computer Task body: >- @Computer [do the task you want completed across your Mac]

    For example:

    • Play some music to help me focus.

    • Help me add my interview notes from Notes to Ashby.

    • Look through my Messages app for the trip ideas Brooke sent me this week, add the best options to a new note called "Yosemite ideas", and draft a reply back to her. relatedLinks:

  • label: Computer Use url: /codex/computer-use

  • label: Plugins url: /codex/plugins

  • label: Customize ChatGPT url: /codex/customization/overview

Introduction

You can let ChatGPT operate an app the same way you would: by clicking, seeing, and typing. Computer Use is useful when the task lives inside a normal app UI, even if that app does not have a dedicated plugin.

This works especially well for tasks that jump between apps or windows, such as collecting notes, updating a system of record, copying details from one place to another, or drafting a reply after checking context in a few different apps.

How to use

  1. Install the Computer Use plugin.
  2. Start your request with @Computer, or mention a specific app such as @Slack or @Messages.
  3. Describe the task and the outcome you want.
  4. Approve access when ChatGPT needs it, then let it continue the task in the background.

If you mention a specific app and a plugin exists for that app, ChatGPT may prefer the plugin over Computer Use. That is usually what you want. If no plugin exists, ChatGPT can fall back to Computer Use and operate the app directly.

For example:

  • @Computer Play some music to help me focus.
  • @Computer Help me add my interview notes from Notes to Ashby.
  • @Computer Go through my Slack and add reminders for everything I need to do by end of day.

Practical tips

Follow along while ChatGPT works

When Computer Use starts working in an app, ChatGPT automatically opens a picture-in-picture (PiP) preview. Move the PiP around the ChatGPT window or click it to open the app being used. If you use a Pet, you can send the PiP to your Pet to monitor the task outside the ChatGPT window. When a task uses multiple apps or browser windows, their previews appear as a stack you can cycle through. If you dismiss the PiP, you can reopen it from the Summary view while Computer Use is running.

Choose the browser ChatGPT should use

Computer Use takes control of the app it is operating. If you want to keep working in one browser while ChatGPT browses in another, tell it which browser to use. You can also set a default in customization, for example: "When using Computer Use for web browsing tasks, default to Chrome instead of Safari."

Avoid parallel runs in the same app

Do not run two Computer Use tasks against the same app at the same time. That makes it much harder for ChatGPT to keep stable context about the current window and state.

Stay signed in

For smoother runs, make sure you are already signed in to the apps and services you want ChatGPT to use. If your Mac locks while Computer Use is running, the activity will stop.

Good follow-ups

Once the task finishes, keep the same task open if you want ChatGPT to summarize what it changed, double-check the result, or turn the workflow into a more repeatable pattern through customization.

Suggested prompt

Hand Off One Computer Task