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projects.md 2026-07-16 20:57 UTC to 2026-07-17 22:57 UTC

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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.

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.

<CodexScreenshot alt="ChatGPT desktop app showing multiple projects in the sidebar and chats in the main pane" lightSrc="/images/codex/app/multitask-light.webp" darkSrc="/images/codex/app/multitask-dark.webp" maxHeight="400px" class="my-8" />

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.

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.

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.

Bring in other tools and context

  • 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.

Next steps