Update, September 2026: ChatGPT Atlas, OpenAI’s AI web browser for Mac, has been discontinued. OpenAI announced the shutdown on July 9, 2026, and Atlas stopped working on August 9, 2026. If you came here for an Atlas download, the short answer is that there isn’t one anymore, and there was never a Windows version.
This guide now covers what happened, what Atlas needed to run, and the ChatGPT apps that took over its job. Everything below was checked against OpenAI’s own help center and release notes in September 2026.
Can you still download ChatGPT Atlas?
No. OpenAI retired Atlas and moved its browser features into the main ChatGPT apps. The old chatgpt.com/atlas address now just opens regular ChatGPT, and OpenAI’s original launch post carries a note that Atlas has been deprecated.
Skip any website that still offers an “Atlas download.” The official installer came from OpenAI’s own site, so a third-party copy is at best an old version that won’t work and at worst malware.
ChatGPT Atlas system requirements
While it was available, Atlas ran only on Macs with Apple silicon (M-series chips) running macOS 14.2 or later. Intel Macs weren’t supported, and there was no Windows, iPhone or Android version.
Those requirements are history now, because Atlas no longer works on any computer. The table further down shows what runs where today.
Is there a ChatGPT Atlas for Windows?
No, and there won’t be. When Atlas launched in October 2025, OpenAI said Windows, iOS and Android versions were coming soon. None of them showed up in Atlas’s release notes before OpenAI retired it.
On Windows, the closest replacement is the new ChatGPT desktop app, which OpenAI released for both macOS and Windows on July 9, 2026. It has a built-in browser that ChatGPT can use for tasks, and it can connect to Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera or Vivaldi through the ChatGPT browser extension.
What replaced ChatGPT Atlas
OpenAI split Atlas’s job across the ChatGPT desktop app, ChatGPT Work and a browser extension. Pick based on what you used Atlas for.
| If you used Atlas to… | Use this now | Where it runs (September 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Ask ChatGPT about the page you’re reading | The ChatGPT browser extension’s side chat | Chrome, Edge, Brave and Vivaldi; the extension works together with the ChatGPT desktop app |
| Have ChatGPT click through tasks for you (agent mode) | ChatGPT Work, in the desktop app or on the web | Paid plans: Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu (not Free or Go) |
| Just talk to ChatGPT outside a browser tab | The ChatGPT desktop app (Chat) | macOS and Windows, with Linux in public preview; every plan, including Free |
Wondering whether Work is worth paying for? Our ChatGPT Free vs Plus comparison covers what the paid plan adds.
How to download the ChatGPT desktop app
- Go to OpenAI’s official download page, chatgpt.com/download.
- Download the version for your computer (macOS or Windows) and install it like any other app.
- Open it and sign in with your ChatGPT account.
- Pick ChatGPT in the top-left menu, then use the toggle at the top: Chat for normal conversations, Work for longer tasks.
- Optional: to let ChatGPT work in your own browser, open Settings > Computer Use in the app and install the extension for Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera or Vivaldi.
New to ChatGPT itself? Start with our beginner’s guide to ChatGPT.
If Atlas is still on your Mac
Atlas may not open at all anymore, and OpenAI warns that a discontinued browser can stop getting security updates, so don’t keep it as your everyday browser. Your ChatGPT conversations are safe: they live in your ChatGPT account, not in Atlas.
Your Atlas bookmarks, open tabs and history did not move anywhere automatically. If Atlas still opens, export your bookmarks from its bookmark manager as an HTML file, then import that file into Chrome (More > Bookmarks and lists > Import bookmarks and settings). After that, drag Atlas from your Applications folder to the Trash.
What ChatGPT Atlas was
OpenAI launched Atlas on October 21, 2025 as a web browser with ChatGPT built in. Instead of switching to a separate ChatGPT tab, you had a sidebar on every page that could summarize what you were reading, answer questions about it, and help you write in forms.
Two features stood out. Browser memories, which were optional, let ChatGPT remember details from sites you visited and bring them back later. Agent mode, a preview for Plus, Pro and Business users, let ChatGPT open tabs and click through tasks for you. Both ideas carry on in the ChatGPT desktop app and ChatGPT Work.
Cautions that still apply to AI browsing
Atlas is gone, but the same cautions apply to any AI that browses for you, including ChatGPT Work and the ChatGPT browser extension.
First: privacy and control. Atlas didn’t use your browsing content to train OpenAI’s models by default, and browser memories were opt-in. With the browser extension, OpenAI says it stores browsing activity only when it becomes part of a chat, and your usual ChatGPT data controls and Memories setting apply.
Second: agents make mistakes. OpenAI called Atlas’s agent mode an early preview, and it warns that web pages can hide instructions meant to hijack an AI agent. Watch what the agent does, keep the default setting where ChatGPT asks before using each new website, and think twice before choosing “Allow for all sites.”
Third: new tools like this may change how we browse and interact with web content — but that also means risks of over-reliance. For example, summarization may omit important nuance; memory features may raise data-ownership questions; agents may perform actions you didn’t fully anticipate. So treat any AI browser as a helpful assistant, not a substitute for your own judgment.
Try it now
Install the ChatGPT desktop app, add the browser extension to Chrome or Edge, then open an article you would have read in Atlas and ask ChatGPT in side chat to pull out the three things you need to act on. If you’re still choosing an assistant, see ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini.
For OpenAI’s own details on the shutdown, read its help article on moving from Atlas to ChatGPT.
Related guides
- Unlock ChatGPT: Your First Useful Chat in Minutes
- Use ChatGPT as Your AI Executive Assistant!
- the AI tool stack I actually use
- ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini: Which AI Should You Use in 2026?
- I Gave Claude My Messy Desktop — Here’s What Happened
Frequently asked questions
Can I still download ChatGPT Atlas?
No. OpenAI announced on July 9, 2026 that it was retiring Atlas, and the browser stopped working on August 9, 2026. For ChatGPT on your computer, download the ChatGPT desktop app from chatgpt.com/download instead.
Is ChatGPT Atlas available for Windows?
No. Atlas only ever shipped for Mac, and the Windows, iOS and Android versions OpenAI mentioned at launch never arrived before the shutdown. Windows users can install the ChatGPT desktop app, which has a built-in browser for ChatGPT Work tasks.
What were the ChatGPT Atlas system requirements?
A Mac with Apple silicon (an M-series chip) running macOS 14.2 or later. Intel Macs were not supported. Because Atlas no longer works, those requirements only matter as history.
Did ChatGPT Atlas cost anything?
No. Atlas was free and worked with Free, Go, Plus and Pro accounts, while agent mode was a preview for Plus, Pro and Business. Its replacement, the ChatGPT desktop app, is also free to download, but ChatGPT Work, the agent that browses for you, needs a paid plan such as Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise.
