ChatGPT in Chrome: 3 surprising uses with your tabs open

ChatGPT can read and control multiple open Chrome tabs when the user grants permission and mentions the browser within the app. OpenAI updated its extension to allow the assistant to compare, summarize, and, under certain conditions, act on open pages. The information comes from OpenAI’s official documentation and the company’s announcement.

What ChatGPT Can Do with Chrome Tabs

Why Does This Feature Matter to Chrome Users?

The usefulness lies in the fact that ChatGPT is no longer limited to the tab that appears in the foreground. It can use the content of multiple open pages as context, so the user does not need to copy and paste each piece of data into a separate conversation. For those comparing products, suppliers, or services, the change reduces several manual steps.

The feature activates when Chrome is mentioned within the ChatGPT web or desktop app. From there, the assistant can check the available tabs depending on the chosen mode and granted permissions. It is not an automatic reading of the entire browser: access requires user action and permission.

What Is the Difference Between Chat and Work Modes?

In Chat mode, ChatGPT can browse open pages and summarize or compare the information it finds. In other words, it analyzes the content to provide a response, but the source of that response is the tabs the user has made accessible.

Work mode adds the ability to act. According to OpenAI, it can send messages, fill out forms, or download files from those tabs. The difference is significant: Chat is for consulting and organizing information, while Work also allows executing certain tasks directly on the pages.

OpenAI demonstrated the feature with a simple example: a person asks to compare three tabs with sofas they are considering before purchasing. The demonstration nicely summarizes the tool’s approach: gathering scattered information and presenting it usefully without having to review each page separately.

How to Use the Feature and Check Its Permissions

What Do You Need to Get Started?

To use the new tool, you need to have the ChatGPT extension for Chrome installed and the ChatGPT desktop application. Availability is not identical for all users: OpenAI states it depends on the subscribed plan, region, and device.

The sidebar panel also received changes. It can now show the full history of Chat and Work conversations without the user having to leave the page they are viewing. This helps maintain conversational context while reviewing tabs (a small but quite practical detail).

• Install the ChatGPT extension for Google Chrome and make sure you have the ChatGPT desktop app installed.
• Open the pages you want to consult or compare in multiple browser tabs.
• Enter the ChatGPT web or desktop app and mention Chrome within the conversation.
• Select Chat mode if you want to summarize or compare page content.
• Use Work mode if you need ChatGPT to send messages, fill out forms, or download files.
• Review the permission request before authorizing access to browsing history.

Which Permissions Should You Review Before Authorizing?

OpenAI clarifies that the extension explicitly requests permission before accessing browsing history. That history may include searches and internal work addresses, so authorization should not be granted without reviewing what information may become available to the feature.

The decision is especially relevant when there are tabs with work data, unsent forms, or queries the user does not want to share. Control is in the user’s hands: they can read the request and decide whether or not to grant access before using the tabs features.

• The extension requests permission before accessing browsing history.
• The tabs contain information you want to compare, such as prices, features, or services from different providers.
• Chat mode summarizes or compares the pages you have provided as context.
• Work mode performs an action, such as filling out a form, sending a message, or downloading a file.
• The sidebar shows the history of Chat and Work without forcing you to leave the open page.

If the extension cannot work with the tabs, the cause may lie in gradual availability, the plan, region, device, or browser used. The source does not provide specific Chrome versions or a list of compatible plans, so confirming a specific combination beyond these general conditions is not possible.

Which Browsers Are Supported and What Changes Compared to Atlas

Which Browsers Is It Available On?

Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi support the ChatGPT sidebar, according to OpenAI’s official documentation. Opera has more limited reach: it allows mentioning tabs and controlling the browser from the desktop app but does not offer exactly the same sidebar functionality.

This difference matters because “using tabs” does not mean the same thing across all browsers. Before looking for an extension issue, it is advisable to check what capability OpenAI attributes to a specific browser. The source does not mention other browsers or provide a table of affected versions.

What Is the Relationship Between This Feature and Atlas and Gemini?

The update comes after OpenAI discontinued Atlas, the standalone browser it had launched months earlier. Official ChatGPT release notes indicate that Atlas stopped working on August 9, 2026.

Instead of maintaining a separate browser, OpenAI explained it would build “a more capable browsing experience” within ChatGPT and Codex, its programming tool. The multi-tab functions in Chrome are part of this shift toward products the user already uses.

The strategy also brings ChatGPT closer to a feature Google offers with Gemini in Chrome. According to the source, Gemini can work with multiple tabs and connect to Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive. OpenAI’s proposal thus enters direct competition to turn the browser into an AI-assisted workspace.

ChatGPT’s rollout is gradual. OpenAI points out that access depends on the subscribed plan, region, and device but does not provide a single date for all users or a complete list of technical requirements in the available information.

Using the feature wisely means granting access only when necessary, reviewing tabs before activating Work mode, and checking every form, message, or download before considering the task complete. Keeping the extension and app updated can help have the published fixes, although the source does not detail an update schedule.

If unexpected permissions appear, actions that do not match the given command, or problems with work-related information arise, it is prudent to stop the session, revoke granted permission, and consult OpenAI’s official documentation. Protection depends as much on the tool as on reviewing what tabs are shared and what action is authorized. ChatGPT gains capability in Chrome, but the user retains control over access and management of their pages.