ChatGPT Agent on Desktop: Windows, Mac, and Linux

ChatGPT Work, the autonomous task agent in ChatGPT (commonly called the ChatGPT agent), runs on desktop through any modern browser on Windows, macOS and Linux, and through native apps on Windows and macOS. The agent features are consistent across all three; the native apps add system-level conveniences such as a menu-bar icon and a global keyboard shortcut.

Starting an agent task on one machine and continuing it on another, or handing it to a different AI tool, works best when the task brief and its progress live outside the chat. A tool like fenbs keeps that record available on any device so the next session picks up exactly where the last one stopped.

What ChatGPT Work does on desktop

When you give ChatGPT Work a multi-step task, the model plans and carries it out on your behalf. It uses built-in tools including web search, code execution and file reading, deciding which to call and in what order. The result arrives in your ChatGPT conversation thread.

This is different from the computer-control mode that gives the model a remote desktop to click. ChatGPT Work operates entirely within the ChatGPT interface; it does not open or interact with applications installed on your local machine. For a broader overview of how the agent tier operates, see ChatGPT agent mode.

Getting started on Windows

On Windows you can reach the ChatGPT agent through the web at chatgpt.com in any modern browser, or through the native Windows desktop app available from OpenAI's site and the Microsoft Store. The app adds a system-tray icon and a global keyboard shortcut so you can open a new chat without switching windows.

For agent tasks that run for several minutes, the native app keeps the session visible in the background. The conversation syncs with your account, so switching between the app and the browser on the same machine continues the same thread.

Getting started on Mac

The macOS desktop app is available from OpenAI's site and from the Mac App Store. It adds a menu-bar icon and a global shortcut. On compatible Mac models it also supports Voice Mode. For agent tasks the workflow is the same as on Windows: describe the task, let the model work, then review the output in the thread.

All agent features are available through chatgpt.com in a browser too. The native app's value is in the system integration, not in additional agent capability.

Linux access through the browser

OpenAI does not currently publish a native Linux desktop app. On Linux, the ChatGPT agent is available through chatgpt.com in Chrome, Firefox or another Chromium-based browser. Every agent feature is available; you simply have no system-tray icon or OS-level shortcut.

Most Linux desktop environments let you bind a custom keyboard shortcut to a terminal or browser command that opens chatgpt.com. That is a local machine configuration, not a ChatGPT feature.

Desktop agent versus computer control

It is worth being precise about what ChatGPT Work can reach on your desktop. When it runs a task, it uses its own sandboxed tools: web search, code execution in its own environment, and files you provide. It does not see your screen, move your cursor or interact with locally installed applications.

That boundary matters for what you can ask it to do. It can research a topic and return a summary; it cannot open your spreadsheet app and write in numbers. See the comparison in ChatGPT Work vs Claude Cowork for how different AI task products handle this split.

Keeping context when you move between devices

A completed agent task stays in your ChatGPT conversation history, which syncs across devices. A task you want to continue on a different device the next day, or hand to a different AI tool, is harder without an outside record of the goal and what was done.

The pattern that helps: before closing a session, note the goal, the completed steps and the next action somewhere outside the chat. When you return on any device, that record removes the need to reconstruct context from memory. fenbs makes this deliberate: a connected assistant saves progress before stopping, and the next session reads Where we left off to start from the right place. The ChatGPT agent mode overview covers how multi-session tasks are structured.

How to do this with fenbs

1. Create a free account and add a project for the work your agent will handle.
2. Write the goal as a fenbs task, including any rules that apply and what has already been done.
3. Connect a supported AI app from Integrations. Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and others can read the task via MCP (a standard connection for AI tools) before starting work.
4. Before closing a session, ask your assistant to save progress: what it completed, what it checked and what the next step is.
5. On a different device or in a different tool, ask the assistant to read the project context. It finds the task and the saved progress without you re-explaining anything.

fenbs does not connect directly to ChatGPT's task scheduler or run agent tasks for you. It keeps your record of the work in one place, accessible from the web app or the fenbs phone app on any device.