OpenAI’s standalone Atlas browser now has an August 9 deprecation target after the company folded Codex and ChatGPT Work into a new ChatGPT desktop app on Thursday. The new Mac and Windows app puts Chat, Work and Codex in one window, while the older ChatGPT desktop app becomes ChatGPT Classic.

The release turns OpenAI’s March desktop-app plan into a migration for real users. Implicator covered that plan when OpenAI outlined a unified desktop app that combines AI tools into a single workspace. The July version adds the missing pieces: who updates, what Atlas users lose and how much friction appears when one app tries to serve chat, coding and browser work at once.

OpenAI has a large distribution base for the bet. Business Insider reported that OpenAI engineer Thibault Sottiaux said ChatGPT has almost 1 billion users. OpenAI has said Codex has more than 5 million weekly users, with more than 1 million using it outside software development.

Key Takeaways

AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.

Codex users get a ChatGPT migration

OpenAI said existing Codex users can update the Codex app and keep their projects, settings and workflows. After the update, Codex becomes the new ChatGPT desktop app, with Codex still available as a dedicated coding mode. 9to5Mac reported that developers can make Codex the default view and keep the Codex icon on macOS.

ChatGPT Work sits beside Codex as the broader agent mode for non-coding tasks. OpenAI said Work can gather context from connected apps and files, create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and web apps, and stay with a project for hours by breaking it into smaller steps.

On web and mobile, ChatGPT Work starts with Pro, Enterprise and Edu users, with Plus and Business access scheduled over the following days. In the desktop app, OpenAI said Chat, Work and Codex are available globally on every plan, including Free.

GPT-5.6 sets the access tiers

The app launch arrived with the public rollout of GPT-5.6, OpenAI’s Sol, Terra and Luna model family. In ChatGPT Work and Codex, Free and Go users get Terra. Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise users can choose among Sol, Terra and Luna and set an effort level.

OpenAI said max is available to users with GPT-5.6 access in Work and Codex. ultra is available to Pro and Enterprise users in Work and to Plus and higher plans in Codex.

OpenAI priced the models at $5 per million input tokens and $30 per million output tokens for Sol, $2.50 and $15 for Terra, and $1 and $6 for Luna. The company said Sol outperforms previous and competing frontier models with fewer tokens and lower estimated cost.

Atlas moves behind the ChatGPT window

OpenAI is not keeping Atlas as a separate product. OpenAI’s James Sun said the current deprecation target is August 9, according to 9to5Mac. OpenAI said the new ChatGPT desktop app includes browser capabilities, and an updated Chrome extension will let users work directly from Chrome’s sidebar.

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The timing makes Atlas a not-even-year-old browser. It arrived on Mac in October as OpenAI’s standalone desktop browser. The new ChatGPT desktop app is available on both Mac and Windows, while Atlas users are being moved into that app instead of a separate browser.

Inside the new app, the browser becomes a tool for Work and Codex. It can pull in web pages, online files and cloud tools during longer tasks, rather than trying to be a general Chrome replacement.

Critics point to size and interface

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber wrote that the older native ChatGPT Mac app is a 159 MB bundle, while the new combined app is a 1.5 GB Electron bundle. Spyglass writer M.G. Siegler focused on the interface, describing ChatGPT Work and ChatGPT Codex as separate modes while ordinary chat is pushed into the sidebar.

Business Insider quoted Codex leader Andrew Ambrosino saying the merger is “only the first” step. He said OpenAI wants to unify the experience across web, mobile and desktop “thoughtfully, not smash two things together with a toggle and call it a day.”

If the August 9 target holds, Atlas users have less than a month before the standalone browser is deprecated in favor of the ChatGPT desktop app. The same app will also carry Codex projects, ChatGPT Work tasks and standard chat sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is happening to ChatGPT Atlas?

OpenAI is sunsetting Atlas as a standalone browser. OpenAI’s James Sun said the current deprecation target is August 9, and the new ChatGPT desktop app now carries browser capabilities.

What happens to the Codex desktop app?

Existing Codex users can update the app and keep projects, settings and workflows. The updated app becomes the new ChatGPT desktop app, with Codex still available as a dedicated mode.

Who gets ChatGPT Work?

On web and mobile, ChatGPT Work starts with Pro, Enterprise and Edu users, with Plus and Business following. In the desktop app, OpenAI says Chat, Work and Codex are available on every plan, including Free.

What are GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra and Luna?

They are OpenAI’s three GPT-5.6 capability tiers. Sol is the flagship, Terra is the balanced tier, and Luna is the lower-cost tier. API list prices run from $1/$6 per million tokens for Luna to $5/$30 for Sol.

Why did early reviewers criticize the new Mac app?

Daring Fireball cited the shift from a 159 MB native ChatGPT Mac app to a 1.5 GB Electron bundle. Spyglass criticized the new mode structure, where Work and Codex sit up front and ordinary chat moves into the sidebar.

AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.

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Editor-in-Chief and founder of Implicator.ai. Former ARD correspondent and senior broadcast journalist with 10+ years covering tech. Writes daily briefings on policy and market developments. Based in San Francisco. E-mail: editor@implicator.ai