ChatGPT is now easier to use on your Mac computer. OpenAI's popular AI chatbot is now available to all macOS users, the company announced Tuesday. The app was first announced ahead of Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) last June. At WWDC, the two companies jointly announced integration between OpenAI's chatbots and Apple's operating systems for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
On the latter platform, users can quickly invoke ChatGPT using the Option + Space keyboard combination after installing the new ChatGPT app.
This gives you access to an AI chatbot that will feel instantly familiar to macOS users who regularly use other keyboard shortcuts like Command + Space to pop up a search bar to access Spotlight Search. But instead of traditional searching, you can access a wider world of knowledge at the touch of a button. When ChatGPT runs, you'll see a chat interface overlaid at the top of the screen.
The launch of OpenAI's macOS app was a bit overshadowed when it was originally announced, as it launched alongside its flagship generative AI model, GPT-4o, which promises more advanced intelligence, including the ability to process video as well as text and voice. (The AI model is given its name due to its multimodal capabilities and media understanding abilities; the “o” stands for “omni.”)
ChatGPT's desktop app is a new app for both free and paid users, announced in the same press release. The company noted at the time that it can be invoked with a simple keyboard shortcut and users can also take screenshots and discuss them directly from the app. Users can upload files and other photos through the macOS app, as well as speak to ChatGPT from their desktop and search for past conversations.
The app has been slowly rolling out to Mac users, starting with Plus subscribers, but today the company announced in a post about X that it's now available to everyone.
This isn't the only integration of OpenAI with Apple devices. At WWDC, the two companies announced a broader deal that will give Apple customers access to ChatGPT on iPhone and iPad, including other areas that could benefit from AI, like Siri and writing tools. This integration is also supported by GPT-4o and will be rolled out to Apple customers later this year with the release of Apple's latest operating system.
