Folder Structure and Tags for Better Chat Organization

Dear OpenAI Team,

I would like to propose a feature that could greatly enhance the usability of ChatGPT, especially for users managing both professional and personal tasks: a folder structure or tagging system to better organize chats.

Currently, chats are organized chronologically, which can become overwhelming, particularly when working on multiple projects or themes simultaneously. With the ability to group chats into folders or assign tags, users could:

• Categorize chats by topics such as “Work,” “Personal,” or specific projects,

• Access relevant information more efficiently,

• Maintain a clear and structured overview of their conversations.

Ideally, this functionality could include:

  1. Folder Creation: Allow users to move chats into folders via drag-and-drop or a context menu.

  2. Tagging and Filtering: Enable users to assign custom tags to chats and filter conversations based on these tags.

  3. Favorites or Pinning: Highlight or pin important chats for quick access.

Implementing such an organizational system would not only improve user experience but also increase the platform’s appeal for business users and power users alike.

Thank you for considering this suggestion. I would greatly appreciate any feedback and would be happy to provide additional details if needed.

Best regards,
Raphael

3 Likes

yes to “folder structure” :slight_smile:

Hi, I encountered the same issue, as I frequently use ChatGPT for brainstorming and ideation. To address this, I built a simple Chrome extension last weekend that allows me to organize my chats into a nested folder structure.

I’m currently working on fixing the final bugs. If you’re interested, I can share the link once the extension is published.

Best

Yh exactly Open AI needs a folder/project system where we can store and retrieve information regarding the project. Building a GPT is too long and not effective sometimes you just want continuity and the ability to come back to the folder/project.

Claude has such a feature called projects at the moment so it would be great to get an even better version of that. Somewhere where we could store excel sheets, pdfs, word docs, links, previous chats etc.

For example I was doing an analysis of 20 products I had available and I really wanted to store the info that I just had gotten my chat to understand and now with how much I use chatgpt the chat or ideas will probably be lost forever as it will just keep sinking more and more to the bottom.

So yh all of this would be great and would make ChatGpt 50% even better and more productive!

looks like chatgpt released “projects-folder” to organize your conversations

Hi,

This is a request to implement two things:

Tags, Nested Tags AND

a Label based folder system or Tag Folders – this way you can have the flexibility of Tags with the visual appeal of folders without any rigidity in terms of organization. Any file can potentially live as a pointer or shortcut in any folder(s) for super easy access based on topic.

Below is my formal request for this feature for ordinary Chats and NOT just Projects. If they can apply it to their Projects system as well so much the better. It offers the possibility of traditional folders as well – where a file lives exclusively in one folder (presumably without shortcuts to it in other folders.)

:small_blue_diamond: Feature Request: AI-Assisted Nested Tagging & Nested Folders for Chat Organization in ChatGPT Windows Desktop App


:pushpin: Summary of the Request

The Chat Navigation Pane in the ChatGPT Windows desktop app lacks structured organization tools, making it difficult to efficiently manage large volumes of conversations.

To improve usability, we propose a dual-organization system that includes:

  1. AI-Assisted Nested Tagging (Soft Categorization) – Inspired by Obsidian’s Tag Folder Plugin, Google Mail Labels, and Evernote Tags, allowing multiple cross-categorizations per chat while supporting nested structures.
  2. Traditional Nested Folders (Hard Categorization) – Similar to file management systems, allowing users to nest folders hierarchically and store each chat in a single structured location.

Additionally, ChatGPT should assist users in generating, managing, and suggesting relevant tags and folder names based on chat content for an intelligent and dynamic organization system.


:pushpin: The Proposed Solution: Implementing AI-Assisted Nested Tags & Nested Folders

:white_check_mark: :one: AI-Assisted Tag Creation & Management (Soft Categorization)

  • ChatGPT should automatically suggest relevant tags based on chat content.
  • Users can manually accept, reject, or modify AI-generated tag suggestions.
  • Example: A chat about neural networks in Python could trigger AI-suggested tags like:

markdown

CopyEdit

▸ Programming  
  ▸ Python  
    - AI Projects  
    - Neural Networks  
▸ Research  
  ▸ Machine Learning  
    - Deep Learning  
  • Users should have an override option to customize and manually create their own tags.
  • Inspired by Obsidian’s Tag Folder Plugin and Google Mail Labels, this system ensures a single chat can exist in multiple categories at once for cross-referencing and easy retrieval.

:white_check_mark: :two: Nested Tagging System for Flexible Categorization

  • Tags should support multi-level hierarchies (e.g., AI > Deep Learning > NLP).
  • Clicking a parent tag should retrieve all related sub-tag chats.
  • Clicking a sub-tag should retrieve only specific chats.
  • Collapsible tag lists should allow for clean UI presentation.

:white_check_mark: :three: Nested Folder System for Structured Organization (Hard Categorization)

  • Users who prefer traditional folders should be able to create nested folder hierarchies, allowing each chat to reside in only one structured folder.
  • Example Folder Structure:

CopyEdit

📁 My Business Chats  
   ├──📂 Marketing  
   │   ├──📂 Social Media  
   │   ├──📂 SEO Strategies  
   │   ├──📂 PPC Advertising  
   ├──📂 Finance  
   │   ├──📂 Budgeting  
   │   ├──📂 Investment Planning  
   ├──📂 Sales  
  • Inspired by:
    • Traditional File Management Systems (Windows Explorer, macOS Finder, Google Drive)
    • Obsidian’s Nested Folder System
    • Notion’s Sidebar Folder Organization

:white_check_mark: :four: AI-Assisted Folder Management

  • AI should suggest appropriate folders based on chat content.
  • Example: A chat about startup growth strategies might prompt AI to recommend moving it under:

CopyEdit

📁 Business > Startups > Growth Strategies  
  • Users can override or manually organize folders as desired.

:white_check_mark: :five: Smart Search & Quick Navigation Panel for Tags & Folders

  • Users should be able to search and filter by both tags and folders in a dedicated sidebar.
  • AI should auto-suggest related tags or folders when searching for topics.

:pushpin: Advantages of an AI-Assisted Nested Tagging & Folder System

Feature AI-Assisted Nested Tags Traditional Nested Folders
Categorization Style Soft categorization (Chats can have multiple labels) Hard categorization (Each chat exists in one folder only)
AI-Powered Suggestions AI suggests relevant tags & sub-tags, reducing manual effort. AI suggests folder placements based on chat topics.
Cross-Category Organization A chat about AI in marketing can be tagged as both #AI and #Marketing. The chat would have to be placed in either AI or Marketing, not both.
Scalable for Large Chats Nested tags keep everything structured without creating too many rigid folders. Nested folders are good for users who prefer structured, contained systems.
Better for Searching Users can filter by one or multiple tags at a time for fast retrieval. Users can browse by folder hierarchy but must rely more on manual navigation.

:white_check_mark: Example:

  • A business-related AI conversation can be tagged with both:

nginx

CopyEdit

Business > Marketing > AI Advertising  
Research > Machine Learning > NLP  
  • Instead of choosing one category, users can retrieve the chat under multiple relevant searches.
  • Alternatively, a user who prefers folders can place the chat under:

CopyEdit

📁 Business > Marketing > AI Advertising  

:pushpin: Potential Disadvantages & Considerations

:cross_mark: Tag Overload (Too Many Tags Can Be Messy)

  • If users create too many similar tags, the system may become unmanageable.
    :light_bulb: Solution: AI should recommend merging redundant tags (e.g., suggesting that #DeepLearning and #NeuralNetworks be combined).

:cross_mark: Learning Curve for Some Users

  • Some users might find tags less intuitive than folders.
    :light_bulb: Solution: Provide folders as an alternative for those who prefer a simple directory-style system.

:cross_mark: UI Complexity for Large Sets of Tags/Folders

  • If too many tags or folders exist, the UI might feel cluttered.
    :light_bulb: Solution:
    • Implement collapsible folder and tag lists.
    • Provide a search bar for tags for quick navigation.

:pushpin: Expected Benefits of AI-Assisted Nested Tagging & Folder System

:check_mark: AI-Driven Smart Organization

  • Reduces manual effort in categorizing chats.
  • Suggests relevant tag hierarchies and folder locations based on chat content.

:check_mark: Better Knowledge Organization & Learning

  • Users studying multiple subjects (e.g., AI, coding, business) can efficiently organize and retrieve information.

:check_mark: Improved Productivity & Project Management

  • Teams managing projects (e.g., Marketing > Social Media > Ad Campaigns) can group related chats dynamically.

:check_mark: Scalable for Long-Term Users

  • Works well even with hundreds or thousands of conversations.

:check_mark: Customization for Different User Preferences

  • Users can choose between nested tags (flexible categorization) or folders (structured categorization).

:pushpin: Next Steps

:light_bulb: OpenAI should introduce AI-assisted chat tagging and a folder system as an optional feature, allowing users to:

  • Assign multiple AI-recommended nested tags per chat.
  • Filter and sort chats using structured tag hierarchies.
  • Manually override AI suggestions for complete user control.
  • Use nested folders instead of tags for those who prefer a traditional approach.

Would love to hear OpenAI’s feedback and thoughts on whether this could be implemented! :rocket::blush: