The ChatGPT macOS app is not displaying any of my existing chat history or Projects.
The same account works correctly in the web version of ChatGPT, where all chats and Projects are visible. However, in the macOS app, the sidebar does not show the history or Projects, and searching for existing chats returns no results.
Environment
macOS version: 26.5.2 (25F84)
ChatGPT macOS app version: 26.707.62119
App release date: July 13, 2026
App source: Downloaded directly from the official OpenAI website
Steps to reproduce
Open the ChatGPT macOS app.
Sign in using the same account used on the web version.
Check the sidebar for existing chats and Projects.
Search for a known existing chat.
Compare the results with the ChatGPT web version.
Actual result
Existing chat history is not displayed.
Projects are not displayed.
Search returns no results for chats that are visible on the web.
The app appears as though the account has no previous chats or Projects.
Expected result
The macOS app should display the same chats, Projects, and search results that are available in the web version for the same account.
Troubleshooting already attempted
Quit and reopened the app.
Signed out and signed back in.
Deleted the app completely.
Downloaded a fresh copy from the official OpenAI website.
Reinstalled the app.
Confirmed that the web version still displays all chats and Projects correctly.
I also tried using the OpenAI Help chatbot. However, the troubleshooting process kept going in circles and referred to “Chat” and “Quickchat” buttons that do not appear to exist in this version of the macOS app.
I will attach screenshots showing the difference between the web version and the macOS app.
This appears to be an account-data synchronization or history-loading issue specific to the new macOS client.
I updated my app on Mac this morning, and now none of my projects are showing up. The only way I can access them is through the browser-based client. Also, why are chats now only available in the small pop-up bar at the bottom? This is really disappointing.
macOS
(Insert your macOS version here if you know it)
Summary
After updating from the previous standalone Codex desktop app to the new ChatGPT desktop application, the application launches directly into the Codex workspace.
My previous Codex projects are present and work correctly.
However, the Chat experience only opens a lightweight floating chat window and does not display my existing ChatGPT conversation history, even though all conversations are present on chatgpt.com.
Expected behaviour
The new unified desktop application should provide access to:
Chat
Work
Codex
My existing ChatGPT conversations should be visible in the desktop app in the same way they are on chatgpt.com, consistent with the announced unified desktop experience. OpenAI
Actual behaviour
The application opens into the Codex interface.
The sidebar contains:
New task
Scheduled
Plugins
Pull requests
Chat
Projects
Selecting Chat opens a floating chat window only.
The floating window:
can create new chats
has an “Add to task” button
has no conversation history
has no history sidebar
has no sidebar toggle
remains without history even when resized to a much larger width.
The menu bar and application continue to behave as a Codex application.
Examples:
View menu contains:
Toggle Bottom Panel
Toggle Pinned Summary
Open Terminal
Toggle File Tree
Previous Task
Next Task
Command-K opens the Codex command palette.
There appears to be no way to switch the application into a full ChatGPT interface.
Notes
There are reports from other users describing similar behaviour after the recent desktop rollout, where the desktop app exposes Work/Codex but the expected Chat experience or history is missing.
Same issue here. I cannot see any chat history or Projects, and the new layout is significantly less useful for my workflow.
I discovered that the classic macOS client can still be installed with:
brew install chatgpt-classic
That provides a temporary workaround, but it does not address the underlying problem.
I have also opened an account with Anthropic to evaluate Claude as a backup. Much of our work now depends on these systems, so we cannot afford failures of this kind, even if they are temporary. Having a reliable fallback, or moving to a platform with more dependable client support, is becoming essential.
As a software engineer, I find it difficult to understand how a release that removes access to both chat history and Projects passed quality assurance. These are core features, not edge cases. A client update should never leave users unable to access the work they depend on.
When I hover my cursor over ‘chat’ in the side panel, a list of 5 recent chats pops up. If I click on a chat, it opens it in a small ugly window that comes up out the chat box. If I click the title of the chat in that window, it shows a list of all my previous chats in that window, but I can’t seem to open the chat to fill the workspace like the previous version of the app. A horrible experience so far.
I hope this is a bug that will be fixed ASAP! If not, is it possible to go back to the previous version?
I’m experiencing the exact same issue. At first, I thought it was a problem with my Mac, but it was already up to date. I even uninstalled and reinstalled the ChatGPT app multiple times and spent a lot of time yesterday trying to figure out what had gone wrong.
Eventually, I searched online, found your post, and realized it isn’t a local issue after all. Hopefully, this gets resolved soon.
