Persistent Tab Groups and Session Restore in ChatGPT Desktop

ChatGPT Feature requests
1

I use ChatGPT Desktop extensively for multiple long-running projects and usually work with several conversations in parallel.

I know that native multi-tab functionality has already been requested in existing discussions, including:

  • “Multi-Tab Chat Interface, and ability to access archived chats from account”

  • “Feature-Request: open in new tab chats”

I fully support those requests.

However, I would like to extend the idea beyond simply opening multiple conversations in tabs.

What would be especially useful for professional and project-based workflows is a persistent workspace consisting of conversation tabs, tab groups, integration with ChatGPT Projects, and automatic session restoration after restarting the Desktop app.

1. Native conversation tabs

Allow multiple ChatGPT conversations to remain open as tabs inside the Desktop app.

Opening another conversation should not replace the currently active conversation. Users should be able to choose “Open in new tab”, similar to a browser or IDE.

For example:

Support Hub Project

Architecture\] \[Shopify Integration\] \[Deployment\] \[Current PR

Automation Project

API\] \[Supplier Integration\] \[Testing

SEO Project

Content\] \[Automation\] \[Research

Useful tab actions could include:

  • Open conversation in new tab

  • Close tab

  • Reopen closed tab

  • Pin tab

  • Drag tabs to reorder them

  • Move tabs between groups

  • Duplicate/open the same conversation in another window if needed

  • Keyboard shortcuts for switching between tabs

2. Tab groups

Tabs should be groupable, similar to tab groups in modern browsers.

Users should be able to:

  • Create and name a tab group

  • Drag conversations into a group

  • Collapse and expand groups

  • Reorder groups

  • Move tabs between groups

  • Optionally assign a color or icon to a group

This would be particularly useful for users who work on multiple projects at the same time.

For example:

PROJECT: SUPPORT HUB

Current PR\] \[Architecture\] \[Deployment\] \[Testing

PROJECT: ORDER AUTOMATION

Shopify API\] \[Supplier Integration\] \[Deployment

PROJECT: SEO

Content\] \[Research\] \[Automation

3. Persistent workspace and session restore

This is the most important part of the request.

When ChatGPT Desktop is closed and reopened, the previous workspace should automatically be restored.

That should include:

  • Open conversation tabs

  • Tab groups

  • Tab order

  • Group order

  • Active conversation

  • Pinned tabs

  • Collapsed or expanded groups

There could be a setting such as:

“Restore previous workspace on startup”

This would make ChatGPT Desktop behave more like a persistent professional workspace, similar to modern browsers, IDEs, and development tools.

Currently, users who work with many conversations often need to find and reopen the same chats again after starting a new session.

4. Integration with ChatGPT Projects

Projects and tabs solve two different problems and could work very well together.

Projects organize long-term conversations, files, instructions, and context.

Tabs represent the smaller number of conversations a user is actively working with right now.

For example, a Project might contain 30 conversations, but I may only need four of them open during my current work session.

Useful actions inside a Project could therefore include:

  • Open in new tab

  • Open in existing tab group

  • Open all pinned conversations in tabs

  • Create tab group from Project

A Project should not automatically require every conversation to be open as a tab.

5. Preserve conversation UI state

When switching between tabs, ChatGPT Desktop should ideally preserve the current state of each conversation.

This could include:

  • Scroll position

  • Unsent draft text

  • Current location within a long conversation

This is especially valuable when working with long technical conversations or research.

Why this matters

For users who use ChatGPT as a serious daily work tool, the sidebar alone becomes inefficient once many projects and conversations are involved.

Browser tab groups already solve this workflow very effectively.

For example, I currently use browser tab groups to keep several ChatGPT conversations grouped by project. When I reopen the browser, the same tabs and groups remain available and I can immediately continue working.

I would prefer to use ChatGPT Desktop for this workflow, but without persistent tabs and groups, the browser currently provides better workspace management.

Native persistent tab groups would make ChatGPT Desktop significantly more useful for:

  • Software development

  • E-commerce workflows

  • Research

  • Project management

  • Business operations

  • Long-running projects

  • Users working across several ChatGPT conversations simultaneously

The existing multi-tab feature requests already address the need to work across multiple conversations.

This proposal specifically extends that concept into a persistent workspace:

Native conversation tabs + tab groups + ChatGPT Project integration + automatic session restore.

Thank you for considering it.

Multi-Tab Chat Interface, and ability to access archived chats from account