Why remove Canvas instead of adding full screen mode to it?

ChatGPT Feature requests
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1

I wanted to leave some feedback on the new edit box experience that seems to have replaced Canvas.

For my workflow, it feels like a downgrade.

The thing I valued most about Canvas was the side by side layout. I could keep the conversation open while working on the draft. That meant I could brainstorm, ask follow up questions, rewrite a section, compare versions, and keep the wider context in view.

That was the whole point for me. It was not just a place to type. It was a writing space connected to the conversation.

The new edit box does not really give me that same workflow. Full screen mode is useful, but it solves a different problem. More writing space is nice, but it does not replace being able to work on a document while still seeing and using the chat beside it.

There were other Canvas features that mattered as well. Version control, styling options, and comments were all useful. They made Canvas feel like a lightweight document workspace, not just an enlarged text field.

From what I can see, those features have either been removed or made much harder to find.

My main question is this: why could full screen mode not simply have been added to the original Canvas experience?

That would have given people the focused view without removing the side by side workflow, version history, styling options, and comments that made Canvas valuable.

For me, Canvas was one of the main reasons I kept using ChatGPT over Claude for writing heavy work. I used it every day for posts, documents, planning, and longer drafts. It was one of ChatGPT’s strongest advantages.

The new experience may be cleaner, but it feels much less useful. I would really like to see the original Canvas workflow come back, even if it is just offered as an option.

2

Agreed! I may be moving to Claude for copywriting. I think its artifacts feature might be the closest match to canvas. It’s really too bad; I loved working with ChatGPT until this happened.

3

现在的情况是那个所谓的替代的新功能，writing blocks，似乎也没法使用了。disgusting。

4

Exactly! Very much agreed.

Doesn’t seem like an adequate replacement at all.

5

Fully agree. The new feature is not even close to Canvas.

6

I share this sentiment.

For me, the main loss is not just the interface itself, but the workflow that Canvas supported. The side-by-side view made it possible to treat ChatGPT as a collaborative writing environment. I could keep the conversation, reasoning, alternatives, and draft visible at the same time.

That mattered a lot for writing-heavy work. Canvas let me work on a document without losing sight of the conversation around it. I could brainstorm, ask follow-up questions, rewrite sections, compare versions, and keep the broader context in view while working directly on the text.

The new edit box feels much more like an enlarged input field. Full screen mode is useful for focus, but it solves a different problem. More space does not replace the ability to work on a document while still seeing and using the chat beside it.

I would also add that this affects coding workflows, not only prose writing. Canvas made it much easier to work iteratively on longer code snippets or scripts: keep the surrounding conversation visible, ask follow-up questions, compare alternatives, and revise the code in a stable workspace. In the new experience, coding feels more fragmented. From what I can see, code blocks are no longer editable in the same practical way, which makes it harder to refine scripts or analysis code step by step.

I also miss the sense that Canvas was a lightweight workspace, with features such as version history, comments, styling options, and more practical editing affordances. Those were part of what made Canvas really useful.

I would strongly prefer either restoring the original Canvas experience or offering it as an optional mode alongside the new edit box. The new interface may be cleaner, but for users who relied on Canvas for longer drafts, document editing, planning, and code iteration, it feels like a significant step backward.

7

100%, you raised some really good points. I hadn’t actually thought of the impact on coding as well as writing, but as you pointed out, the principle is the same. The ability to have a brainstorming partner with you at the same time, whether it’s writing or coding, is what makes Canvas so great.

Without that and all the other additional features of rapid functionality you suggested, it’s just an edit box (which is what we seem to have now). Please keep Canvas, or at least give it as an option.

8

Canvas is really important for non technical users. Sure, codex could replace it but think about vibe coders and especially kids!

it is the only platform that lets them discuss code and change in realtime. please rediscuss this internally.

It is very useful to be able to have code on a tab and discuss it on the side, without any further options and complications.

9

Completely agree. Please restore canvas as it was. Working with the chat sidebar was great because you could research there and edit the text while you did it without having to scroll up half a mile to find the text you were working on. Whose Idea was it to get rid of that incredible workflow system?

10

Thanks for your contribution here, bloggs. I very much appreciate it.

I also share the same headache of using the new system and constantly having to scroll up and down, which certainly puts me off even attempting to have a conversation. also curious; what data has informed the decision to turn off Canvas?

11

No trouble at all!

I have found a workaround which helps with the problem we face. (I am using Windows 11.) You can right click on the app logo in the task bar at the bottom and select Open Companion Window. Within that you can then open the existing chat with your text block and ask questions and research further at the bottom of the chat while your text remains accessible in the original window. Its seems to work very similarly to the sidebar.

Hope this helps with your workflow. It seems to help with mine.

12

The issue for me is: I have multiple canvas docs in one chat and I still have to keep scrolling through large chats just to find my stored information. Whereas before I could just hit the button for the canvas docs at the top and easily have the information that I saved right there.

Edit: my old chats that had character information for my stories in neat canvas docs are fully gone. In fact, in the chat there is no separate window to click on whatsoever, so it is really just the long chat that I have to scroll through. Oh and details I manually added to the canvas doc, but wasn’t in the regular chat? Have no way of viewing that anymore. Amazing.

13

I agree. Removing canvas and replacing it the inline writing blocs is step backward. When I upload a document to word the formatting is not of the same quality and there is no option to export as .MD (I realize that is not a huge deal but it was still convenient). Also, prompting to edit within the bloc is more limited than in the canvas. I think this is something they need to reconsider with a future release.

14

Thank you for sharing this request. The core capability you described is now available. Please see What is the canvas feature in ChatGPT and how do I use it? for current availability and setup details. We’re closing this topic while keeping it visible for reference.