ChatGPT Appshots Send the Frontmost App Window Into a Chat on macOS and Windows
Appshots let the ChatGPT desktop app capture the frontmost app window, including the visible image and any text the app exposes, and attach it to a chat. Press both Command keys on macOS or both Alt keys on Windows. Windows support arrived on September 11, 2026; new Appshots still cannot be taken from the CLI.
OpenAI's Appshots send the frontmost app window on your computer into a ChatGPT chat. Press both Command keys on macOS or both Alt keys on Windows and ChatGPT attaches an image of the window plus any text the app makes available, so you can ask it to work from an API reference, an email, an error panel, or a form without describing what is on screen. The feature shipped in the Codex app on macOS on May 21, 2026, and reached the ChatGPT desktop app on Windows on September 11, 2026. (OpenAI Appshots documentation; ChatGPT changelog)
Key Takeaways
- An Appshot captures the frontmost window only: an image of the visible area and whatever text the app exposes, including off-screen text when the app provides it.
- Hotkeys: both Command keys on macOS, both Alt keys on Windows. Both can be replaced with a custom hotkey in ChatGPT settings.
- Windows support is new as of September 11, 2026 (desktop version 26.908). Until then Appshots were macOS only.
- An Appshot destination setting chooses where the capture lands: Current chat, New chat, or Automatic.
- The CLI cannot create an Appshot. It can only carry one forward when it resumes a chat that already contains it.
- Google Docs, Gmail, Sheets, and Slides may hand over only the visible screenshot; in ChatGPT Work or Codex a matching plugin can fill the gap.
- If Appshots fail, OpenAI's list is: update the app, check the hotkey, confirm your organization allows Appshots, and on macOS check two permissions.
How Appshots Work
- Bring the app window you want to share to the front.
- Press both Command keys on macOS or both Alt keys on Windows, or use the custom hotkey you configured in ChatGPT settings.
- Complete the permission setup if ChatGPT asks.
- Ask ChatGPT to perform a task with the Appshot.
By default, ChatGPT starts a new chat for the Appshot. If you interacted with a chat in the last 60 seconds, ChatGPT adds the Appshot to that recent chat instead, and consecutive Appshots go to the same chat, which lets you build a short sequence of visual context without attaching each capture by hand. You can override this in the app settings: set Appshot destination to Current chat or New chat, or keep Automatic for the behavior above. (OpenAI Appshots documentation)
On macOS there is a second entry point. When the floating Pets controls are open and the main ChatGPT window is in the background, an Appshot taken with the destination set to Automatic starts a new chat from those controls; this also works with the plain Mini controls. Complete the Appshots permission setup in the main app first. On Windows, Appshots open in the main app. (OpenAI Appshots documentation; OpenAI Pets documentation)
What ChatGPT Receives
An Appshot can include:
- An image of the visible frontmost window.
- Text that the app makes available, including text outside the visible scroll area when the app exposes it.
Once added, the Appshot behaves like an attachment. OpenAI says ChatGPT stores Appshots locally in the session file, like files or images you attach manually. Local storage does not keep the capture out of the conversation: taking an Appshot shares the captured image and available text with ChatGPT. (OpenAI Appshots documentation)
Where Appshots Are Available
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2026 | Appshots ship in the Codex app on macOS (version 26.519), both Command keys | ChatGPT changelog |
| July 23, 2026 | ChatGPT Voice (version 26.715) adds a macOS "Screen context" option that shares an Appshot of the frontmost window | ChatGPT changelog |
| August 28, 2026 | OpenAI Developers posts a list of ten example Appshot prompts with a demo video | OpenAI Developers on X |
| September 11, 2026 | Appshots reach the ChatGPT desktop app on Windows (version 26.908), both Alt keys; macOS gains Appshots to the floating Pets controls | ChatGPT changelog |
As of September 2026, OpenAI documents Appshots as a feature of the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS and Windows. The CLI can include an existing Appshot when it resumes a chat that already contains one, but it cannot create a new one. (OpenAI Appshots documentation; ChatGPT changelog)
Work and Codex Examples
The OpenAI Developers post lists ten prompts to run against an Appshot: a TL;DR of a Slack thread, filling out a form, using an API reference to add a feature to an app, pulling the themes out of replies on X, finding which DMs need a reply, drafting three follow-ups to a dashboard's top posts, turning notes into a presentation deck, trimming a video in iMovie, turning an open recipe into a grocery list, and planning the rest of a trip from an itinerary with web search. (OpenAI Developers on X)
OpenAI's documentation adds the cases it considers the fit: an API reference page to write a script against, an email or calendar view to draft the next step from, an image editor or design preview to revise assets or code against, and an error, settings panel, or app state that is easier to show than describe. In ChatGPT Work or Codex, ChatGPT can also use a matching installed plugin to reach the app's content directly when the capture is not enough. (OpenAI Appshots documentation)
Treat an Appshot as a context handoff, not a promise that ChatGPT can operate the app or read every part of the document. For driving the app itself, use computer use.
Limits and Troubleshooting
The capture limits, from OpenAI's documentation:
- Only the frontmost window is captured.
- For some apps and websites, including Google Docs, Gmail, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, ChatGPT may receive only the visible screenshot and not the full document or off-screen text.
- On macOS, new Appshots require the Screen & System Audio Recording and Accessibility permissions.
- Review captures the way you would review any screenshot or document shared with ChatGPT, and avoid sensitive content unless the task requires it.
If Appshots do not work, OpenAI's steps are to update the desktop app, check the configured hotkey, and confirm that your organization allows Appshots. On macOS, also open System Settings > Privacy & Security, confirm both permissions above are granted to Codex Computer Use, restart the app, and try again. (OpenAI Appshots documentation)
A Practical Way to Use Them
Start with a window whose contents are safe to share, such as a non-sensitive API reference or an error panel. Ask ChatGPT what it can read before asking for an action, especially when the app contains credentials, personal messages, or customer data. For Google Docs, Gmail, and similar web apps, ask whether it received the full text or only the visible screenshot before relying on the answer; if it only got the screenshot, scroll and take a second Appshot, or attach the document through a plugin in ChatGPT Work or Codex.
Appshots turn "look at what I have open" into an explicit attachment. The boundary is equally clear: desktop app on macOS or Windows for new captures, frontmost window only, and the available text depends on what the app exposes. If you talk to ChatGPT rather than type, ChatGPT Voice offers the same capture on macOS through its Screen context option.
Sources
- OpenAI, "Appshots" (read September 22, 2026): https://developers.openai.com/codex/appshots
- OpenAI, ChatGPT changelog, entries dated 2026-05-21 (26.519), 2026-07-23 (26.715), and 2026-09-11 (26.908) (read September 22, 2026): https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/changelog
- OpenAI, "Pets", section "Send Appshots to your pet" (read September 22, 2026): https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pets?surface=app
- OpenAI Developers on X, "Use appshots to ...", August 28, 2026 (read in full on September 22, 2026): https://x.com/OpenAIDevs/status/2093437797982204052
Read next
Related coverage- ChatGPT
ChatGPT Voice Can Start and Steer Codex Tasks on Desktop, With Mobile Remote Access
ChatGPT Voice gives a hands-free way to start, monitor, and steer Codex work in the ChatGPT desktop app, with mobile access through Codex on iOS after pairing an iPhone with a desktop host. Voice draws on your Codex usage budget at $0.05 per minute, or 1.25 credits per minute on credit-billed workspaces, and shares your plan’s usage limits.
- OpenAI
OpenAI Launches Computer History for ChatGPT and Codex on Mac
Computer History is an opt-in, off-by-default feature in the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS that turns recent activity in allowed apps and websites into local memories and a timeline ChatGPT and Codex can use. It is available to Pro, Business, and Enterprise users, including in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland.
- OpenAI
OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Work: A Codex-Sibling Agent for Long-Running Deliverables
OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Work, an agent in ChatGPT that takes action across apps and files and stays on a project for hours to turn a goal into finished work. It launched on GPT-5.6; Work now runs GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol, and GPT-6 Luna. Codex stays the dedicated software-development agent.
- OpenAI
OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Images 2.5 and GPT-Image-2.5 API Models
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Images 2.5 with sharper image fidelity, faster generation, more precise multi-turn edits, Sketch, templates, and comment-based editing. The same release adds GPT-Image-2.5 Flare for fast everyday API generation and Sunburst for more precise, premium creative workflows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are ChatGPT Appshots?
An Appshot is a capture of the frontmost app window on your computer, sent to a ChatGPT chat as an attachment. It includes an image of the visible window and any text the app makes available, including text outside the visible scroll area when the app exposes it. ChatGPT stores it locally in the session file.
How do I take an Appshot?
Bring the app window to the front, then press both Command keys on macOS or both Alt keys on Windows. You can set a custom hotkey in ChatGPT settings. Approve the permission prompts the first time, then ask ChatGPT to do something with the capture, such as summarize a thread or fix the error on screen.
Do Appshots work on Windows?
Yes, since September 11, 2026. OpenAI's changelog entry for desktop version 26.908 says Appshots are now available in the ChatGPT desktop app on Windows, taken with both Alt keys. Before that release the feature was macOS only. On Windows, Appshots always open in the main ChatGPT app rather than the floating Pets controls.
Which ChatGPT surfaces support Appshots?
The ChatGPT desktop app on macOS and Windows. OpenAI's documentation says the CLI can include an existing Appshot when it resumes a chat that already contains one, but the CLI cannot create a new Appshot. There is no web or mobile capture path in the documentation as of September 2026.
Why are my Appshots not working?
OpenAI's troubleshooting list: update the desktop app, check the configured hotkey, and confirm that your organization allows Appshots. On macOS, also open System Settings, Privacy & Security, and confirm Screen & System Audio Recording and Accessibility are granted to Codex Computer Use, then restart the app.
What permissions do Appshots need?
On macOS, Screen & System Audio Recording lets ChatGPT capture the image of the frontmost window, and Accessibility lets it read the available text. Taking an Appshot shares both with ChatGPT, so OpenAI advises avoiding sensitive content unless the task needs it and reviewing captures as you would any shared screenshot.