OpenAI’s ChatGPT browser extension now supports Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi, according to an Aug. 31, 2026 entry in the company’s ChatGPT release notes. The company’s current browser-extension documentation lists five supported browsers in total, including Chrome.
The ChatGPT browser extension can bring a user’s browser into ChatGPT Work and Codex. According to OpenAI, all five supported browsers can be mentioned from the desktop app, used as tab context, and controlled for supported browser tasks.
Side chat is narrower. OpenAI says side chat is available in Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi. Opera supports tab mentions and browser control, but not side chat, so Opera tasks start from ChatGPT desktop rather than an in-browser side panel.
The rollout is not universal. OpenAI says browser availability can depend on rollout and workspace settings, which means some users may not see every option immediately. Managed workspaces may also have their own permission choices.
How it fits with ChatGPT’s other browser options
OpenAI now offers several browser paths for different kinds of work. The browser extension is only one of them.
The built-in desktop browser runs inside the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS and Windows. OpenAI says it uses its own browser state and can work across tabs, downloads, sign-in flows, and supported navigation.
The cloud browser runs separately in the cloud. OpenAI says it has its own cookies, browser data, and signed-in sessions, and does not use a personal browser’s open tabs, history, saved passwords, cookies, extensions, or existing sign-ins.
The browser extension connects ChatGPT to a user’s existing browser profile, open tabs, and signed-in websites where supported.
OpenAI’s built-in-browser help page says the in-app browser is suited to local development, public pages, and tasks that should stay inside ChatGPT. The extension is the route OpenAI points to when a task needs an existing Chrome profile, signed-in session, open tabs, or Chrome extensions. With the newer support list, that approach now extends beyond Chrome.
Atlas explains the direction
OpenAI’s Atlas retirement page says ChatGPT Atlas has been retired and no longer receives updates. It also says Atlas data such as bookmarks, open tabs, browser history, cookies, and signed-in sessions do not transfer automatically.
That gives the browser-extension expansion extra context. OpenAI is no longer asking browser-heavy users to work mainly inside a separate ChatGPT browser. Instead, the product is being spread across the ChatGPT desktop app, cloud browser, supported browser profiles, and site-specific tools.
The permission tradeoff
Giving ChatGPT access to a real browser profile can save steps because many work sites depend on existing sign-ins and open tabs. It also raises the stakes for permissions.
OpenAI’s extension documentation says ChatGPT asks before it interacts with each new website by default. Users can allow access once, allow a site for future use, allow all sites, or decline access. The same documentation labels “Allow for all sites” as elevated risk because ChatGPT would no longer ask for confirmation before using websites open in the browser.
The browser history setting deserves extra caution. OpenAI warns that browser history can include sensitive telemetry, internal URLs, search terms, and activity from signed-in browser sessions. The company also says malicious or misleading page content can increase the risk that history data is copied somewhere unintended if that access is allowed.
OpenAI says it does not store a separate complete record of browser actions from the extension. Browser activity is stored when it becomes part of ChatGPT context, such as text read from a page, screenshots, tool calls, summaries, messages, or similar content included in a chat.
What remains separate
The browser extension does not make every browser feature equal across ChatGPT. OpenAI’s site tools, which use WebMCP so supported websites can expose tools directly to ChatGPT, are currently available only in ChatGPT desktop’s built-in browser, not through the Chrome extension.
Site tools also depend on whether the account, selected model, and current webpage support them. A task involving an existing signed-in browser session may point to the extension, while a task involving site tools may require the built-in browser.
For organizations, that can affect training, security reviews, and internal documentation. Staff may need to know not just whether ChatGPT can access a browser, but which browser route is being used and what data is available in that route.
Browser profile access should be paired with narrow website permissions, a clear understanding of which browser is being controlled, and human review before ChatGPT acts on signed-in websites.
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