ChatGPT 'Work with Apps' feature: How to use it to code faster and edit notes

ChatGPT's 'Work with Apps' feature makes it easy to seamlessly integrate your coding apps with ChatGPT.

OpenAI updated its ‘Work with Apps’ feature on macOS recently. The new upgrade is available with version 1.2025.057, and to access it, you need to download the ChatGPT for macOS application.

ChatGPT 'Work with Apps' saves multiple steps. (REUTERS)

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

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If you're not familiar with what the ‘Work with Apps’ functionality on macOS brings to ChatGPT, it essentially allows the AI to read and edit content directly within your coding applications or text editors like Notes. This integration enables more tailored and context-aware responses based on your work, helping you do things quickly.

How Does ‘Work with Apps’ Operate on macOS?

To begin with, you might be wondering which applications this ChatGPT feature supports. It includes text editors like Apple Notes, Notion, TextEdit, as well as coding-specific applications like Xcode, Script Editor, VS Code, Terminal, iTerm, Warp, and Prompt.

To get started, ensure the ChatGPT app is open in the background. And then press Option + Space alongside the app you want to work with. For example, if you have Xcode or the Apple Notes app open, simply press Option + Space. The ChatGPT window will pop up, automatically detecting the application. It will indicate this with a tag like ‘Work with Notes’ Tab or ‘Work with Xcode,’ depending on your app.

You can then prompt ChatGPT accordingly, and it will be context-aware.

Permissions And Access

Before you start, you must enable ChatGPT's permissions in Accessibility Settings on your Mac. This requires authentication and password entry.

For integrated development environments (IDEs), ChatGPT can even edit files directly, removing the need for any copy-pasting. Also, there is also an option to automatically apply edits, making the coding process even faster.

What About Privacy?

OpenAI confirms that content accessed through Work with Apps is part of your ChatGPT account history and may be used to enhance its AI models. However, you have the option to toggle the "Improve the Model for Everyone" setting if you do not wish your data to be used for this purpose. Alternatively, you can use the Temporary Chats feature, which ensures your data is not saved in your ChatGPT account history.

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