ChatGPT Chrome extension can use open tabs and work in a sidebar
By Automate Basics, written with AI from The Verge's original
OpenAI has updated its ChatGPT Chrome extension so ChatGPT can use information from open tabs and work in a browser sidebar. The changes are aimed at people who need to compare pages or handle tasks across them.
What changed in the ChatGPT Chrome extension?
OpenAI says ChatGPT can now use information from open Chrome tabs when the extension is installed and a user tags Chrome in the ChatGPT web or desktop app, according to The Verge. One suggested use is comparing vendors across several open pages and putting their prices, features and source links into a comparison sheet.
The Verge also reports an updated ChatGPT sidebar that lets people use their Chat or Work conversation history while viewing a page. OpenAI says ChatGPT Work can act on Chrome tabs to send messages, fill in forms, download files and organize tabs. Reading tabs and acting on them are different tasks, so someone using the extension should check what they are asking ChatGPT to do before letting it handle a form or message.
Who can use the updated Chrome extension?
People using ChatGPT in Chrome with the extension installed can ask it to draw on their open tabs, according to The Verge. The report describes tagging Chrome from ChatGPT's web or desktop app for that task. It also identifies ChatGPT Work as the option that can control tabs for actions such as filling in forms or downloading files.
The source does not say which subscription plans include these changes, whether every extension user has them yet, or what they cost. It does not explain whether the sidebar and tab-control features have the same eligibility. If those details affect a workplace decision, check what is available in your own account before planning a team process around it.
How do I try it on a work task?
A vendor comparison is a useful first task for the updated ChatGPT extension because it draws on pages you can check yourself. With the relevant vendor pages open, ask ChatGPT to compare their pricing and key features and include a source link for each claim. The Verge reports that OpenAI lists this kind of comparison among its suggested uses.
Review the resulting sheet against the open pages, especially prices, feature names and which source supports each entry. For a form, try asking ChatGPT to prepare the entries but stop before submission, another use described in the report. Check every field before sending anything. The same caution applies to drafted messages: confirm the recipient and content yourself before they leave your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Can ChatGPT read the tabs I already have open?
OpenAI says it can use open Chrome tabs when its extension is installed and you tag Chrome in the ChatGPT web or desktop app, according to The Verge. The report does not describe which tabs, if any, are excluded, so check what information is open before asking it to work across pages.
Can the extension fill out forms or send messages?
The Verge reports that ChatGPT Work can act on Chrome tabs for tasks including filling out forms and sending messages. OpenAI also suggests asking it to stop before submitting a form. Review fields and recipients yourself, and do not assume the report establishes which plans include those actions.
Does the report give a price for the updated extension?
No. The Verge describes the new tab and sidebar capabilities but does not state a price or identify which subscription plans include them. It also does not say whether the tab-reading and ChatGPT Work actions are available to the same users.
Related reading
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Google brings Gmail Live voice search to Workspace usersGoogle is rolling out Gmail Live to eligible Workspace users on Android and iOS. The feature answers spoken questions about email aloud and shows the messages behind each answer.
Amazon introduces Bee devices that turn conversations into notesAmazon has introduced Bee devices that process conversations into notes, reminders and tasks. For people considering them at work, the useful question is whether hands-free capture outweighs the privacy considerations of recording colleagues.
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Written with AI from The Verge's original and published after automatic checks: every figure here appears in the original, and no sentence is copied from it. The picture is AI-generated. The original is the authority.
Source: ChatGPT can peek at your Chrome tabs now, The Verge, 15 Oct 2026.