How to download and install ChatGPT on Mac
The ChatGPT app for Mac is free and comes from OpenAI’s website. It brings Chat, Work and Codex together in one window. Here is which build to pick, how to install it and what to set up after the first launch.
ChatGPT
- macOS 14 or later
- Apple Silicon and Intel
- Free. Paid plans add more
Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:
The links go to the developer’s website (chatgpt.com, persistent.oaistatic.com). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask chatgptHomebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.
No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.
Which version to download
OpenAI has separate builds for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The download page usually picks the right one. To check your chip yourself:
- Choose Apple menu › About This Mac.
- If you see Chip with Apple M1, M2 or later, take the build for Apple Silicon. If you see Processor with Intel, take the one for Intel.
ChatGPT needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and OpenAI says it won’t release a version for older systems. Download it only from OpenAI: chatgpt.com or openai.com. The same page also offers ChatGPT Classic, the previous Mac app.
How to install ChatGPT
- Open the downloaded
ChatGPT.dmgorChatGPT-latest-x64.dmgin your Downloads folder. - In the window that opens, drag ChatGPT to the Applications folder.
- Eject the ChatGPT disk: click the eject button next to it in the Finder sidebar.
- Open ChatGPT from Applications and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.
- Sign in with your ChatGPT account, or create one.
OpenAI’s website may give you a small ChatGPTInstaller.dmg instead. Open it and run Install ChatGPT: it downloads the app for your Mac by itself.
What to set up after the first launch
- Screenshots. To let ChatGPT take screenshots of your screen, turn it on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording, then quit and reopen ChatGPT.
- Other permissions. macOS asks for each one the first time a feature needs it, for example the microphone for voice. Allow only what you use.
- Opening at login. If ChatGPT starts with your Mac and you don’t want it to, turn it off in System Settings › General › Login Items.
- The installer. Move the
.dmgfrom Downloads to the Trash once ChatGPT runs: it takes several hundred megabytes.
If ChatGPT won’t install or open
- «ChatGPT is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete it and download it again from OpenAI’s website.
- ChatGPT doesn’t start on an older Mac. Check your macOS version in About This Mac: the app needs macOS 14 or later. On older systems, use ChatGPT in the browser at
chatgpt.com. - The app was downloaded for the wrong chip. Delete it and download the build for your Mac: Apple Silicon or Intel.
Alternatives to ChatGPT
Keep your Mac tidy
System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps build up over time, ChatGPT’s included, and shows how much space they take. And if you decide to remove ChatGPT, the Uninstaller takes its files with it.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is the ChatGPT app for Mac free?
Yes. The app and the free plan cost nothing. Paid plans give higher limits and more features. ChatGPT Work needs Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise.
Do I need an account to use ChatGPT on Mac?
Yes. Sign in with the same ChatGPT account you use on the web or your phone, and your chats appear in the app.
I already have the Codex app. Do I need ChatGPT too?
No. OpenAI lets you update the Codex app to ChatGPT, and Codex then opens inside it.