# What should ChatGPT Atlas users switch to?

Date: 2026-07-23 · Author: Robert Scales · https://guidetoartificialintelligence.com/en/learn/chatgpt-atlas-users-switch/

**Answer:** OpenAI points Atlas users to two replacements, the new ChatGPT desktop app for agent work in the browser and the ChatGPT extension or sidebar for Chrome, and you can also move to another browser with AI features built in. Choose by what you actually used Atlas for, then export your bookmarks before Atlas stops working on August 9, 2026.

ChatGPT Atlas, the web browser OpenAI built around ChatGPT, has a little over two weeks left. OpenAI's help center gives August 9, 2026 as the day Atlas stops working, and after that date it may not open, browse or run agent tasks at all. The browser features are not disappearing so much as moving: OpenAI is folding the agent abilities of Atlas into ChatGPT itself.

So the question for an Atlas user is practical. You need a browser for ordinary browsing, and you may want somewhere to keep the AI help you got used to. The right replacement depends on which of those two jobs Atlas did for you.

## The options, by how you used Atlas

OpenAI names two official paths. The first is the new **ChatGPT desktop app**, which now includes a fuller built-in browser with several tabs, downloads, better navigation and support for signing in to sites. TechCrunch adds that OpenAI is also running a separate cloud browser on its own servers where agents can work. The second is the **ChatGPT extension or sidebar for Chrome**, which reads the page you are on, answers questions about it, summarizes it and can start longer tasks.

You can also leave the OpenAI ecosystem for browsing. TechCrunch lists the main competitors for AI browsing: Perplexity's Comet, The Browser Company's Dia, and the AI features now built into Chrome and Edge.

| If you mostly used Atlas to… | Consider | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Browse normally and ask ChatGPT about pages now and then | Chrome with the ChatGPT extension or sidebar | Familiar browser, ChatGPT one click away |
| Let agent mode fill forms, compare products or work through sites for you | The ChatGPT desktop app | It is where OpenAI is moving agent browsing |
| Use an AI browser but not necessarily ChatGPT | Comet, Dia, or the AI features in Chrome or Edge | Similar idea from other companies; check each one's privacy terms |
| Just browse; the AI was a bonus | Any supported browser you like | Security updates matter more than AI features |

Whichever you pick, do not stay on Atlas until the last day. OpenAI warns that a browser that is being discontinued may degrade or stop receiving security updates, and a browser without security fixes is a real risk on the open web.

One thing does not need moving. Your ChatGPT conversations are stored in your ChatGPT account, separately from Atlas browser data, so your chat history stays available in ChatGPT.

## A worked migration plan

Here is a 30-minute plan for someone who used Atlas every day and has chosen Chrome with the ChatGPT extension.

1. **List what lives only in Atlas.** Open the bookmarks, look at your open tabs, and note any site where you rely on being signed in.
2. **Export bookmarks** to an HTML file (steps below) and keep a second copy in a cloud folder.
3. **Save open tabs.** They will not transfer. Bookmark the ones you need, or paste their addresses into a document.
4. **Scan your history** for pages you still need, and bookmark them before the history is lost.
5. **Install your new setup** and import the bookmarks file.
6. **Sign in again** to the sites on your list from step 1. Saved sign-ins do not move automatically.
7. **Repeat one real task** you used to do in Atlas, such as summarizing an article, in the new setup, to confirm it covers your needs.

> **Try it:** Before you export anything, count your Atlas bookmarks and open tabs. After the import, count again in the new browser. If the numbers differ, you know exactly what to look for.

## How do you move bookmarks and settings?

Bookmarks move through a file. OpenAI's instructions are to open Atlas, go to the bookmarks menu or bookmark manager, choose the export option and save the result as an HTML file you can find again. In Chrome, open the menu, choose **Bookmarks and lists**, then **Import bookmarks and settings**, select that HTML file and confirm. Chrome may put the imported items in a new imported folder or under **Other bookmarks**, so check there if they seem to be missing. If you cannot find the exported file, look in your Downloads folder first.

Open tabs and browsing history do not transfer, which is why the plan above saves them as bookmarks or in a document while Atlas still works.

Settings and sign-ins are the hard part. Cookies, the small files that keep you logged in to websites, and live sessions can't be carried over to a different browser, according to OpenAI. Atlas may offer export options where available, but OpenAI advises treating cookie and session files as sensitive: anyone who has them may be able to act as you on those sites. The simplest and safest route is to sign in again on the new browser and set your preferences fresh.

If your Atlas came through a work or school account, ask your administrator first. Access to the ChatGPT desktop app and Chrome extension can depend on your plan, region, device and workspace settings, and OpenAI asks workspace admins to update their own guides that still mention Atlas.

## Sources

- Evolving Atlas into ChatGPT for browser-based agentic work: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001371-evolving-atlas-into-chatgpt-for-browser-based-agentic-work
- OpenAI is shutting down Atlas, but its AI browser ambitions are still growing: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/09/openai-is-shutting-down-atlas-but-its-ai-browser-ambitions-are-still-growing/