OpenAI launches ChatGPT desktop app for Linux
OpenAI has released a dedicated ChatGPT desktop app for Linux, filling a gap that open-source developers had long been requesting. The preview app brings ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work and Codex to the platform for the first time, meaning OpenAI's tools are now available across every major desktop operating system.
The app launched worldwide on Tuesday and supports desktop versions of Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 LTS, Debian 13, and Fedora 43 and 44, with compatibility expected to extend to many downstream distributions built on these bases. OpenAI is following rival Anthropic, whose Claude desktop app for Linux (supporting Ubuntu 22.04+ and Debian 12+) launched roughly a month earlier.
In short
- OpenAI releases a preview ChatGPT desktop app for Linux
- Supports Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora, plus Codex and ChatGPT Work
- Follows Anthropic's Claude Linux app launched a month prior
Explained simply
ChatGPT is OpenAI’s AI assistant, which can answer questions and help with tasks such as writing and coding. Codex is OpenAI’s coding tool, while ChatGPT Work is aimed at workplace use. A desktop app lets people access these services through software installed on their computer.
Linux is a family of operating systems used on personal computers and servers, with many versions maintained by different groups. Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora are among the best-known; other distributions are built from them. Software made for one version may not work on every Linux computer, so stated compatibility matters to users choosing an app.
Desktop apps are one way technology companies make their AI services available alongside web browsers and mobile apps. Linux is widely used by developers, so access to these tools may matter to people who prefer or rely on that system. Anthropic, a competitor to OpenAI, also offers a Linux desktop app for its Claude assistant.