ChatGPT in Chrome can now read tabs, highlighted text and YouTube

What's new

On July 30, 2026, OpenAI announced an update to ChatGPT's Chrome extension and desktop app via ChatGPT's official account on X. According to Supercharge Browser, the extension itself was announced as early as July 9, 2026, so it is the features that are new, not the extension.

In the extension's Side Chat, a side panel next to the page you are reading, you can now reference your open tabs. ChatGPT then has the context without you having to explain it. You can also highlight a piece of text and ask about that exact passage, or right-click and choose "Ask ChatGPT," after which the side panel opens automatically. ChatGPT can also answer questions about a YouTube video you are watching, without you first having to ask for a summary.

What's smart about it

It saves copy-pasting and explanations. Instead of typing out what you are looking at, you just point to it.

The desktop app now also suggests addresses as you type, like a regular browser address bar. Conversations you start in the Chrome extension show up in the desktop app, so you can continue there.

In the desktop app's settings, you can view your browser history, and ChatGPT can search it when a task requires a page you have visited before. There are new privacy controls for this access. According to OpenAI, as reported by ToolQuestor, the extension always asks for permission before doing anything sensitive, such as visiting new pages or accessing browser history.

Availability and testing

Pricing is not stated in the sources. According to Supercharge Browser, availability depends on subscription, region, device, browser and workspace settings. Work and school users may need an administrator to turn it on. The sources do not say whether the features are available in Denmark and the EU.

The extension is updated through the Chrome Web Store or set up via ChatGPT's desktop app. It supports only Chrome. It cannot organize tabs, create workspaces, manage vertical tabs or control memory usage.

There is only a single test, from PiunikaWeb, and it was done on the ChatGPT Go plan. There, summarizing a YouTube video took more than a minute, while Google's built-in Ask Gemini, according to the test, completed the task in about half the time and with more detail. One YouTube summary used 2 percent of the monthly quota on the Go plan, and the writer doubts whether it is worth it for frequent users. This is one outlet's test of one task and cannot stand as a overall verdict.

For comparison, Supercharge Browser mentions Google's Gemini with a built-in side panel in Chrome, Perplexity's panel-based assistant and unofficial "ChatGPT sidebar" extensions in the Chrome Web Store.

Who it's good for

The extension suits people who often have many tabs open and want help understanding, comparing or summarizing what they are reading. Highlight a difficult passage in an article and ask about it directly. Or ask questions about a video without having to request a summary first.

It also suits people who already use ChatGPT's desktop app and want their conversations to carry across Chrome and the app.

The update is tied to a larger change. According to PiunikaWeb and Supercharge Browser, OpenAI's own browser Atlas was scheduled to shut down on August 9, 2026. According to PiunikaWeb, OpenAI has decided to focus on the Chrome extension and the desktop app instead, with the aim of reaching more users without getting them to switch browsers. OpenAI's own announcement about Atlas is not included in the sources.