OpenAI adds tab groups and auto search switching to ChatGPT Atlas

OpenAI is rolling out a fresh update to ChatGPT Atlas, its AI-powered browser for macOS, as it continues to expand the product several months after its first major release.

According to the latest release notes by OpenAI, the update introduces support for tab groups, allowing users to better organise large browsing sessions. It also fixes issues affecting the vertical tab mini mode and simplifies the right-click context menu for tabs in an effort to reduce visual clutter.

Search has been a key focus of the release. Atlas now features an Auto search mode that automatically switches between ChatGPT and Google based on the nature of a user’s query. OpenAI informed that the browser determines which search engine is better suited to handle a request, removing the need for users to make the choice manually. The search results interface has also been redesigned with a new vertical layout that surfaces links more prominently within responses.

The update includes several smaller improvements aimed at usability. Users migrating from Safari are now prompted during onboarding to install the iCloud passwords extension, helping ease the transition for those already using Apple’s ecosystem. OpenAI also simplified the address bar context menu, resolved crashes, updated translations and added support for macOS keyboard text replacements on webpages.

The release follows ChatGPT Atlas’s first major feature update in November, which introduced vertical tabs, support for iCloud passkeys and the option to set Google as the default search engine.

ChatGPT Atlas currently remains exclusive to macOS. OpenAI has previously stated that versions for Windows, iOS and Android are in development, though no timeline has been shared for their release.