OpenAI rolls out connectors

OpenAI is pushing ChatGPT out of the chat box and into the places where people already keep their work. In OpenAI’s help docs, these links were called “connectors,” and as of December 17, 2025, OpenAI renamed them under the broader label “apps” without removing the underlying feature. (help.openai.com) The basic idea is simple: instead of pasting files and messages into ChatGPT by hand, you let ChatGPT reach into tools like email, storage, and project software to pull context into an answer. OpenAI says some apps can search your data, some can run deep research with citations, some can sync content ahead of time, and some can take actions like creating or updating information in the connected service. (help.openai.com) That changes what the product is for. A chatbot answers what you type into one window; a connected assistant can look across your inbox, docs, and internal knowledge and answer with the source material already attached. (help.openai.com 1) (help.openai.com 2) OpenAI’s own examples show the shift in plain terms. The Outlook Email app can search a signed-in user’s mailbox, pull message details like sender and timestamp, and help with tasks like summarizing the latest project update or drafting a reply based on recent emails. (help.openai.com) The rollout is not the same for everyone. OpenAI says apps are available to logged-in ChatGPT users, but some app features are limited by plan, and some apps are not available in the European Economic Area, Great Britain, or Switzerland depending on whether the partner offers service there. (help.openai.com) Inside organizations, the default settings are even tighter. OpenAI says all apps are disabled by default for ChatGPT Enterprise and ChatGPT Edu, while ChatGPT Business has apps enabled by default and lets workspace owners review or limit them in settings. (help.openai.com) That default matters because these links touch company systems, not just personal chats. OpenAI says Enterprise and Edu admins can decide which apps are allowed, assign app-specific access with role-based controls, and review actions before people can use features that write back into other tools. (help.openai.com 1) (help.openai.com 2) OpenAI has been widening the list in recent weeks. Its March 27, 2026 release notes say updated Box, Notion, Linear, and Dropbox apps are rolling out in Business, Enterprise, and Edu, with new actions including write capabilities where supported. (help.openai.com 1) (help.openai.com 2) There is also a second layer beyond one-off connections: company knowledge. OpenAI says Business, Enterprise, and Edu workspaces can use connected apps as a shared knowledge layer so ChatGPT can answer with organization-specific context and cite the original sources, but at least one eligible app has to be enabled first. (help.openai.com) For now, OpenAI is still drawing boundaries around where this works. The company knowledge feature is currently available on ChatGPT web, and OpenAI says it is not supported on the Windows or macOS desktop apps or on Android and iPhone mobile apps. (help.openai.com) So the story here is less “ChatGPT added another feature” than “ChatGPT is being wired into the software stack people already use every day.” When the assistant can read from the places where work already lives, it stops being a separate destination and starts acting more like a layer spread across email, files, research, and internal systems. (help.openai.com)