ChatGPT Desktop from Zero: Work, Codex, and Your Dot

Attach a notes file and a screenshot, ask about one region of the image with the input named for each answer, then name a local file path and a public link in one request and check every source label in the saved result.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Point to your sources
• 00:27 Attach two inputs
• 01:02 Ask about one region
• 01:42 Name a path and a link
• 02:40 Check every label
• 03:14 Try it yourself
• 03:35 Labeled answers

Practice: Replace one input and ask for the changed conclusion.

Create a project from two local folders, choose the primary folder on purpose, trust only known folders, and hand work from one chat to the next through a saved file. Then compare where a chat outside any project saves its note.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Why a project
• 00:29 Create the project
• 01:00 Two folders, one primary
• 01:34 Trust and open
• 01:52 Shared files
• 02:56 A second chat
• 03:40 Outside a project
• 04:10 Try it yourself
• 04:32 Shared files, separate chats

Practice: Start an unrelated chat without the project.

Create a sidebar section, try sorting and grouping, rename a chat and mark it unread, look at its share and copy options, archive it, restore it from Settings, pin it, find a phrase inside it and search for it by name.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Sections and sorting
• 01:16 Rename and mark
• 01:46 Share, copy, archive
• 02:23 Restore and pin
• 02:59 Find and search
• 03:38 Try it yourself
• 04:00 Organized, not lost

Practice: Find yesterday's demo chat by a phrase from its contents.

Open a small web page as source and as a live preview, pin one comment to its heading, apply it, compare the change with an untouched copy and accept it. Then fix an undefined command in a tiny LaTeX file and download the real PDF.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Source and preview
• 01:11 Annotate one element
• 01:51 Apply the comment
• 02:21 Compare and accept
• 02:58 Fix a LaTeX error
• 04:11 Read and download the PDF
• 04:41 Try it yourself
• 05:04 Point, change, compare

Practice: Annotate one label instead of rewriting the whole file.

Create and trust a local project, ask a task where it runs and what it can access, save a file on this computer, run the same notes in a cloud task with an explicit attachment, and test that a local file is not visible in the cloud. Then check what Settings offers for sync on this build.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A local project
• 01:11 Where it runs
• 01:53 A local file
• 02:11 The same notes in Cloud
• 03:09 Test what Cloud can see
• 03:49 Try it yourself
• 04:08 Pick where it runs

Practice: Explain why an unuploaded local file is unavailable in a cloud-only task.

Compare the three permission modes and keep Ask for approval, stop a run that has just started, send a narrower request, read a real terminal approval card and allow its one read-only command once, then see what Full access allows before confirming it.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Permission modes
• 01:09 Stop a run
• 01:40 Read the approval
• 02:31 Full access
• 02:58 Try it yourself
• 03:23 Limits you control

Practice: Request a new output in the demo output folder with the required permission.

Ask for a small comparison built only from official websites, with a link and a page date for every source. Open the sources yourself, tell page dates apart from release dates, then check a short draft against its primary source and correct only the false claim.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A sourced request
• 01:09 Check the sources
• 02:26 Check one claim
• 03:24 Try it yourself
• 03:46 Open the source

Practice: Compare Linux Mint and Ubuntu using the same official-source criteria.

Open a tab beside the chat, mention Browser so the agent can find an official instruction page and return a sourced checklist, annotate one paragraph and ask about it, then check browsing history, downloads, site permissions and the pane layout.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A tab beside the chat
• 00:42 Let the agent browse
• 01:33 Annotate a paragraph
• 02:28 History and downloads
• 02:47 Site permissions
• 03:19 Try it yourself
• 03:38 Browse together

Practice: Navigate to the official documentation for changing the desktop wallpaper and verify one instruction.

Install the ChatGPT extension in Chrome after reading its permissions, pin it, ask the side chat to summarize an open documentation tab, and let it follow a link in that same tab. Then check the Chrome permissions in the desktop app and mention an open Chrome tab in a new chat.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Install the extension
• 01:07 The side chat
• 01:34 Ask about this tab
• 02:17 Permissions in the app
• 02:54 Mention a tab
• 03:22 Try it yourself
• 03:42 Your browser, connected

Practice: Repeat with another public documentation tab in the same connected browser.

Check which apps Computer use can control on this Linux desktop, send one complete request to rewrite a short Google Doc in Chrome, watch the agent type and correct its own first pass, then verify both the document and the matching text file it saved.

In this lesson

• 00:00 What can it control
• 00:59 One complete request
• 01:34 Watch it work
• 01:53 Check the result
• 02:25 Try it yourself
• 02:46 Watch, then verify

Practice: Change one checklist item in the same browser document and verify the saved result.

Learn what Appshots are and where they are available, then use the route that works on Linux: paste an ordinary screenshot of one window into a new chat, preview it, ask one specific question, and compare the answer with the real window.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Show the window
• 00:56 Paste a screenshot
• 01:36 Ask about it
• 02:04 Compare with the window
• 02:19 Try it yourself
• 02:37 A picture, not a live view

Practice: Share a different safe window and compare the context.

Find the voice controls in Settings and in the message box, learn the difference between dictation and a live voice chat, choose a voice, and see what really happens when voice chat starts on a computer without a microphone. Then complete and revise a small checklist by typing.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Voice settings
• 01:24 Try voice chat
• 02:04 The typed route
• 02:50 Try it yourself
• 03:12 Talk or type

Practice: Find the dictation control and choose a voice setting, then request one checklist revision.

Give one request with exact paths: copy three notes into a new folder, keep the originals, and build an index with one line per note. Read the index in source view, rename it, confirm each copy matches its original, and open an original to check it.

In this lesson

• 00:00 The input folder
• 01:04 Copies and an index
• 01:45 Rename and check
• 02:40 Try it yourself
• 03:05 Originals stay safe

Practice: Change the output naming convention.

Open the integrated terminal and look around a folder with cd, pwd and ls. Ask the agent to write a tiny reusable Python script that totals a CSV column and to explain the command before running it. Then run the same script yourself on two files and read both saved results.

In this lesson

• 00:00 The terminal
• 01:07 The agent writes it
• 01:55 Run it yourself
• 02:42 Try it yourself
• 03:00 One script, many runs

Practice: Run the same script with one changed expense.

Ask the agent to open a short PDF plan and extract its action rows without guessing, so the undecided date stays undecided. Then create a one-page checklist PDF from those rows, compare it with the source, and make a revised copy with a larger heading.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Read a PDF
• 01:27 Create a PDF
• 02:14 A revised version
• 02:50 Try it yourself
• 03:09 Check it against the source

Practice: Request a larger heading and inspect the revised PDF.

Turn short meeting notes into a one-page Word document with clear headings, a small action table and the unknowns kept as unknown. Read it at full size, then rewrite only the introduction for a new team member in a separate file, and compare the two versions.

In this lesson

• 00:00 The request
• 01:13 The first document
• 02:03 A new introduction
• 03:04 Try it yourself
• 03:24 Change one part

Practice: Change the audience to a new team member.

Build an Excel workbook from a five-row CSV file: the original rows, a blank category flagged as Unknown, a SUM total, SUMIF totals by category and a linked column chart. Click the totals to read their formulas, then add one row in a separate copy and check that the formulas and the chart follow.

In this lesson

• 00:00 The request
• 01:17 The workbook
• 02:31 Add a row
• 03:14 Try it yourself
• 03:35 Read the formula

Practice: Add one expense and recalculate.

Ask for exactly three editable slides built only from meeting notes, in a plain readable style, with the unknowns kept. Click through each slide and its speaker notes. Then change only slide 2 to a two-column layout in a separate copy, select it yourself when the agent cannot confirm it, and check that the other slides did not change.

In this lesson

• 00:00 The request
• 01:15 Three slides
• 02:12 Change one slide
• 03:06 Try it yourself
• 03:26 Change one slide

Practice: Change only the second slide's layout.

Describe one simple object clearly and save the generated image as a PNG. Leave a comment on the image to use it as a reference and change only the color, compare both versions in Canvas view, then ask for a transparent-background cutout saved as its own file and check it.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Describe the image
• 01:24 Change one thing
• 02:12 Compare versions
• 02:30 A transparent cutout
• 03:19 Try it yourself
• 03:41 Change one thing

Practice: Change one color while preserving the composition.

Ask Visualize for a small workshop-cost calculator with two number inputs and a clear formula. Check the starting total, change each input and confirm the math yourself, then add a travel-fee input and test it the same way.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Ask Visualize
• 01:10 Test the numbers
• 01:43 Add an input
• 02:31 Try it yourself
• 02:48 Guess, then check

Practice: Add a separate fixed travel fee and test the result.

Ask Sites for a tiny one-page resource list with three links and a checklist, and check its preview before anything goes live. Change one link label with an annotation, save it as version 2 and deploy it privately. Then look at the saved versions, see that checklist ticks are not saved, and change the site's short address name.

In this lesson

• 00:00 The request
• 01:15 Preview first
• 01:48 Change one label
• 02:29 Deploy privately
• 02:49 Manage the site
• 03:42 Try it yourself
• 04:01 Preview, then deploy

Practice: Revise one link label and compare saved versions.

Ask Pages to save a small checklist Page and a second Page with two questions. Group both under a private parent Page, then find the parent again in the Pages list, without the chat, and open each Page from it.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A first Page
• 01:22 Group them
• 02:06 Find it again
• 02:28 Try it yourself
• 02:45 Find it again

Practice: Create a second small Page and find both.

Add a heading, a table, a link and a reusable prompt to a saved Page. See that clicking the prompt sends only its placeholder, then use it on four real notes and save the result on a linked child Page. Add a file reference, move a link, write one line with Generate, and open the file and the child Page from the checklist.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Blocks on a Page
• 01:56 The saved prompt
• 02:58 A file reference
• 03:25 Generate
• 04:04 Open the sources
• 04:29 Try it yourself
• 04:48 Open the sources

Practice: Move the checklist above the table.

Change only the Unknowns section of a Page and check that the rest stays the same. Look at the toolbar for selected text. Ask the agent to add a comment, reply to it and resolve it, and see that resolving does not answer the question. Then check who can see the Pages, without changing anything.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A focused revision
• 01:29 Comments
• 02:39 Who can see it
• 03:48 Try it yourself
• 04:09 Who can see it

Practice: Ask for a shorter selected paragraph rather than replacing the Page.

Find the Gmail plugin under Customize, install it and connect it to your account. Read what its tools can write and what they can only read, and use its on and off switch. Then use it with @Gmail to read one email without changing anything, and look at its four permission choices.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Find and install
• 01:33 What it can do
• 01:54 Use it
• 02:38 Permissions
• 03:22 Try it yourself
• 03:42 Decide how far it goes

Practice: Invoke the same plugin explicitly in a new chat.

With a Google account connected, ask for one precise change at a time: one heading in a Google Doc, two cells in a Google Sheet and one slide title. Check each result in its own service. Then read an email and a calendar event, look at a draft that is not saved, and create the event only when you ask for it.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A document
• 01:40 A spreadsheet
• 02:20 A slide
• 02:49 Email and calendar
• 03:51 Try it yourself
• 04:09 Check it where it lives

Practice: Repeat the same scoped pattern with a different allowed app.

Look at the skills installed on your computer, read one skill's page, switch it off and on, and open its folder. Then install the PDF skill with Skill Installer, call it with a dollar sign, and check the one-page PDF it makes from meeting notes.

In this lesson

• 00:00 The Skills list
• 01:01 One skill
• 01:31 Install a skill
• 02:17 Use it
• 03:18 Try it yourself
• 03:33 Call it by name

Practice: Run the same skill on a second short note.

Make one small, repeated task reusable in three ways. Create a skill with Skill Creator, test it, and add a Due column. Create a document template from a reference document and use it for new notes. Then prepare a plugin package in Work on the web, and read what is installed and what is only prepared.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A skill
• 02:13 A template
• 03:27 A plugin package
• 04:55 Try it yourself
• 05:11 Make it once

Practice: Change the output format and test again.

Do a small task once: turn meeting notes into a checklist, and check it. Then describe that workflow to Skill Creator, with input and output paths you choose and a check before saving. Run the saved skill on different notes, and compare a result with its source, fact by fact.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Do it once
• 01:20 Make it a skill
• 02:37 Use it again
• 03:09 Check it
• 03:47 Try it yourself
• 04:06 Check every result

Practice: Refine the generated skill's naming rule.

See three ways the agent adapts to you. Give a preference in one chat, find the memory settings and the switches for a single chat, give a file as context and ask where the details came from, and save a personal instruction that a new chat follows with memory off. Then look at the same kind of settings in ChatGPT on the web.

In this lesson

• 00:00 In one chat
• 01:11 Memory settings
• 02:04 A file as context
• 02:39 A saved instruction
• 04:03 On the web
• 04:31 Try it yourself
• 04:47 Ask where it came from

Practice: Disable memory use for a demo chat and compare the behavior.

Make a project from a small code folder and trust it only because you know what is in it. Ask for a beginner's guide without changing or running anything. Then look for yourself: open the page file and the script, open the page in a browser and click its button, and ask a terminal where you are and whether anything changed.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A project
• 01:20 Ask for a guide
• 02:33 See it yourself
• 03:16 Try it yourself
• 03:32 Look for yourself

Practice: Ask which file would change the page heading.

Ask the agent to explain a small page without changing it. Turn on Plan mode, read a three-step plan and skip implementing it, ask a quick question in a side chat, save the agreed requirements in a file, and compact the chat. Then check that the agent still knows the details.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Explain first
• 01:11 Plan mode
• 01:52 A side question
• 02:20 Save it
• 02:55 Keep context
• 03:32 Try it yourself
• 03:50 Plan before changing

Practice: Change one requirement before implementation.

Describe a small web page in plain words, open it in the built-in browser and click its button. Then mark the button with an annotation, ask for one color change and nothing else, reload, click again, and read the two lines that changed.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A tiny page
• 01:15 See it
• 01:31 Point at it
• 02:07 Check it
• 02:46 Try it yourself
• 03:01 Point, reload, click

Practice: Change only the button label.

A small script adds up five expenses and prints the wrong total. Show the agent what you ran, what it printed and what you expected, ask for the smallest fix with an automated check, read the change before you accept it, and run the script and the test again yourself.

In this lesson

• 00:00 The wrong total
• 01:21 Ask for a fix
• 01:45 Read the change
• 02:23 Check it yourself
• 02:42 Try it yourself
• 02:56 Check it yourself

Practice: Change one amount and check the result again.

Ask the agent for two small changes to a page, then review them yourself. Read the diff hunk by hunk, leave a comment on the line you do not want, stage the change you want, revert the other one, and compare the branch with main. Nothing is committed in this lesson.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Two changes
• 01:30 Read the diff
• 02:21 Stage and revert
• 02:50 Compare with main
• 03:07 Try it yourself
• 03:21 Keep what you want

Practice: Leave an inline comment asking for one correction.

Make one small change on a new branch and read the diff. Ask the agent to commit it, push the branch and open a draft pull request. Then review it: mark the file as viewed, ask what changed and which checks ran, post a comment, save review instructions, and find the pull request in the Code Review list.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A change on a branch
• 01:12 Commit and push
• 01:39 Review it
• 02:57 Review settings
• 03:44 Try it yourself
• 03:59 Commit, push, review

Practice: Find your demo PR in the review inbox and reopen its changed file.

Check Worktree to give one chat its own copy of the project, and change one line there. Compare it with main and see how a local settings file is copied. Run a second change in a second worktree, compare all three folders, and delete a worktree in Settings.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A worktree for one task
• 01:19 Compare and copy
• 01:47 A second worktree
• 02:40 Clean up
• 03:02 Try it yourself
• 03:18 One task, one worktree

Practice: Create a second independent change in another worktree.

Run two small checks in two separate chats. Then ask one chat to use two subagents in parallel, one per file, and read the combined summary. Open the Subagents panel to see each subagent's own answer, and send one of them a follow-up.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Two separate chats
• 01:15 Subagents
• 02:08 Follow up
• 02:37 Try it yourself
• 02:53 Split the job

Practice: Ask one agent to recheck a single finding.

Make one small change in a worktree chat. Fork the chat into a new worktree and check that the fork remembers the request. Then move the fork to the main checkout and check the folder, branch and file in the terminal. Last, see where else a new chat can run.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A chat in a worktree
• 01:11 Fork it
• 01:47 Hand it off
• 02:39 Where it runs
• 03:01 Try it yourself
• 03:17 Fork, then hand off

Practice: Fork the chat for an alternative tiny heading change.

Write project instructions in AGENTS.md and see a new chat follow them. Save a setup script and a one-click Check action. Add a rule that forbids git push and test it. Then review a project hook, trust it, see it record one event, and switch it off.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Project instructions
• 01:42 Setup and actions
• 02:16 A rule
• 02:52 Setup and actions
• 03:17 A rule
• 04:01 A hook
• 05:02 Try it yourself
• 05:20 Teach the project

Practice: Change one project instruction and verify it in a new chat.

Create a cloud environment for a small practice repository and look at its settings. Add an environment variable, prepare a setup with a check, publish it, and run a fresh cloud task. Then publish a second revision and compare a fresh task with an existing one.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Create it
• 01:24 Settings and setup
• 02:31 A fresh task
• 03:15 A second version
• 04:40 Try it yourself
• 04:56 Set up, publish, check

Practice: Start a fresh task from the same environment.

Find an SSH connection in Settings and create a project from a folder on that computer. Answer the trust question, run a small task on the remote computer, see a failed try and a retry that passed, and open the remote file. Then disconnect, see the file become unavailable, and connect again.

In this lesson

• 00:00 The connection
• 01:16 Trust the folder
• 01:38 A remote task
• 02:26 Disconnect
• 02:49 Try it yourself
• 03:08 Connect, trust, check

Practice: Reconnect and revise the same remote file.

Test a request by hand, then save it as a scheduled task with a time zone, a new chat for each run, and a model. Run it now, stop a run that went wrong, change the task in plain words, pause and resume it, run it again, and delete it.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A test by hand
• 01:16 Save the schedule
• 02:11 Run it now
• 02:51 Change it
• 03:50 Run it again
• 04:09 Clean up
• 04:36 Try it yourself
• 04:53 Schedule, test, clean up

Practice: Change the topic to space technology and confirm the saved update.

Start a slow five-minute demo, then ask the same chat to check back every minute, speak up only when it matters, and stop when it is done. Read the follow-up card settings, see a quiet check, the result, and the follow-up pausing itself.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A slow demo
• 01:09 Ask for a follow-up
• 01:53 The checks
• 02:31 The result
• 02:54 Try it yourself
• 03:13 Check back, then stop

Practice: Change the notification condition and inspect the saved task.

Type /goal to give the agent an objective it keeps working on: three summaries and an index, planned first and then created. Pause the goal, add a requirement, save and resume it, and check the five files it saved. Then give a small goal that waits for your approval before it changes anything.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A goal
• 01:31 Pause and edit
• 02:22 Check the files
• 03:02 Wait for approval
• 03:50 Try it yourself
• 04:09 Say what done looks like

Practice: Pause the goal and change one output requirement before resuming.

In Work on the web, create tasks that start when something happens in a connected service. An email trigger with an exact subject filter never ran and was paused; a GitHub comment trigger fired and reported the comment time; then both tasks were cancelled.

In this lesson

• 00:00 An email trigger
• 01:28 When it does not fire
• 02:01 A GitHub trigger
• 03:04 Clean up
• 03:46 Try it yourself
• 04:09 Make one small event

Practice: Tighten the sender/channel/repository filter.

A task that cannot finish says what it needs. Here a request named a file that did not exist; the answer asked for the file, the same chat created it, and the next answer matched its three lines. Then the Activity view, notification and sleep settings, Help, feedback and /status, and archiving a chat and restoring it.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A missing input
• 01:32 What needs attention
• 02:04 Notifications
• 02:39 Help and status
• 03:24 Archive and restore
• 03:51 Try it yourself
• 04:10 Read what it needs

Practice: Disable noisy demo notifications and confirm the setting.

Change how the app looks and set it back, choose between steering and queueing follow-ups, set a pop-out hotkey and clear it, find every shortcut, show a pet in the Mini and hide it, and read your token activity.

In this lesson

• 00:00 How it looks
• 01:13 Follow-ups
• 01:31 A shortcut
• 02:03 Mini and pets
• 02:36 Your usage
• 02:53 Try it yourself
• 03:08 Make it yours

Practice: Set one useful shortcut and restore its default.

Create a dot, an always-on agent with its own cloud computer, choose where it can work, give it a name and a look, and hand it one small job with a source, a scope and a clear stop. A first request arrived cut short; a shorter retry and a second job came back with sourced answers.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Create your dot
• 01:27 Name and look
• 01:44 One small job
• 02:32 A second job
• 03:13 Try it yourself
• 03:31 One job at a time

Practice: Change the focus to space technology in the same conversation.

Your dot works on its own cloud computer, with its own browser. You can open that computer, take over and give control back. Separately, you can allow your own computer and connect apps like Google Drive, and take that access back. Offline is a different state from revoked.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Its own computer
• 01:20 Take over
• 01:34 Your computer
• 02:20 A connected app
• 02:56 Taking access back
• 03:34 Try it yourself
• 03:54 Access you control

Practice: Revoke the demo local grant and inspect the resulting limitation.

Message your dot in ChatGPT and through a contact method like Slack. A call did not connect, so the correction was typed instead. Slack was connected, one item was sent there and checked, and a newer dot returned a short file to open and download.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A call and a correction
• 01:21 Connect Slack
• 01:42 One item in Slack
• 02:24 A short file
• 02:57 Try it yourself
• 03:13 Check it arrived

Practice: Ask the same dot for a status update through another available channel.

Your dot can hand work to separate tasks, each with its own chat and report file. Track them in the Activity view, correct one inside that task, run one in a prepared cloud environment, and have the dot continue an exact task from its deeplink.

In this lesson

• 00:00 Two tasks at once
• 01:14 Track them
• 01:46 Correct one task
• 02:18 A cloud task
• 03:02 Continue a task
• 03:43 Try it yourself
• 04:01 Check where it ran

Practice: Change the scope of just one delegated task.

Your dot can work on a schedule or wait for an event. A recurring check was saved on a retry, delivered its first result by itself and was canceled. Its card showed the schedule and its end. A Gmail monitor never ran; a Slack monitor ran once and paused itself. A short practice stopped when a check was blocked.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A recurring check
• 01:40 Its saved card
• 02:12 Watching for events
• 03:37 A short check with a stop
• 04:09 Try it yourself
• 04:28 Give it a stop

Practice: Change the topic and reporting threshold, then confirm the saved update.

Add a custom rule so your dot asks before a specific action, review and approve that action once, pause and resume the dot, stop a running task, pause a schedule, and remove the rule and access you no longer need. A first resume failed and a second worked.

In this lesson

• 00:00 A rule that asks first
• 01:03 One approval
• 01:46 Pause and stop
• 02:47 Clean up
• 03:18 Try it yourself
• 03:37 Check the state

Practice: Change one rule and verify its effect with a harmless draft request.