Where apps hide your files

Locating the ChatGPT app's folders

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

Which folders the ChatGPT Mac app uses depends on whether you have the new app (built from Codex) or ChatGPT Classic, and the app's bundle identifier tells you. This guide shows how to check it, where each build stores its cache and logs, and what is safe to clear.

Where it keeps its data

"The ChatGPT Mac app" now means one of two apps. In July 2026 OpenAI turned its Codex desktop app into the new ChatGPT app, and 9to5Mac reported that the older native app is now called ChatGPT Classic. Their main folders differ:

~/.codex/                                        new ChatGPT app (com.openai.codex)
~/Library/Application Support/Codex/             new ChatGPT app (com.openai.codex)
~/Library/Application Support/com.openai.chat/   older native app (com.openai.chat)

The first two were checked on the Mac used for this guide; the third comes from 2024 reports about the native app. To see which app you have, ask for its bundle identifier in Terminal:

mdls -name kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier /Applications/ChatGPT.app

The identifier it prints decides which of the next two sections applies. On the Mac used for this guide, /Applications/ChatGPT.app is named ChatGPT in its Info.plist, reports version 26.915.31945 and has the identifier com.openai.codex.

To find either app wherever it is installed, for example a ChatGPT Classic kept alongside the new one:

mdfind "kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier == 'com.openai.chat'"
mdfind "kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier == 'com.openai.codex'"

If the identifier is com.openai.codex

This is the new ChatGPT app, an Electron app whose internal product name is still Codex. It shares its working data with the Codex command-line tool, so most of what it stores is in a dot-folder in your home directory, plus folders in ~/Library named after Codex:

~/.codex/
~/Library/Application Support/Codex/
~/Library/Logs/com.openai.codex/
~/Library/Caches/Codex/
~/Library/Application Support/com.openai.codex/
~/Library/Application Support/OpenAI/
~/Library/Preferences/com.openai.codex.plist
~/Library/HTTPStorages/com.openai.codex/

Location	What is in it
~/.codex/	The main store. Per OpenAI's docs, Codex keeps its local state under CODEX_HOME, which defaults to ~/.codex. Here it holds config.toml, sessions/, skills/, rules/, packages/, plugins/ and SQLite files such as logs_2.sqlite.
~/Library/Application Support/Codex/	The app's built-in browser profile: a Default folder, Local State, Crashpad crash reports and component caches. About 128 MB here. It holds sign-in cookies, so never share it.
~/Library/Logs/com.openai.codex/	Plain-text logs filed by year, month and day, named codex-desktop-<id>-...log. About 0.8 MB on this Mac.
~/Library/Caches/Codex/	A Default folder of web-view cache. About 0.4 MB here.
~/Library/Application Support/com.openai.codex/	One small file, production-appcast-bootstrap.json, which belongs to the updater.
~/Library/Application Support/OpenAI/	A Codex folder holding chrome-native-hosts-v2.json and a NativeMessagingHosts folder, used to connect to Chrome.
com.openai.codex.plist	The app's preferences. Read it with defaults, not a text editor.

Most of the space is in ~/.codex. On this Mac it is about 4.2 GB, of which packages/ is 3.1 GB, sessions/ about 0.4 GB and plugins/ about 0.3 GB. For the files inside it, see the separate guide to where Codex keeps its config. Names containing com.openai.sky.CUAService, a computer-use helper, also appeared on this Mac in ~/Library/Caches, ~/Library/Preferences and ~/Library/Group Containers.

If the identifier is com.openai.chat

That is the older native ChatGPT app, reported to be called ChatGPT Classic since July 2026. It was not installed on the Mac used for this guide, so these paths come from press reports and an uninstaller guide, not from OpenAI's own documentation. Treat them as the likely layout and confirm with the commands below:

~/Library/Application Support/com.openai.chat/
~/Library/Caches/com.openai.chat/

Reports in July 2024 found that early versions of this app kept conversations as plain files inside com.openai.chat, and OpenAI then shipped an update that encrypts them. So do not expect readable chat text in that folder. OpenAI's own help page on data retention in the macOS app covers retention rules, not file locations.

To see what your copy created, list names only:

ls ~/Library/Application\ Support | grep -i -E "openai|chatgpt"
ls ~/Library/Caches | grep -i -E "openai|chatgpt"
ls ~/Library/Containers ~/Library/Group\ Containers | grep -i -E "openai|chatgpt"

Where your chats actually are

Your conversation history is stored in your ChatGPT account, not in a folder you can browse. The local folders hold caches, logs, settings and sign-in state. If you want a copy of your chats, use the export in the ChatGPT web app's settings (it sits under data controls, though OpenAI moves menu entries between versions), which emails you an archive. Copying files out of ~/Library will not give you a usable chat history. Coding work in the new app is the exception: Codex task records are local, in ~/.codex/sessions and the SQLite files beside it.

Do not open or share files in these folders that look like sign-in data, such as auth.json in ~/.codex or anything with cookies in the name. List them by name; never paste their contents.

Opening a folder

Dot-folders and ~/Library are hidden from the normal Finder view. Choose Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G) in Finder, paste the path, and press Return. From Terminal:

open ~/Library/Logs/com.openai.codex

To see sizes before touching anything:

du -sh ~/.codex ~/Library/Logs/com.openai.codex ~/Library/Caches/Codex

Clearing the cache and logs safely

Quit the app first (⌘Q). Caches and old logs are the safe things to remove: move the cache folder, or old dated folders inside the Logs folder, to the Trash in Finder. The app rebuilds what it needs next launch.

Be careful with ~/.codex. It holds your configuration, rules, installed skills and session records. Moving the whole folder loses them, so go through it item by item and look at sizes first. A large packages/ or sessions/ folder is the first place to look for space, but sessions are your history, so keep what you may want to resume.

Moving to a new Mac

Sign in on the new Mac and your chats come back from your account. For the com.openai.codex build, also copy ~/.codex/config.toml, rules/ and skills/ if you want your settings and skills to follow you. Do not copy sign-in files between machines. Sign in again instead.

Why search misses these files

Spotlight and Finder searches leave out ~/Library and hidden folders like ~/.codex, and log files carry long IDs in their names rather than the app's name.

Finding them next time

Typing codex-desktop into Everywhere lists the app's log files, and com.openai lists every folder and preference file named after a bundle identifier, such as the ones in HTTPStorages and Preferences. The group container sits in a folder macOS protects, so it shows up once Everywhere has Full Disk Access. Press ⌘↵ to reveal a result in Finder. Because it searches names only, it cannot tell you what a log says.

Common questions

Where does the ChatGPT Mac app store its cache?

For the com.openai.codex build checked for this guide, in ~/Library/Caches/Codex. For the com.openai.chat build, reports point to ~/Library/Caches/com.openai.chat. Check your bundle identifier with mdls first.

Are my ChatGPT conversations saved in a folder on my Mac?

Your history is stored in your ChatGPT account. Early versions of the chat app kept readable conversation files locally, which OpenAI later encrypted, so the local folders are not a usable backup.

How do I find the ChatGPT app's logs on a Mac?

For the build verified here, look in ~/Library/Logs/com.openai.codex/, filed by year, month and day. Other builds may differ, so list ~/Library/Logs and match on openai.

Is it safe to delete the ChatGPT app's cache?

Quit the app first, then move the cache folder to the Trash. The app recreates it. Leave ~/.codex alone unless you have checked what is in it.