OpenAI has released a new ChatGPT app for Mac and after using it for a few days, I’m extremely disappointed by the bloated mess it has become. Here’s a guide I’ve put together on how you can download the old ChatGPT Classic app for your Mac.
While I appreciate the new Codex and Work improvements and features, my complaints have everything to do with the new ChatGPT app’s existence. I made the mistake of enthusiastically updating the app on my Mac as soon as it was announced, only to be faced with a rude awakening. Compared to the old 170MB app, which is now called ‘Classic’, the new one is 1.5GB. It launches slower, and has a frustrating user experience. It’s been challenging to find all my chats and projects so I had to rely on the web version in my browser to find them. Instead of building on top of what worked well, OpenAI threw out the baby with the bathwater.
I looked all over on how to redownload the old app but it seems like it’s nowhere to be found on the official website. Despite it being mentioned in support documents, OpenAI has hidden it deep where no user can find it. However, if you are a Homebrew user, or if you use it for the steps below, here’s how you can get the ChatGPT Classic app back. Just make sure you delete the new app from your Mac before starting:.
- First things first – you will need to install Homebrew. This is a very popular package manager for Mac, and it lets you download and install apps and other tools using Terminal. To install Homebrew, just copy and paste the below command in Terminal and press return.
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Terminal will ask you for your password to proceed. Enter your Mac password and the installation process will start. Hit the return key when asked.
- Once the process is complete, you’ll have to paste this command in Terminal and hit return. If you don’t do this and move to step 3, Terminal will tell you that brew command was not found. This command tells Terminal where to look for it.
echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zshrc
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)" - Now that the dependencies are sorted, just type the below command and hit enter. This will download and install the app for you:
brew install chatgpt-classic
Once the download process completes, you can search for ChatGPT in Spotlight or in your Applications folder. Enjoy the native app experience while it lasts.
P.S. now you’ll know how iTunes users on Windows feel. That’s how bad the new app is.
