OpenAI Launches Shared Projects

OpenAI has announced a major update that brings its project sharing feature to all ChatGPT users, expanding collaborative possibilities across every plan level. This means that anyone using ChatGPT — whether on the Free, Plus, Pro, or Go plan — can now share projects with others, allowing for seamless teamwork and content creation within the platform.

Previously, this feature was only available to those subscribed to OpenAI’s Business, Enterprise, and Education plans. The update now ensures that collaboration tools are no longer limited to larger organisations or premium users, opening access to individuals, small teams, freelancers, and educators worldwide.

The rollout is available globally, covering all platforms including web browsers, iOS devices, and Android apps. This universal access makes it easier for users to work together regardless of the devices or locations they use, improving the flexibility of OpenAI’s collaboration ecosystem.

However, OpenAI has placed specific limits depending on the user’s subscription plan to ensure balanced performance across all accounts. Free users, for instance, can now collaborate on up to five files and include up to five collaborators per project. While this limit may seem modest, it offers an excellent entry point for casual users or small study groups experimenting with ChatGPT’s teamwork features.

For those on the Plus and Go plans, the sharing capacity increases significantly. These users can now share up to 25 files and collaborate with up to 10 other people at once. This tier is ideal for small teams or creative projects where multiple contributors are refining ideas or producing content together.

Pro users receive the most generous limits, allowing up to 40 files and as many as 100 collaborators in a single project. This level of access supports larger teams, professional research groups, and organisations that require extensive file sharing and simultaneous input from multiple members.

OpenAI explained that the feature is designed to streamline productivity and communication across various types of projects. One common use case is group work, where team members can upload notes, proposals, and contracts to a single shared space. Collaborators can then draft deliverables faster, track progress, and maintain version control effortlessly.

For content creators and marketing teams, OpenAI suggests that project-specific instructions can be applied within shared workspaces. This helps maintain a consistent tone, writing style, and brand voice across multiple contributors, ensuring high-quality and unified results without the need for manual coordination.

The feature also caters to professionals who work on ongoing reports or data-driven projects. Users can store datasets, documents, and analysis results within a shared workspace, making it easy to revisit the project each week to generate updates. This removes the need to start from scratch each time, saving time and maintaining consistency across reports.

Researchers and academic groups can also benefit from this update. They can now store interview transcripts, survey results, and research notes in one project. With shared access, every collaborator can query the data, contribute new insights, and build on existing findings, fostering a more efficient and transparent workflow.

The project sharing feature also includes flexible privacy and access controls. Project owners can choose between two visibility options: “Only those invited” or “Anyone with a link.” This gives users control over who can view and contribute to their projects, providing the right balance between openness and confidentiality.

Moreover, visibility settings can be changed at any time. A user might initially open a project for public collaboration but later restrict it to invited members only. This level of control ensures that sensitive information can remain protected even after initial collaboration has taken place.

OpenAI emphasised that this feature is not only meant for professional use but also supports casual collaboration and learning. For example, students working on joint assignments, writers developing stories, or hobbyists exploring creative projects can all use shared spaces to exchange ideas and track progress.

By extending the project sharing feature to all plans, OpenAI is promoting a more inclusive environment for collaboration. The company aims to empower individuals and small teams with the same tools previously reserved for enterprise clients, enabling everyone to experience efficient teamwork powered by AI.

This update represents another significant step in OpenAI’s mission to make AI more accessible and practical for everyday users. By providing flexible, secure, and collaborative spaces, the new feature enhances ChatGPT’s role not just as a conversational assistant, but as a powerful workspace for shared creativity and productivity.