Hidden Features

Canvas

Edit documents and code side-by-side with ChatGPT.

Knowledge cards
Knowledge card
Use Canvas for Code: Edit in Place, Run in Your Editor
Using Canvas as a working editor for a code file: ChatGPT edits the single file in place while you copy it into your real editor to run — instead of regenerating full code blocks in the chat scroll.
L2 · Context engineering
Knowledge card
Iterate in Canvas, Not in the Chat Scroll
Canvas opens a document or code file in a side panel you edit directly and in place, instead of regenerating the whole thing in the chat every time you want a change.
L2 · Context engineering
Concept
Know When Plain Chat Beats Canvas
A judgment rule for when to open Canvas versus stay in chat: Canvas wins for a single long artifact you'll revise repeatedly; plain chat wins for questions, brainstorming, and short one-off outputs.
L2 · Context engineering
Knowledge card
Target Edits by Highlighting in Canvas
A Canvas technique: select the specific span you want changed and give ChatGPT an instruction on it, so edits land precisely instead of regenerating the whole document.
L2 · Context engineering
ChatGPT Canvas

Edit in place, not in chat

Canvas opens a document or code file in a side panel you edit directly, rather than regenerating the whole thing in the chat stream. That changes how iteration feels: you can point at a specific paragraph or function and change just that, while the rest stays put. For writing and coding that go through many small revisions, it removes the biggest frustration of chat-based editing — losing the good parts every time you ask for a tweak. It is the difference between editing a document and re-printing it.

Where it earns its place

Reach for Canvas whenever you are iterating on something concrete: refining an article section by section, adjusting a function without touching the surrounding code, or working through a draft with targeted edits. You can select a portion and ask for a specific change, keep versions, and stay oriented in a way the chat log does not allow. For one-off answers the chat box is fine; for anything you will revise repeatedly, Canvas is the better surface.

Frequently asked
What is Canvas in ChatGPT?

Canvas is a side-panel editor for documents and code, letting you revise specific parts in place rather than regenerating the whole answer in chat. It keeps the parts that already work intact.

When should I use Canvas?

When you are iterating on something concrete — refining an article or adjusting code through many small edits. For one-off answers the chat box is fine; for repeated revision, Canvas is better.

Does Canvas work for code as well as writing?

Yes. You can open code in Canvas and edit specific functions in place, keeping the surrounding code untouched, which makes iterative coding much cleaner than regenerating in chat.