# How to pin a chat in ChatGPT on Mac: sidebar steps for the 2026 app

> Learn how to pin a chat in ChatGPT on Mac from the sidebar menu, plus unpinning, sync notes, missing-pin fixes and the unconfirmed pin limit.

URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/pin-a-chat-in-chatgpt
Updated: 2026-11-09

To pin a chat in ChatGPT on Mac, hover over it in the left sidebar, click the three-dot button beside its title, and choose Pin. The chat then moves to a Pinned section at the top of the sidebar, and Unpin in the same menu reverses it.

## Quick answer

- Hover over the chat in the left sidebar, click the three-dot button, and choose Pin.
- Pinned chats move to a Pinned section at the top of the sidebar. Unpin uses the same menu.
- No source I could check lists a keyboard shortcut for pinning.
- Sources disagree on the pin limit: one guide says three, a community post reports ten for Plus.
- If pins go missing, expand the Pinned section, update the app, and check Archived chats.

Applies to: ChatGPT desktop app for Mac, rebuilt version from July 2026. Time: 2 min. Difficulty: Easy.

## What you need

- ChatGPT desktop app for Mac, updated to the rebuilt version
- macOS 14 or newer, per a third-party guide
- At least one chat in your sidebar

## How to Pin a chat in ChatGPT on Mac in ChatGPT on a Mac

1. **Open the app and find the chat.** Open the ChatGPT app on your Mac. Look at the left sidebar, where your chats are listed under Recents. If you can't see the sidebar, check the menu bar for a sidebar option. Tip: If the chat is not listed, click the filter icon next to Chats and set it to Chronological.
2. **Hover over the chat title.** Move your pointer over the chat's title in the sidebar. A three-dot button appears beside the title. Keep the pointer on the row until the button shows.
3. **Open the three-dot menu.** Click the three-dot button beside the title. A menu opens with several chat options, including Pin.
4. **Choose Pin.** Click Pin in the menu. The chat moves to a Pinned section at the top of the sidebar. Tip: Some guides call this option Pin chat. Use whichever wording your menu shows.
5. **Confirm the chat is pinned.** Look at the top of the sidebar for the Pinned section. If it is collapsed, click its header to open it, then find your chat. Tip: A July 1, 2026 comment reports pins disappearing daily, with no fix. Check again the next day if yours vanish.
6. **Unpin the chat.** Hover over the pinned chat, click the three-dot button, and choose Unpin. The chat leaves the Pinned section.
7. **Update the app if pinning fails.** (ChatGPT > Check for Updates) Open the ChatGPT menu in the menu bar and choose Check for Updates. Install any update, restart the app, and check the sidebar again. Tip: Find your version under ChatGPT > About ChatGPT.

Pinning keeps a chat near the top of ChatGPT's sidebar, so you don't have to search for it. That helps with a thread you return to every day, a draft you keep editing, or a set of instructions you reuse. Native pinning in ChatGPT was added at the end of 2025, according to one third-party guide that gives no source for that date.

## Which app and version you need

Pinning works in the desktop app for Mac. The rebuilt app arrived on July 9, 2026, and the old app was renamed ChatGPT Classic. Check your version under ChatGPT > About ChatGPT. The rebuilt app needs macOS 14 or newer, according to a third-party guide.

To update, open the ChatGPT menu at the top left of your screen and choose Check for Updates. A Chat/Work toggle arrived on July 16, 2026, and Chat and Work chats share the same Recents list. Chats from both modes appear in one list, so don't be surprised by a longer sidebar.

![Person working at a laptop on a desk, sorting saved chats before they pin a chat in ChatGPT on Mac](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/pin-a-chat-in-chatgpt/how-to-pin-a-chat-in-chatgpt-1-e38212.jpg)

## Pin a chat from the sidebar, step by step

Start with the chat you want near the top. Hover over its title in the left sidebar until the three-dot button appears beside it. Click that button, then choose Pin. The chat moves to the Pinned section at the top of the sidebar. The steps above cover each click, and the tips flag the spots where people usually get stuck.

The menu you see may not match the words in this guide exactly. Some guides call the option Pin chat. If the menu has several options with icons, look for the word Pin rather than guessing from the icon alone. Then confirm the change by looking at the top of the sidebar.

Say you use ChatGPT every day for three ongoing projects: a grant draft, a meal plan, and a set of Mac troubleshooting notes. Pin the chat you open most, then check the sidebar the next morning. If it is still at the top, the pin held. Repeat the test for the other two. Keeping the list short makes the Pinned section easier to scan.

## Find pinned chats at the top of the sidebar

The Pinned section sits above your regular list. You see pinned chats before anything else when you open the sidebar. Sections can collapse, so if the section looks empty or missing, click its header to open it. The sources list this as the first thing to check.

- **July 9, 2026** Release date of the rebuilt ChatGPT Mac app, per a third-party guide ([source](https://felloai.com/chatgpt-mac-app-update/))
- **macOS 14** Minimum macOS version for the rebuilt app, per a third-party guide ([source](https://felloai.com/chatgpt-mac-app-update/))
- **10** Pinned chats reported as the Plus limit in a community post with no staff reply ([source](https://community.openai.com/t/increase-or-remove-the-10-pinned-chats-limit-for-chatgpt-plus/1401953))

## Unpin a chat and tell it apart from delete

Unpin is the reverse of pin. Open the three-dot menu on the pinned chat and choose Unpin. The chat leaves the Pinned section and returns to your regular list. Unpin changes where a chat sits. It is a separate action from delete, so use the delete guide if you want a conversation removed.

## Is there a keyboard shortcut for pinning?

No source the research turned up lists a pin shortcut. The third-party shortcut list covers the chat bar, Settings, Hide, and Quit, and it names no pin key. For now, pinning is a pointer job. Use the mouse or trackpad for the hover, the click, and the menu choice.

| Action | Keys | Source status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Open Chat Bar | ⌥Space | Listed by FastShortcuts, undated |
| Open Settings | ⌘, | Listed by FastShortcuts, undated |
| Toggle sidebar | ⌘⇧S or ⌘S | Sources conflict, check the menu bar first |
| Pin a chat | None listed | No source lists one |

_Shortcuts from a third-party list. Verify them on your Mac._

The sidebar toggle matters if your sidebar is hidden. One source gives Command Shift S, and an older one gives Command S. Try the menu bar first. Then test a key on your own Mac before you rely on it, because a wrong guess only wastes a minute.

## How many chats can you pin?

The sources disagree here. One guide says Free, Plus, and Pro accounts are limited to three pinned chats, but it gives no source for that claim. A post in the OpenAI Developer Community, dated September 29, 2026, reports a ten-chat limit for Plus. No OpenAI staff member has replied to that post, and it does not say which platform the limit covers.

What should you do? Test it yourself. Pin chats one at a time until pinning stops working, and write down the count. If you hit a limit, copy the exact message. Don't plan a workflow around either number until OpenAI confirms one.

## Do pinned chats show up on iPhone too?

Yes, according to OpenAI's own changelog. The entry for August 17 to 21, 2026 says: Keep your pinned chats in sync between desktop and iOS. 9to5Mac reported the same update on August 20, 2026. A chat you pin on your Mac should show in the Pinned section on your iPhone after the sync runs.

## Why a pinned chat goes missing

Missing chats come up often in the sources. One July 1, 2026 comment reports pins disappearing every day, and it gives no fix. The steps below are the ones the troubleshooting guide lists for missing chats, and they are cheap to try.

1. Expand the Pinned section if it is collapsed.
2. Set the Chats filter icon to Chronological.
3. Check Settings > Archived chats for the chat.
4. Check Projects > Locked chats, since locked chats live there.
5. Update the app with ChatGPT > Check for Updates.
6. Sign out, then sign back in.

Work through the list in order. The first items are the quickest checks. Signing out comes last because it ends your session, so you will need to log in again afterward.

## When the app says it is damaged

If macOS says the app is damaged or cannot be verified, don't force it open. Reinstall from chatgpt.com/download instead. The guide that covers this error says not to bypass Gatekeeper, the macOS check on downloaded apps. Forcing the app open skips that check, so avoid it.

## Pins are not the same as Codex threads

OpenAI's docs also mention pinned threads in Codex, its coding product. Those arrived in late July 2026, and they are a separate feature from the chat pin in this guide. Projects are separate too. One guide says ChatGPT pins chats and projects from the sidebar into the same Pinned section. If you use Codex, expect different menus.

## Mistakes people make

- Hovering the empty space beside a chat instead of the title row.
- Looking for a pinned chat in Archived chats. Pins live at the top of the sidebar, so check there first.
- Assuming the three-pin claim applies to your account without testing it.
- Expecting Codex pins to behave like ChatGPT chat pins.
- Reinstalling the app first, when a filter or archive check would be enough.

![Laptop and notebook on an office desk, the setup for pinning a chat in ChatGPT on Mac](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/pin-a-chat-in-chatgpt/how-to-pin-a-chat-in-chatgpt-3-061981.jpg)

## What to do next

Pin the two or three chats you return to most. Check the sidebar over the next few days. If pins drop out, run the fixes above in order. For a conversation you no longer need, read [how to delete a chat in ChatGPT on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/delete-a-chat-in-chatgpt). To compare the app with other tools, see [ChatGPT on Mac: which app to use for which job](https://www.lazur.app/apps/chatgpt).

## How this page was checked

The OpenAI help pages on this topic returned a 403 error when checked, so OpenAI's own wording and menu layout could not be confirmed. The steps come from third-party guides that describe the rebuilt app, plus one OpenAI changelog entry. Shortcuts come from a third-party list. If your screen differs, trust the screen and check OpenAI's release notes again.

## Shortcuts

- Open Chat Bar: ⌥Space
- Open Settings: ⌘,

## If it does not work

- **The three-dot button does not appear** Update the app from ChatGPT > Check for Updates, restart it, then hover over the chat title again.
- **Pinned chats are missing from the sidebar** Expand the Pinned section, set the Chats filter to Chronological, check Settings > Archived chats, then sign out and back in.
- **Chats or Projects are missing after the rebuild** Use the Chat/Work toggle, update the app, and check the filter. Sign out and back in if they still don't appear.
- **macOS says the app is damaged or cannot be verified** Reinstall from chatgpt.com/download. Do not bypass Gatekeeper to open it.
- **Pins differ between Mac and iPhone** Pins sync as of August 2026 according to the changelog. Update both apps, then check again after a short wait.

## With Lazur

Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download

- “Walk me through pinning this chat.”: Lazur points at the three-dot button, waits for your click, then points at Pin. It does not click for you. (Walks you through it)

## FAQ

### Can I pin a chat in the ChatGPT app on Mac?

Yes. Hover over the chat in the left sidebar, click the three-dot button beside its title, and choose Pin. The chat moves to a Pinned section at the top of the sidebar.

### How do I unpin a chat in ChatGPT on Mac?

Open the same three-dot menu on the pinned chat and choose Unpin. The chat leaves the Pinned section. Unpin is a different action from delete, so use the delete guide if you want a chat removed.

### Is there a keyboard shortcut for pinning a chat?

None of the sources I checked lists one. The third-party shortcut list covers the chat bar, Settings, Hide, and Quit, and names no pin key. Use the pointer for now.

### How many chats can I pin in ChatGPT?

The sources disagree. One guide says three, with no source given. A community post dated September 29, 2026 reports ten for Plus, with no staff reply. Test your own limit before you rely on either number.

### Why are my pinned chats missing on Mac?

Expand the Pinned section, set the Chats filter to Chronological, check Archived chats, update the app, and then sign out and back in. Work through those checks in that order.

### Do pinned chats sync to my iPhone?

OpenAI's changelog for August 17 to 21, 2026 says pinned chats stay in sync between desktop and iOS. If the two devices still differ, update both apps and check again.

### Does pinning work the same on the ChatGPT website?

The third-party guides describe the same hover, three-dot menu, and Pin option on the web. They describe the web version, so if the wording on your Mac differs, trust the Mac menu.

## Sources

1. [ChatGPT Mac App Not Working? How to Fix It (2026)](https://felloai.com/chatgpt-mac-app-update/), felloai, checked 2026-11-09
2. [ChatGPT update adds Apple Messages integration on Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/08/20/chatgpt-update-adds-apple-messages-integration-on-mac/), 9to5Mac, checked 2026-11-09
3. [What's new - ChatGPT & Codex docs](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/whats-new), OpenAI, checked 2026-11-09
4. [How to Pin Chats in ChatGPT: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)](https://www.ai-toolbox.co/ai-toolbox-chatgpt-features/how-to-pin-chats-in-chatgpt), AI Toolbox, checked 2026-11-09
5. [How to Pin ChatGPT Chats and Folders to the Sidebar (2026)](https://www.ai-toolbox.co/tutorials/chatgpt/pin-chats-and-folders), AI Toolbox, checked 2026-11-09
6. [How to Pin a ChatGPT Chat (and the 3-Pin Limit)](https://nexasphere.io/blog/how-to-pin-chatgpt-conversations-2026), Nexasphere, checked 2026-11-09
7. [Increase or Remove the 10 Pinned Chats Limit for ChatGPT Plus](https://community.openai.com/t/increase-or-remove-the-10-pinned-chats-limit-for-chatgpt-plus/1401953), OpenAI Developer Community, checked 2026-11-09
8. [ChatGPT Keyboard Shortcuts 2026](https://fastshortcuts.com/shortcuts/chatgpt/), FastShortcuts, checked 2026-11-09
9. [The ChatGPT sidebar sucks now. Here's how to fix it.](https://www.popularai.org/p/chatgpt-sidebar-pinned-chats-gpts-projects-missing), Popular AI, checked 2026-11-09