[Windows Desktop] Local Projects are unavailable in Chat project selector while Work can use them (26.908 / 26.911)

What version of the app are you using?

Reproduced on two Windows desktop app versions:

• 26.908.4834.0 on the original Windows user profile
• 26.911.7940.0 on a newly created Windows user profile with a fresh ChatGPT installation

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus.

What platform is your computer?

Windows desktop app, x64.

What issue are you seeing?

Local Projects can be created and used successfully in Work, but they cannot be selected or used in ordinary Chat.

Observed behavior:

• Local Projects appear in the desktop app's Projects area.
• Work can use a Local Project and its attached local folder normally.
• In ordinary Chat, Local Projects do not appear in the project selector.
• Existing chats in Recents also cannot be manually assigned/moved to a Local Project because the Local Project is absent from the destination project list.
• Clicking the edit/control icon for a Local Project opens a screen with both Chat and Work options, but the Local Project is not actually selected as the active project context in Chat; the composer does not show the project.
• Creating additional Local Projects backed by different folders produces the same result.

This is not isolated to one Windows profile or one app installation. I created a new Windows user account, installed the current ChatGPT desktop app fresh (26.911.7940.0), created a new Local Project from a new local folder, and reproduced exactly the same behavior: Work can use the Local Project, but Chat cannot select it.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Open the ChatGPT desktop app on Windows.
2. Create a Local Project backed by a local folder.
3. Confirm the Local Project appears in the Projects area.
4. Start or switch to Work and select/use the Local Project.
5. Confirm Work can access the project/folder.
6. Switch to ordinary Chat.
7. Open the project selector / "work in a project" selector.
8. Observe that the Local Project is not listed.
9. Open an existing conversation under Recents and try to move/assign it to a project.
10. Observe that the Local Project is also missing from the destination list.
11. Click the Local Project's edit/control icon. A screen with Chat / Work options opens, but Chat does not show the Local Project as the active context.

Reproduction was repeated with multiple Local Projects and on a fresh Windows user profile with a fresh installation.

Expected behavior

Please clarify and make the product behavior consistent:

• If Local Projects are intended to support ordinary Chat, they should appear in the Chat project selector, and Chat should retain the Local Project as the active project context.
• If Local Projects are intentionally Work/Codex-only, the UI and documentation should state this explicitly, and the Local Project edit screen should not present a Chat option in a way that suggests Chat can use the local project.

The current state is especially confusing because Work can use the Local Project successfully while Chat silently excludes it from every project-selection path.

Additional information

Troubleshooting already performed:

• Tested multiple existing Local Projects.
• Created new Local Projects from different local folders.
• Reproduced on app version 26.908.4834.0.
• Created a completely new Windows user account.
• Installed a fresh copy of the desktop app under that account (26.911.7940.0).
• Created a new Local Project there and reproduced the same behavior.

This strongly suggests the behavior is not caused by one corrupted Local Project or by the original Windows user's local app state.

Possibly related:

• #35367 — requests direct local folder/file access for ordinary Chat and clearer separation between ChatGPT/Work/Codex project types.

I am filing this separately because this report provides a reproducible A/B case across two app versions and a fresh Windows user profile, and because the current UI presents both Chat and Work entry points for Local Projects while Chat cannot actually select them.

Start by reproducing the issue in the Windows desktop app, using the project selector, Recents assignment flow, and the Local Project edit/control screen described above. Compare the Chat and Work paths across the reported versions and fresh profile. Done means the intended Chat behavior is implemented consistently, or the UI clearly communicates that Local Projects are Work/Codex-only.