How to use ChatGPT in Chrome, try-on shopping and stay safe from fake GPTs

Set up the ChatGPT Chrome extension, use its tab, shopping and try-on tools, and avoid the fake custom GPTs that have been used to spread malware.

10 min · Updated October 20, 2026 · Tools: ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, Google Chrome

1Install the extension. Add the ChatGPT extension from the Chrome Web Store (it is offered by OpenAI). It also works in Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi; the side panel works in all of them except Opera.
2Connect it in the desktop app. In the ChatGPT desktop app, open the Computer Use section of Settings and check that the browser shows a Manage option. In a Work or Codex chat, pick the browser with an @-mention.
3Start with reading, not acting. Ask Chat to compare tabs you already have open, such as three sofas by size, price, delivery time and returns. Reading is lower risk than letting Work click, fill and download.
4Set site permissions on purpose. When ChatGPT asks about a new site, choose Allow once or Allow for this site. OpenAI labels Allow for all sites and browser history access as Elevated Risk, so avoid them unless you need them.
5Stop it before the final click. For forms, ask it to fill in the details and stop before submitting. Check every field yourself, then press the button.
6Try the shopping tools. In shopping results, tap Try On on a clothing or accessory listing and upload a selfie or full-body photo. Treat the picture as a style preview, not proof of fit.
7Open custom GPTs only from sources you trust. Never paste a command into Terminal or PowerShell because a chatbot, a GPT or a web page told you to. A real ChatGPT answer does not need you to run a script to keep using the service.

ChatGPT is no longer only a chat box. It can now read the tabs you have open in Chrome, act in them, and help you shop. It is also a trusted name that attackers borrow. This guide covers the useful parts and the safe way to use them.

What the Chrome extension does

The extension has three parts, as OpenAI describes them:

Chat reads your tabs. It can look across open tabs to gather information for an answer.
Work acts in your tabs. Work is OpenAI's agent for longer jobs. It can send messages, fill out forms, download files and group tabs.
The sidebar is the full app. Your whole conversation history sits next to the page you are on.

You trigger tab reading by tagging Chrome in the ChatGPT web or desktop app. The extension's other tools include tab mentions, bringing highlighted text into a chat, a right-click "Ask ChatGPT" option, and questions about a YouTube video when it has captions. Our news story has the full detail: ChatGPT can now read your Chrome tabs.

Keep control of permissions

The extension is useful because it can use sites where you are signed in. That is also why the permissions matter.

Choice	What it means	Risk
Allow once	One request only	Lowest
Allow for this site	Remembered for that domain	Moderate
Allow for all sites	No more prompts	Labeled Elevated Risk by OpenAI
Decline	Nothing happens	None

Browser history access is limited to a single request, with no always-allow option. The store listing says ChatGPT always asks before downloading or uploading files.

Shopping and virtual try-on

OpenAI launched two shopping features worldwide: Try On and Favorites. On eligible listings, tap Try On and upload a selfie or full-body photo, and ChatGPT creates an image of you wearing the item. You can also upload a screenshot of any item from a store. Favorites saves products to your ChatGPT Library. See ChatGPT can now try on clothes for you.

OpenAI says product results are chosen by ChatGPT, not as ads, and the store handles the purchase.

The fake GPT trap

In September 2026, Huntress reported a malicious custom GPT named "Plus 5.6" on OpenAI's own domain. It looked like a ChatGPT upgrade, claimed there was a service problem, then pushed people to a "backup domain" that told them to run a PowerShell command. That command installed a remote access trojan.

Because the first page really was on chatgpt.com, checking the web address would not have caught it. The warning sign is the request itself:

No real service asks you to paste a command into PowerShell or Terminal to keep using it.
Be wary of "upgrades" and "backup domains."
Do not trust a sponsored search result for a well-known AI name; go to the official site or app directly.

OpenAI removed the first GPT by September 25, 2026, and has announced it plans to retire custom GPTs by December 11, 2026. Read the full story: Custom GPTs used to push ClickFix malware.

For privacy settings across assistants, see how to keep your data private in AI chatbots.

Got questions?

Quick answers, plain words

Which ChatGPT plans can use the Chrome extension?

OpenAI says the updated extension is available on all ChatGPT plans. PiunikaWeb reports that Work mode, the part that takes actions in your tabs, needs at least a Plus subscription.

Can ChatGPT see websites where I am signed in?

Yes. OpenAI's documentation says it can read or act on sites where you are already signed in, naming LinkedIn, Salesforce, Gmail and internal tools. It asks before using a new site by default, and you can keep allowlists and blocklists of domains.

Does virtual try-on tell me if clothes will fit?

No. OpenAI says try-on images are visualizations, may not accurately show the product or your appearance, and do not guarantee fit or size. Check the store's measurements.

What happens to the photo I use for try-on?

According to OpenAI's help page, as RuntimeWire reports, your reference photo is saved for future try-ons. You can change or delete it in Settings.

How did a fake GPT spread malware?

Huntress found a malicious custom GPT called Plus 5.6 on chatgpt.com. It showed a fake service notice and sent people to a page that told them to run a PowerShell command, which installed remote access malware. Huntress counted at least 40 related incidents.

Sources

Settings and prices change. We check guides against these sources and update the date above when we do.