How to use canvas in ChatGPT

Have you ever felt like ChatGPT generated a great response to your query when working on long or complex content or code, but you wanted to tweak certain parts without regenerating the entire response? Or maybe you wanted to refine the response yourself before copying it? Well, ChatGPT Canvas is the tool that can help with both and more.

This useful tool allows for a more collaborative and efficient experience, enabling you to manage complex projects with ease. Whether you’re a writer, a coder, or someone juggling both, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about using Canvas effectively.

What Is ChatGPT Canvas?

Canvas is a new interface introduced by OpenAI to make writing and coding tasks easier. Unlike the traditional chat interface, Canvas provides a visually organized workspace where you can edit, review, and collaborate with AI in real-time.

Canvas is currently available on the web version of ChatGPT and is accessible to all users without limitations. However, it is specifically designed to work with the GPT-4o model. This means that free users can use Canvas as long as they are within their GPT-4o usage limits. If you exceed your limit and are switched to the GPT-4o-mini model, You won’t be able to collaborate with the AI in Canvas.

How to launch Canvas

Getting started with Canvas is simple, and there are multiple ways to launch it. ChatGPT offers several options, even when using custom GPTs. Sometimes, Canvas activates automatically when ChatGPT detects that your task could benefit from it, such as when working on lengthy text or complex code. If it doesn’t launch automatically, here are some ways to trigger it:

Launching Canvas in normal chat

• Requesting it explicitly: You can ask ChatGPT to open Canvas by including words like “use Canvas” in your prompt. Your response will then be generated in Canvas.
• Opening pasted text in canvas: When you paste long content or write a lengthy prompt in the prompt form, the canvas icon appears. You can click it to open your prompt in the canvas.
• Editing an existing conversation: If Canvas didn’t launch automatically, or if you want to edit ChatGPT responses from your chat history, simply open the chat and click “Edit in Canvas” under the response you want to modify.

Using Canvas with custom GPTs

Activating Canvas while using custom GPTs works similarly to regular chat. Simply select the custom GPT you want to use and include a phrase like “Using Canvas:…” followed by your prompt. You can also edit responses generated with a custom GPT in Canvas by clicking on the response and selecting “Edit in Canvas.”

• Enabling Canvas on your custom GPT: For users with a subscription (like ChatGPT Plus or Team), you can enable Canvas within the “Capabilities” settings of your custom GPTs. This allows for enhanced project collaboration when using custom models.

Using the Canvas interface

The Canvas interface has two main sections, arranged side by side:

• Left Side: Your regular chat window, where you can continue conversations and enter new prompts.
• Right Side: The Canvas workspace, where you can view, edit, and collaborate on text or code outputs with ChatGPT seamlessly.

Editing features in Canvas

Once a response is generated in Canvas, you can select portions of the text to modify, correct, or format, such as adding bold, italics, or headings to fit your needs.

Advanced editing features

Canvas provides advanced editing tools that allow you to refine content efficiently. By highlighting a section of text or code, you can input a prompt in the “Ask ChatGPT” box that appears. This allows you to:

• Ask follow-up questions
• Modify the selected text using a quick prompt

For content writing, ChatGPT provides quick tools for adjusting length and reading level. To access these, click on the “Suggest Edits” menu at the bottom right of the screen.

When you’re done editing, you can revert to previous versions thanks to the Version History feature, which tracks changes over time. You can also undo edits using the undo button.

A win for Programmers

For programmers who use ChatGPT to generate code, Canvas includes coding-specific features, including built-in Python execution. Here’s what you can do:

• Clarify code snippets: Highlight a function or variable and ask it to explain what it does.
• Edit or fix code: Highlight a section and ask ChatGPT to fix errors, refactor, or add comments.
• Request a rewrite: Have ChatGPT improve the structure or readability of your code.

When working with code, the “Code Review” menu appears at the bottom right of the screen instead of “Suggest Edits.” This menu includes features like:

• Reviewing code and suggesting improvements
• Fixing bugs
• Porting code to another language

Conclusion

Canvas is a powerful tool that enhances the way you use ChatGPT. While this feature is available to all ChatGPT users (with usage limits for free users), any premium user working on complex responses whether text or code should consider using Canvas more often to master its capabilities. Whether you’re drafting articles, developing software, or refining documents, ChatGPT Canvas streamlines workflows and improves output quality.