ChatGPT Sites: what it is and how to build a site

01

What ChatGPT Sites is

It is not a screenshot generator: it produces a hosted web experience you can reopen, test, refine and share.

Sites turns a prompt or compatible local project into a hosted website, lightweight app or game. ChatGPT handles creation, saved versions, deployment and site management from the web or desktop app.

Codex remains useful for editing and testing a local project's code, while Sites manages creation, deployment, access and analytics. A Site persists after the conversation that created it ends and is separate from a ChatGPT Project.

Available in: ChatGPT web and desktop app; plan, region and workspace settings apply
Builds: Websites, dashboards, internal tools, lightweight apps and games
Publishing: Saving a version and deploying are separate; every deployed URL is production
Can include: Persistent data, files, identity, controlled access and analytics where supported

02

Build your first Site

Separate intent, review and publishing so the first draft never becomes production by accident.

Open Sites from More > Sites in ChatGPT on the web, visit chatgpt.com/sites, or use Sites in the desktop app.
Describe the audience, purpose, core experience, required information and what the Site should remember between visits.
Review content, flows, data and empty states in preview; add screenshots or files to guide visual changes.
Ask ChatGPT to save a version without deploying and inspect the complete candidate first.
Deploy only the approved version, choose the narrowest audience and test the link as a visitor.

03

Six Sites that solve real work

Start from a concrete operational need, not a vague request to “make a beautiful website”.

Project dashboard

Centralize requests, owners, statuses and filters for a team.

Deliverable Workspace-authenticated panel with durable records

Internal portal

Organize processes, policies, links and forms in one navigable interface.

Deliverable Private portal with reviewed permissions

Interactive report

Turn analysis into charts, filters and explanations readers can explore.

Deliverable Results microsite with sources and method

Launch calendar

Combine milestones, dependencies, owners and risks in a shared view.

Deliverable Living roadmap with dates and statuses

Functional prototype

Validate a user flow before investing in a complete application.

Deliverable Hosted prototype with testable behavior

Learning game

Create a focused experience with progress, scoring or interactive content.

Deliverable Shareable, measurable web activity

04

The prompt that produces a useful Site

Define the product, behavior and access. Say explicitly when data or files must persist.

Audience

Who visits and which permissions they need.

Goal

The problem it solves and action it enables.

Experience

Screens, core flow and required states.

Data

Seed information, durable records and files.

Quality

Visual, responsive, accessibility and test criteria.

Publishing

Version, audience and pre-deployment review.

Example Sites brief

Build a Site for the operations team to manage internal requests.

Audience: authenticated workspace employees. They must create requests, assign an owner, change status and filter by team, priority and date.

Data: keep requests and changes between visits. Include empty, loading, success and error states. Use no real data in the first prototype.

Design: restrained, responsive, keyboard accessible and AA contrast. Prioritize a table on desktop and cards on mobile.

Before publishing, create test data, verify the main flows and save a version for my review.

Do not deploy or widen access until I approve the exact saved version in writing.

05

Sites, Work or Codex

All three can support one project, but each owns a different part of the workflow.

Criterion	Sites	Work	Codex
Main output	Hosted web experience	Professional deliverable	Software changes
Management	Versions, deployment, access and analytics	Research, files and coordination	Code, tests and repository
Local project	Can publish a compatible one	Can use permitted files	Edits and tests it directly
Choose it when	The result must run in a browser	The result is a document or analysis	You need technical control of code

06

Review before sharing

A Site can expose content, data and forms to more people than intended. Audience is both a product and security decision.

Keep the Site private while reviewing content, behavior, files and data handling.
Check the Site's audience control separately from any sign-in built into the application.
Never place secrets in prompts, attachments, content or source control; configure them in Site settings.
Test forms, links, uploads, permissions, error states and mobile layouts as a visitor.
Use fictional data during development and remove confidential information that should not be shared.
Save a reviewable version, inspect code changes and migrations, and deploy only after approval.

Sharing lets people visit a Site, not edit it. Workspace admins can restrict public publishing, and availability varies by plan, region and settings.

07

Official sources

Content checked exclusively against official provider documentation. Use the links to confirm availability and later changes.

Sites — ChatGPT Learn

Creation flow, prompts, analytics, versions, deployment, storage, access and secrets.

learn.chatgpt.com
Creating and managing ChatGPT Sites

Availability, audience, publishing, privacy and checks before sharing.

help.openai.com

Next lesson: Scheduled Tasks