How to use ChatGPT canvas

ChatGPT is an excellent brainstorming partner that goes beyond just generating ideas—it can also output entire article outlines and code. But trying to edit or expand on its responses can feel like asking your dog to fetch a pair of slippers. After he’s brought back everything but the slippers and randomly performed every other command he knows (sit, lie down, roll over), you give up and get it yourself.

ChatGPT canvas is a step in the right direction: it lets you isolate specific content in a separate window next to your main conversation so that you can dial in on the exact prompt that you want to refine without having to dig through other parts of your chat. 

Here’s everything you need to know about how to use ChatGPT canvas.

Table of contents: 

What is ChatGPT canvas?

ChatGPT canvas is a self-contained output that’s generated from a ChatGPT conversation. These outputs appear in a dedicated window next to your main chat. From there, you can highlight specific sections to make targeted edits. 

Since canvas is built into ChatGPT, it offers a lot of the same key functionality that you’d get when using ChatGPT alone. For example, it takes into account custom instructions and memories when generating or modifying a canvas. 

How to use ChatGPT canvas

Here’s how to use ChatGPT canvas. 

1. Go to chat.com, and log in or sign up (it’s free).

2. By default, ChatGPT should be running on the GPT-4o model. If not, click the model dropdown and select GPT-4o.

   

3. Click the View tools icon in the message bar (it looks like a box holding miscellaneous objects), and then select Canvas.

   

   Alternatively, enter your prompt as you normally would and ask ChatGPT to output its response as a canvas. You can also tell it to “create a document” or “create an article,” and ChatGPT will output your content in a canvas. 

4. ChatGPT will automatically create a canvas, expanding it into the right half of your screen while displaying your main conversation on the left. From there, you can edit the canvas directly.

   

5. To close the canvas, click the Close icon, which looks like an X, next to the canvas title. To re-open the canvas, you can either click the canvas within your chat or click the Open canvas icon, which looks like a document, at the top of the chat. 

   

How to edit ChatGPT canvas

You can edit your ChatGPT canvas in a few ways: 

• Enter a new AI prompt. Tell ChatGPT how you want to modify the canvas by entering a new prompt in the main chat. 

• Modify a specific element. In the canvas window, highlight the specific element you want ChatGPT to edit. In the floating toolbar that appears, click Ask ChatGPT, and then enter your prompt. You can also use the toolbar to format the highlighted element: bold, italicize, or apply a different text style. 

  

ChatGPT will apply edits directly to the canvas and display your prompts in the main chat.

For example, when I asked ChatGPT to provide examples for each lead magnet that would be relevant for a small D2C hair care business, it logged my prompt in the main chat and added examples in line with each recommended lead magnet. 

ChatGPT canvas also offers a handful of preset tools that are designed to help with two categories of content: long-form text and code. 

How to use ChatGPT canvas tools to edit long-form text 

Canvas includes several built-in tools to handle common writing tasks. Hover over the Suggested edits icon, which looks like a pencil and a star, in your canvas. The toolbar will expand and display the following options: 

• Suggest edits. ChatGPT will review your content and provide suggestions (displayed as comments) in the canvas window. To apply a suggestion, hover over the relevant comment, and then click Apply. ChatGPT will apply the suggestion directly to your canvas.  

• Adjust the length. Using a sliding scale, you can shorten or length your document to varying degrees. In practical terms, you can expand your text to nearly double its original length or cut it down to a quarter of its size.

• Reading level. Using a sliding scale, you can adjust the reading level anywhere from Kindergarten to Graduate school.

• Add final polish. This tool gives your document a final touch-up—for example, it’ll add section titles or apply heading styles—but calling it a “polish” is a stretch. In my experience, it often made sweeping changes, cutting parts of the article or dramatically shortening the content, sometimes to the point of losing substance—so proceed with caution. 

• Add emoji. This tool lets you sprinkle in emoji throughout your document. There are more granular controls that allow you to add emoji to specific sections, like lists or at the start of new sections. 

While these pre-built tools are theoretically helpful, in practical application, most of them are hit or miss. For example, I found the quality of feedback provided using the Suggest edits tool wasn’t as good as the insights I’d normally get by asking ChatGPT directly for feedback using a specific prompt. 

How to use ChatGPT canvas tools to edit code 

ChatGPT canvas also offers a couple of preset tools to help you edit code. But there are some limitations to keep in mind. For example, the sandbox environment restricts you to working on a single Python file, which can be a dealbreaker for more complex or multi-file projects. And some of the tools produce uneven results, so you need to be extra vigilant about hallucinations. 

To access the code-editing tools, hover over the Code review icon, which looks like a terminal prompt, in your canvas. The toolbar will expand and display the following options: 

• Code review. This tool analyzes your code, highlights potential errors, and suggests improvements for both functionality and readability. To apply a suggestion, hover over the relevant comment, and then click Apply. ChatGPT will apply the suggestion directly to your canvas. Since it adds only a limited number of comments per pass, I recommend applying the code review to specific areas to get comprehensive feedback, especially if you’re working with a large file. 

• Port to a language. This lets you convert your code into a selection of predefined languages, including PHP, C++, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Java. It works well for smaller snippets but struggles with larger or more complex systems, especially those relying on specific frameworks.

• Fix bugs. This tool will find any errors and fix them directly in your canvas. But be warned: I found the edits to be a mixed bag. For example, it occasionally removed functional code and stripped out comments. 

• Add logs. This tool inserts logs into your code to print descriptions of what’s being executed and to log important variable data, which is particularly helpful for debugging.

• Add comments. ChatGPT can review your code line by line and add comments. But there are a few caveats. First, because Canvas doesn’t always have access to the entire system, you’ll need to verify that its comments are accurate and reflect how your code integrates into the larger project. Second, ChatGPT tends to add more comments than might typically be included in production code. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can clutter the file, so you might need to trim unnecessary comments for better readability.

How to interact with ChatGPT canvas 

Apart from editing your canvas, you have a number of other options for interacting with it (these tools are available at the top of your canvas). 

• Review changes. Click the Show changes icon, which looks like a clock, to see changes made to your canvas. ChatGPT will strike anything that was removed from the original canvas and highlight it in red, and highlight any additions in green.  

• Revert to other versions. Click the Previous version or Next version icons, which look like left- and right-facing arrows, to toggle between canvases. If you want to revert back to a previous version, click Restore this version at the bottom of the canvas. 

• Copy the canvas. Click the Copy icon, which looks like two overlapping pages, and paste the content wherever you want to use it. 

• Ask ChatGPT to explain an element. Highlight an element in the canvas window. In the floating toolbar that appears, click Ask ChatGPT, and prompt ChatGPT to explain the element. It’ll display the explanation in the main chat. 

  

Automate ChatGPT 

ChatGPT canvas offers one way to speed up your workflows. Using Zapier to connect ChatGPT with the rest of your apps offers another—with unlimited possibilities. For example, you can automatically send ChatGPT-generated blog outlines to Google Docs, or build and interact with AI assistants in other apps like Slack or Gmail. Add the power of ChatGPT to all of your workflows.

Learn more about how to automate ChatGPT, or click on any of the templates below to start building an automated system that relies on ChatGPT.

Related reading: