New Chat GPT Desktop app has accessibility issues including Jaws (screen reader for the blind) not reading chat names in history, and not treating new messages as headings users can easily navigate to
Open 💬 0 comments Opened Jul 19, 2026 by ShreyBhatt-108
What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?
26.715.31251
What subscription do you have?
Chat GPT +
What platform is your computer?
Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64
What issue are you seeing?
ChatGPT Desktop App Accessibility & Usability Issues
Accessibility
- New ChatGPT Desktop app has accessibility issues including JAWS (screen reader for the blind) not reading chat names in history.
- New messages are no longer exposed as headings, unlike the previous app where each turn had headings such as "You said" and "ChatGPT said". This prevents blind users from quickly navigating conversations using the H key in JAWS.
- The reasoning/model picker is not properly announced by JAWS, making it difficult to determine which option is currently selected or to interact with it confidently.
- Much of the Settings interface is inaccessible with JAWS. Beyond the General and About sections, many settings cannot be reached or read properly, and even finding the app version is difficult.
Feedback ID:
no-active-thread-019f7b91-001f-7f42-b1ca-2a0d8d6bdedf
What steps can reproduce the bug?
Feedback ID: no-active-thread-019f7b91-001f-7f42-b1ca-2a0d8d6bdedf
What is the expected behavior?
Jaws should be able to see each responce fromt the model and each responce from the human as new headings, so users can navigate to each message in the thred. This was not an issue in classic, only Codex. It is now an issue in the chat and codex sections of the new app. For the chat history, it should read "link {chat name}" not "archive chat delete chat" without a name. Again, this used to be a Codex only issue, now in chat, work, and codex.
Additional information
_No response_