ChatGPT has been asking OpenAI if conversational branching will be available on the platform. Now, the new feature is running. Sam Altman might have heard their requests.
The new feature lets users create multiple parallel threads from one conversation. This allows them to branch out into different ideas, experiment with approaches, and refer back to previous points without replacing the initial chat.
ChatGPT's Conversation Branching
The feature is live now for all logged-in web users. To branch, just hover over a message, choose "More actions," and click on "Branch in new chat." A new thread of conversation opens, moving the whole history so far while leaving the original chat unchanged.
By popular request: you can now branch conversations in ChatGPT, letting you more easily explore different directions without losing your original thread.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) September 4, 2025
Available now to logged-in users on web. https://t.co/l6RflhOGuK pic.twitter.com/CpVehkULOB
Consider it as making a copy of a document before edits are made. For instance, a marketing team might begin with a single brainstorming session and then diverge into discrete threads to pilot formal, lighthearted, or exploratory ad copy concepts, all based on the same setup.
Solving a Major Limitation for ChatGPT Users
Before branching, users were presented with two unpleasant choices: overwrite current prompts or begin anew in a fresh chat. Both methods interrupted workflow and restricted creative exploration. Branching corrects this by enabling numerous "what-if" scenarios without context loss.
A 2024 paper by Tsinghua University and Beijing Institute of Technology emphasized how linear conversations in big language models (LLMs) introduce inefficiencies for tasks such as project planning and learning about knowledge.
Repeatedly copying, comparing, and tweaking content put a higher mental burden. ChatGPT's branching specifically targets these issues.
Feature Inspired by Software Development
Developers are already comparing the feature to branching in Git, where developers test out changes on individual branches without changing the master code. ChatGPT branching allows users to try out things freely without losing original conversations.
Significantly, OpenAI isn't the first to do so, according to Ars Technica. Anthropic's Claude has had branching capabilities for well over a year, providing users with a means to switch back and forth between conversation branches. ChatGPT's enormous user base, however, guarantees this feature will make waves.
Branching's Importance in AI Conversations
Most users use ChatGPT as if it were a human with a fixed opinion, requesting its "opinion" or treating answers as gospel. The anthropomorphism could crush creativity by promoting dependency on one output.
Branching emphasizes that AI is an adaptive tool, not an oracle. It allows users to investigate various points of view, refute or confirm hypotheses, and drive projects forward without being committed to one train of thought.
In other news, ChatGPT is reportedly rolling out parental controls next month. The move came following a teenage boy's suicide. His parents blamed the chatbot for pushing their son into a wrongful death.
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