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Where did ChatGPT Study Mode go?

It’s still there. In spring 2026 it dropped out of sight in the menu for many people. Here’s how to turn it on now, what it’s good at, and when something else fits better.

Updated · 6 min read

ChatGPT Study Mode wasn’t removed. As of October 2026, you turn it on by typing @study in the message box, or by clicking + and choosing Study (search the menu for “study” if you don’t see it). On iPhone and Android, tap + and choose Study. OpenAI’s Study Mode FAQ has the current steps.

The confusion is understandable. Study Mode launched in July 2025 under the tools menu. In April and May 2026 many people found it gone from that menu, and the shortcut has since changed more than once. It works in ordinary chats.

courses.example.edu/hist210/week-5/1914
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Week 5: Why 1914 became a world war

Historians often group the long-term causes of the First World War as militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism.

In June 1914 the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo set off a crisis between Austria-Hungary and Serbia.

Within weeks, the alliance system drew in Russia, Germany, France and Britain, and a regional crisis became a continental war.

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Listening
No mode to turn on: ask about the page you’re on, out loud, and Buddy answers about it in a sentence or two.

What Study Mode does well

  • It asks questions and gives hints instead of handing you the answer, and checks your understanding as you go.
  • It’s on every ChatGPT plan, including Free, on the web, iPhone and Android.
  • It works with voice, so you can talk it through.

Where it can fall short

  • You have to remember to turn it on, and it’s easy to leave when you’re tired and just want the answer.
  • It knows only what you give it. You paste in or upload the problem; it doesn’t follow the page you’re working on.
  • It lives in a chat. What you learn stays in the conversation, apart from your notes, unless you copy it over.

An alternative: Pen Buddy

Pen Buddy is a study notebook for Mac and iPad with a tutor, Buddy, built in. There’s no mode to switch on: hints before answers is simply how Buddy works. It gives the smallest help that gets you moving, and a full solution only when you ask.

ChatGPT Study ModePen Buddy
Hints before answersWhen Study Mode is onAlways
Knows your problemWhat you paste or uploadFollows your page; your screen on Mac when you share it
HandwritingFrom a photo or uploadReads and writes on your Pencil notes on iPad
VoiceYesYes: short answers, interrupt any time
Where your learning goesThe chatYour notes, with review cards
DevicesWeb, iPhone, Android and moreMac and iPad only
PriceIncluded in every ChatGPT planFree notebook with 25 credits a month; paid plans from $9.99

Which to pick: if you want something free on any device today, Study Mode is a good choice. If you study on a Mac or iPad and want a tutor that sits in your notes, follows your page and reads your handwriting, try Pen Buddy when it launches. See how it works.

We make Pen Buddy, so weigh our view accordingly. Facts about other products come from their own pages, checked on October 14, 2026; prices and features change, so check the links.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

No. As of October 2026 it’s still available. Type @study in the message box, or click + and choose Study. It moved out of sight in the menu in spring 2026, which is why many people thought it was gone.

On the web, type @study in the message box or click + and choose Study. On iPhone and Android, tap + and choose Study. OpenAI’s Help Center has the current steps.

Yes. OpenAI says it’s available on all ChatGPT plans, including Free.

Claude’s Learning style and Gemini’s Guided Learning work the same way in their chat apps. For a tutor built into your notes on Mac and iPad that follows your page and reads your handwriting, there’s Pen Buddy.