The Codex app is now part of the ChatGPT desktop app: you install ChatGPT for macOS, Windows or Linux, sign in, and pick Codex from the ChatGPT dropdown to start a coding chat in a project folder. OpenAI's What's new page says that on July 9, 2026, "the Codex app merged into the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS and Windows," and the old Codex app page now redirects to the ChatGPT desktop app docs.
This guide covers installing the app, the three places a Codex chat can run, the built-in tools developers use most, and which plans include it. Facts come from OpenAI's docs, read on 24 October 2026.
What is the Codex app?
It is the desktop home for Codex alongside ChatGPT's Chat and Work modes. OpenAI describes the desktop app as a place to "Run projects in parallel, work with files, use your computer, and keep long-running work moving from one desktop workspace."
For coding, the app adds a workspace around the agent that the Codex CLI and IDE extension don't offer in the same form:
- Many chats across projects, visible in one sidebar.
- Git worktrees managed for you, so several chats can change the same repo in parallel.
- An integrated terminal, a file tree and a review tab per chat.
- Scheduled tasks, a built-in browser, plugins and Computer Use.
- Cloud tasks started from the same composer.
The app, the CLI and the IDE extension are different windows onto the same agent. MCP servers you add in one show up in the others, because OpenAI's MCP docs say "The ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and IDE extension share this configuration."
How do you install the Codex app?
- Download ChatGPT. Get it from chatgpt.com/download for macOS or Windows. On Windows you can also run
winget install --id 9PLM9XGG6VKS -s msstore. - Sign in with your ChatGPT account. You can also use Codex with an API key, though some features are not available that way.
- Choose where to work. Start a chat, create a project, or open a folder (
Cmd+Oon macOS,Ctrl+Oon Windows). - Select Codex from the ChatGPT dropdown for software work, then start with New chat.
Linux is in preview. The Linux install guide lists Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and 26.04 LTS, Debian 13, Fedora 43 and 44, and current Arch Linux, each on x64 and ARM64. Ubuntu and Debian use a .deb package, Fedora an .rpm, and Arch an install script. After that, updates come through your package manager:
# Ubuntu or Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade chatgpt
# Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh chatgpt
Computer Use is available on macOS and Windows but not yet in the Linux preview.
Where does a Codex chat run: Local, Worktree or Cloud?
When you start a Codex chat, you choose where it runs. The Codex environments docs describe three options:
| Option | Where it runs | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Local | Directly in your current project folder | You want Codex to change the files you are working on |
| Worktree | A separate Git worktree on your computer | You want parallel or background work that leaves your checkout alone |
| Cloud | A remote workspace from a published cloud environment | You want the task to run on OpenAI's machines |
Use Work in to choose This computer or Cloud. For a local Git project, a separate Worktree control isolates the changes.
Worktrees need a Git repository. You pick a starting branch, and Codex creates a worktree from it, working in a detached HEAD by default. When you're ready, either click Create branch here to commit and push from the worktree, or use Handoff to move the chat and its code into your local checkout. Git allows a branch to be checked out in only one place at a time, which is why Handoff exists. Details are in the worktrees docs.
Cloud tasks need a published environment. Your local files, running processes, browser sign-ins and VPN access are not carried over. The Codex Cloud guide covers environments.
What tools does the app give you while Codex works?
- Integrated terminal. Each chat has a terminal scoped to its project or worktree. Open it with Control plus the backtick key, or select New tab, then Terminal. Codex can read the terminal output, so it can check a running dev server or a failed build.
- Actions. Commands you run often can be defined as actions in a local environment and appear as shortcuts in the app.
- Review tab and file tree. Open the review tab with Control+Shift+G on macOS (
Ctrl+Shift+Gon Windows and Linux), and search files withCmd+Pon macOS. On Windows, OpenAI notes that Git "Powers the review panel." - Code Review. The app includes a Code Review plugin for GitHub pull requests, with an inbox for reviews assigned to you or your team.
- Scheduled tasks. Recurring tasks can run in the project folder or an isolated worktree. Keep the computer on and the app running when a task needs local files.
- Subagents. Ask Codex to delegate parts of a task and open each subagent's thread from the main chat. See Codex subagents.
- Command menu.
Cmd+KorCmd+Shift+Pon macOS opens it;Cmd+,opens settings.
On macOS and Linux, Prevent sleep while running in Settings lets local chats continue while you step away.
How do permissions work in the Codex app?
The permissions control below the composer sets what Codex can do on its own. OpenAI's permissions page recommends starting with Ask for approval, which keeps Codex inside the current workspace and pauses before it goes further. Approve for me keeps the same boundary but sends approval requests to automatic review. Full access means Codex is no longer limited to your project folder, and the Windows docs warn it "might perform unintentional destructive actions that can lead to data loss."
Subagents inherit the mode you pick, so choose it before you ask Codex to delegate. The approvals and sandbox guide explains what each mode allows.
Does the Codex app work on Windows?
Yes. The Windows app runs the agent natively in PowerShell with a Windows sandbox, or you can switch the agent to WSL2 in Settings and restart the app. Select Ask for approval to apply sandbox protections in either mode. WSL1 is no longer supported from Codex 0.115.
You can choose a default editor for Open and a default integrated terminal: PowerShell, Command Prompt, Git Bash or WSL. OpenAI suggests installing Git, Node.js, Python, the .NET SDK and GitHub CLI, then running gh auth login to turn on GitHub features. The Windows app docs have the exact winget commands.
Which plans include the Codex app?
As of October 2026, OpenAI's Codex pricing page lists:
- Free and Go: GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout.
- Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu: the desktop app for local chats plus the other Codex surfaces.
- API key: the desktop app for local chats, billed at API rates, without cloud features.
The Codex pricing guide covers limits and credits. You can also control the app from your phone: Codex in the ChatGPT iOS app works with chats on a connected Mac or Windows computer, and the desktop app can open projects on an SSH host.
Where should your skills live if you use several Codex surfaces?
Skills are available in the desktop app, the CLI and the IDE extension, as the Codex skills guide explains. Kipt keeps your prompts and Agent Skills as Markdown in a private GitHub repo you own, and installs every skill into Codex or Claude Code with npx skills add https://github.com/<you>/<repo>.git --all -g, so each machine you open the app on gets the same set.