Codex App: Windows Native Launch
CodexOpenAI released the Codex desktop app for Windows on March 4, 2026, bringing native multi-agent coding support to the platform after a macOS-only debut in early February. The Windows version ships with a purpose-built sandbox using OS-level primitives — restricted tokens, filesystem ACLs, and dedicated sandbox isolation — to run agents safely in PowerShell developer environments. More than 500,000 developers had joined the Windows waitlist ahead of launch, and Codex now surpasses 1.6 million weekly active users across all platforms.
Sources & Mentions
5 external resources covering this update
OpenAI brings its Codex coding app to Windows
Engadget
OpenAI's Codex is now on Windows
The New Stack
OpenAI releases the much-awaited Codex app for Windows
Neowin
OpenAI's Codex app lands on Windows after topping a million Mac downloads in its first week
The Decoder
OpenAI's AI coding app finally comes to Windows
PCWorld
Codex App Arrives on Windows with Native Sandbox
After launching exclusively on macOS in early February 2026 and accumulating over one million downloads in its first week, OpenAI's Codex desktop app is now available natively on Windows. The release, shipped as Codex App 26.304, brings the full multi-agent coding experience to Windows developers without requiring the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) as a mandatory fallback.
Native Windows Sandbox
The engineering challenge OpenAI cited in delaying the Windows release was sandboxing — Windows offers fewer OS-level primitives for process isolation than macOS. The final implementation takes two configurable approaches via config.toml:
Unelevated Mode
A basic isolation layer that limits agent filesystem writes and network access without requiring elevated system privileges.
Elevated Mode
A more rigorous approach that runs agent processes as a dedicated Windows Sandbox User under a restricted token, combines filesystem ACLs to block writes outside the working folder, and prevents unauthorized network connections. OpenAI has open-sourced the sandbox implementation on GitHub for transparency and community review.
For developers who prefer Linux tooling, the app also integrates with WSL2 setups, connecting directly to VS Code and supporting Node.js installations managed via nvm.
Feature Parity with macOS
The Windows app launches with full feature parity alongside the macOS version. Developers can run parallel agent threads across projects, review results in a unified interface, use Worktrees for isolated branch environments, invoke skills and automations, and connect external tools through MCP servers. The app is available across all ChatGPT plan tiers — Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu.
Adoption Context
More than 500,000 developers had joined the Windows waitlist before the launch date. Weekly active users across the Codex platform — including CLI, IDE extension, and app — have now surpassed 1.6 million, more than tripling since the start of 2026.