OpenAI launches Codex AI coding app for Windows with native sandboxing and multi-agent support

OpenAI brings its Codex coding app to Windows

At the start of February, OpenAI upgraded its Codex coding app to give it the ability to manage multiple AI agents. At the same time, it released a standalone macOS app. If you've been patiently waiting for Windows to get that same treatment, OpenAI just released a dedicated Codex app for Microsoft's operating system. Like its macOS counterpart, the software allows you to coordinate multiple coding agents to work on the same task. There's also support for automations to streamline repetitive tasks like bug testing. To help users get started, Codex includes a dedicated "Skills" section. Skills bundle together instructions, resources and scripts the software can use to connect agents to specific tools and workflows. OpenAI has also included native sandboxing to help make Windows developers feel at home. Codex is available to ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus and Pro users. If you decide to give the app a try, know that your session history is saved to your OpenAI account, meaning you can start coding on Mac and then move to Windows without losing your work.

OpenAI's AI coding app finally comes to Windows

The tool supports complex project planning, connects to local directories and GitHub repositories, but high usage can quickly consume token allowances even with paid plans. Crafting programs and apps with the help of AI agents has become quite the thing over the past few months, and Windows users just got a new "agentic" AI coding tool to play with. Roughly a month after releasing its Codex desktop app for Mac, OpenAI has unleashed a native version for Windows, perfect for letting Windows users try their hand at coding programs and services with prompts. Like Anthropic's Claude Code app and Google's Antigravity, OpenAI's Codex lets you code with AI agents that can run in parallel, allowing you to direct multiple programming tasks simultaneously. Codex was originally released as an open-source command-line tool last April, before the macOS-native desktop app landed in early February. Windows users had to wait a few more weeks for their own Codex version, but it's finally here. So, what's Codex? Think of it as a workspace for AI agents who code for you based on your prompts, with the agents powered by specialized versions of ChatGPT. Just tee up an existing coding project or an empty directory in Codex, and you can start coding with natural-language prompts, anything from "list the contents of this directory" to "make me an app that transcribes the recorded speech in audio files." Aside from writing specific lines of code, Codex and its AI agents can plan out their actions before actually performing them, thinking through complex coding projects and offering detailed roadmaps that you can tweak and comment on before you give the go-ahead. Before setting your Codex AI agents loose, you can choose their level of autonomy. On one end of the spectrum, you can make them come back for approval before every command; on the other end, you can take your hands off the wheel and let them code, although doing so can be both unpredictable and expensive. Aside from locally-hosted directories, you can connect Codex to remote GitHub repositories, perfect for letting your agents check out "branches" of GitHub projects before doing any tweaking. Codex also lets you set up worktrees that keep the work of your AI agents in a sandbox before being deployed to a live production environment. A left-hand column in the Codex app lets you keep tabs on multiple Codex chats at once, meaning you can have teams of AI agents working on separate projects all at the same time. Notifications will pop up for each chat when a pending agent action needs your approval. Competing with Codex is Claude, which also has a command-line (CLI) version as well as a desktop component within the main Claude app. A newer player in the agentic AI coding field is Google Antigravity, which lets you code with agents powered by Google's Gemini models as well as Claude and OpenAI's open-weight GPT-OSS models. Like Claude Code and Antigravity, OpenAI's Codex is free to use and works with free ChatGPT accounts, but you'll have to contend with strict usage quotas. Even with paid ChatGPT Plus ($20 a month) and Pro ($200 a month) plans, your Codex allowance may quickly run out, given the rate at which AI coding agents burn through tokens.

If you're into AI coding, OpenAI just puts its Codex on Windows

Codex lands on Windows with a proper native app, giving developers a new AI coding sidekick. There's finally some good artificial intelligence news for Windows users, and no, it's not Microsoft forcing Copilot onto them whether they want it or not. Instead, it's something developers might actually be excited to install. The good news is that OpenAI has officially launched the Codex app on Windows, and this isn't just a port. It's a proper, native Windows experience built from the ground up with developers in mind. The Codex app lets you manage multiple projects from a central interface. On Windows, it runs natively using PowerShell inside a dedicated Windows sandbox. You're not running something designed for macOS and awkwardly shoved into Windows, but a native Windows app. Until now, Windows developers had to watch from the sidelines, but that changes today. What's inside the Codex app All the features that made Codex popular on other platforms are now available in the Windows app. Skills let you discover and extend Codex's capabilities by connecting it to other apps, Automations allow Codex to work in the background without you having to babysit it, and Work Trees let you run multiple independent tasks within the same project simultaneously. The Windows version also comes with platform-specific extras. There's a dedicated WinUI skill in the skill gallery for Windows app developers. If you prefer working in Windows Subsystem for Linux, you can switch both the coding agent and the integrated terminal to run inside WSL. How to get Codex app for Windows If you've been waiting for ChatGPT's AI coding companion on Windows, the wait is over. You can download Codex from the Microsoft Store or directly from OpenAI's website. Recommended Videos After downloading, sign in with your existing ChatGPT subscription or an API key, and you're good to go and ready to start generating, debugging, and refining code directly on your Windows machine.

OpenAI launches standalone Codex coding app for Windows

OpenAI released its standalone Codex coding application for Windows, following its earlier debut on macOS. This expansion to Windows allows a broader user base, including developers utilizing Microsoft's operating system, to access and leverage the application's AI-driven coding capabilities. The Windows version of Codex supports the coordination of multiple AI agents for coding tasks, a feature upgraded in early February. The application includes functionalities for automations, designed to streamline repetitive processes such as bug testing. A "Skills" section is integrated, providing instructions, resources, and scripts to connect AI agents with specific tools and workflows. OpenAI incorporated native sandboxing into the Windows app, catering to developers using the platform. Codex is accessible to users with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro subscriptions. User session history in Codex is saved to an OpenAI account, enabling work continuity across different operating systems.

You Can Now Use OpenAI's Codex App on Windows

The Codex app lets users run multiple coding agents in parallel A month after launching a dedicated Codex app for macOS, OpenAI has now launched the app to Windows devices as well. On Wednesday, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) giant announced that the app is now available in the Microsoft Store, and developers using the Windows operating system can now use the app for agentic coding as well. At launch, users will be able to access all the existing features of the platform, including skills and the ability to run multiple AI agents in parallel. Codex App Comes to Windows In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the AI giant announced that the Codex app is now available on Windows, adding, "Get the full Codex app experience on Windows with a native agent sandbox and support for Windows developer environments in PowerShell." Those interested in trying out the AI coding app can find it in the Microsoft Store here. The Codex app serves as a command centre for agentic software development, allowing users to run multiple AI agents in parallel across projects. Developers can manage long-horizon tasks, review code diffs in one interface and maintain their existing setups without relying on workarounds like Windows Subsystem for Linux or virtual machines. Interestingly, Codex is a cloud-based software engineering agent that OpenAI first unveiled in April 2025. It draws from large language models (LLMs) fine-tuned for coding to translate natural-language prompts into code, propose pull requests, fix bugs, generate tests, and help with exploratory work across repositories. The Codex model powers tools such as GitHub Copilot and the Codex CLI, and is capable of working on tasks across multiple programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, Go and others. The app supports the same core capabilities introduced with the macOS release. Users can direct agents on complex coding projects, from generating full applications to debugging large codebases. It handles multi-threaded operations, where agents collaborate on different aspects of a task simultaneously. Progress tracking and real-time steering keep everything transparent, much like collaborating with a team of specialised coders. Notably, while Windows users on the free and Go tiers can access the basic features, those on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans can enjoy higher rate limits and premium capabilities.

OpenAI Codex app for Windows: What it can do, key features and how it works

The app supports PowerShell, Windows sandbox and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), allowing flexible development workflows. OpenAI has introduced a native Windows version of the Codex application, bringing its AI-powered coding assistant to one of the most used developer platforms. This new app is made to help developers build, test and ship software via AI agents while staying in the familiar Windows tools and workflows. The Windows release follows the recent launch of the Codex desktop app for macOS, which crossed more than one million downloads in its first week. The company stated that the Windows version has also been strong, with over 500,000 developers joining the waitlist before the launch. With the Codex Windows app, the company will allow developers to run multiple AI agents across different projects simultaneously, automate repetitive coding tasks and connect agents with development tools using a feature called Skills. The app also allows the developers to review and guide the work produced by the agents without losing project context. The company also stated that adoption of Codex has surged in 2026, with weekly active users tripling to over 1.6 million. Companies ranging from startups such as Ramp and Harvey to large enterprises including NVIDIA, Rakuten and Cisco are already using the platform, the company stated in its blog post. The Windows version runs with PowerShell and Windows sandbox support, allowing the developers to run agent tasks in isolated environments. The users can also configure the app to operate within Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) for Linux-based development workflows. The developers can also customise their setup by choosing the preferred editors, such as Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code and selecting different integrated terminal options, including PowerShell, Command Prompt, Git Bash, or WSL. The company further added that the app works across different platforms, including desktop, command-line interface, IDE extensions and cloud services, with access tied to a single account. The Codex Windows app is now available through the Microsoft Store and supports users across ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans.