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OpenAI drastically updates Codex desktop app to use all other apps on ...
Confirming it has reached 3 million weekly developers, OpenAI is massively updating its Codex developer environment via its Mac and Windows desktop apps today to bring it closer to the “Super App” the company has confirmed it is pursuing.Before today, Codex was primarily an environment for using OpenAI’s underlying language models to write, edit, debug and ship software as directed by the user. Now, Codex will be able to access all of the other apps on your computer, surface relevant information from within them to you when asked or proactively, take actions as directed in said applications, and, in the case of Mac users, even do so while you continue manually using your computer simultaneously to your agents working in the background.Andrew Ambrosino, an OpenAI technical staffer on the Codex team, described the change plainly in an embargoed press briefing I attended virtually yesterday: “Codex can actually click on apps, launch apps, and type into apps. This works with any apps on your machine.” Codex on desktop is further getting its own built-in web browser, allowing users to preview their front-end development, and a directly integrated pipeline to OpenAI’s powerful AI image generation model gpt-image-1.5, allowing users to generate imagery for their projects — everything from websites to presentations to full playable PC games with hundreds of assets — all in the same style.As Thibault "Tibo" Sottiaux, Head of Codex at OpenAI, said during the briefing: “It’s not just about the growth. It is putting a very capable agent in the hands of builders, and now we’re seeing that we’re able to expand and do a lot more work entirely across your computer"Asked why OpenAI was pursuing all this in Codex, not its more recognizable flagship app, ChatGPT, Sottiaux told VentureBeat: “Codex is our most powerful agent.It already worked on your computer, and so we’re expanding the capabilities there. It felt very natural. We will make it make sense at some point."The update comes as rival Anthropic has previously courted similar use cases with the launch of its Claude Cowork and redesigned Claude Code desktop app views, all available within the Claude desktop app for Mac and Windows. But Claude does not allow for simultaneous background app cursor usage from the desktop app across all of a user's apps like Codex does.Multiple agentic computer use workflows in the background on macOSThe most significant technological leap in this release is "Computer Use," limited for now...
Codex for (Almost) Everything: OpenAI Expands Codex Across the Full ...
On April 16, 2026, OpenAI published Codex for (almost) everything. The main story is not a single new model release, but a broader expansion of Codex from a terminal coding assistant into a partner that can help across the full software development lifecycle.According to OpenAI, more than 3 million developers already use Codex every week. This desktop-app update is about pushing Codex beyond writing code into computer use, browser interaction, image generation, long-running automations, memory, pull request review, and remote development workflows.Note: this page is a detailed editorial rewrite and summary based on the official OpenAI post. It is not a verbatim repost of the original article.The Biggest TakeawaysAt a high level, this release moves Codex in 6 directions:Direct computer interaction: Codex can see, click, and type in apps on your computer with its own cursor.More native web workflows: the desktop app now includes an in-app browser so you can comment directly on pages.Image generation inside the same workflow: Codex can use gpt-image-1.5 for concepts, mockups, and visual iteration.Deeper developer workflow support: including GitHub review comments, multiple terminal tabs, SSH remote devboxes, and richer file previews.Longer-running task continuity: automations can reuse existing threads and continue work later.Memory and proactive suggestions: Codex can retain preferences, corrections, and hard-won context, then suggest useful next actions.Taken together, this is a clear shift from “an AI that writes code” toward a persistent collaborative development agent.Extending Codex Beyond CodingOpenAI’s first section focuses on expanding Codex beyond pure coding, especially across desktop apps, the web, and visual workflows.1. Background Computer UseCodex can now work through background computer use. In OpenAI’s framing, it can see, click, and type while operating apps on your machine with its own cursor.For developers, that matters because it can help with things like:iterating on frontend changes in a real apptesting flows in tools that do not expose an APIrunning multiple agents in parallel without interrupting your own activity in other appsThat is a meaningful expansion beyond terminal-only agents, because real software work often crosses between repositories, browsers, local tools, admin panels, and desktop software.2. More Native Web WorkCodex is also starting to work more natively with the web. The desktop app now includes an in-app browser, an...
OpenAI's Codex Update Takes Aim at Anthropic's Claude Code
OpenAI has significantly enhanced its agentic coding and development platform, Codex, through a series of new updates. These advancements empower Codex to independently interact with your computer, generate images, and leverage past experiences for improved performance, effectively allowing it to use your macOS apps on its own. A key new capability allows Codex to operate desktop applications ...
OpenAI's Codex Desktop can run your computer now - ZDNET
From coding tool to productivity powerhouse, Codex Desktop adds computer control, automation memory, and plugin support. But can it replace traditional software?
