OpenAI expands Codex into desktop workflows
OpenAI updated Codex so it can control desktop apps, use an in‑app browser, keep memory, run scheduled automations and integrate with 90+ development plugins, and it rolled out model toggles and larger context support for paid ChatGPT plans. The company also cut ChatGPT Business pricing by about 20% and introduced pay‑as‑you‑go Codex billing as usage grew, according to release notes and multiple reports. (help.openai.com) (ghacks.net) (blockchain.news)
OpenAI has turned Codex from a coding assistant into a desktop agent that can click through apps, browse the web inside the app, remember context, and run automations. (openai.com) OpenAI said the update rolled out on April 16, 2026 for Codex on macOS and Windows. The company’s release notes say the Windows app lets users run multiple Codex agents in parallel with isolated worktrees and reviewable diffs. (openai.com) (help.openai.com 1) (help.openai.com 2) The new “computer use” feature lets Codex see the screen, move a cursor, click, and type in desktop apps. OpenAI also added an in-app browser, image generation, memory in preview, scheduled automations, and more than 90 plugins for developer tools. (openai.com) (ghacks.net) Codex is OpenAI’s coding agent inside ChatGPT, included with Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise or Education plans. The product now sits closer to a full development workspace, where the model can write code, inspect files, use tools, and hand back diffs or pull requests instead of just chat answers. (help.openai.com 1) (help.openai.com 2) OpenAI paired the product update with pricing changes as business usage climbed. On April 3, the company introduced pay-as-you-go Codex pricing for Business and Enterprise teams and cut annual ChatGPT Business pricing from $25 to $20 per user per month. (openai.com) (ghacks.net) OpenAI said Codex usage on Business and Enterprise plans grew sixfold since January 2026, and more than 2 million developers are now using Codex weekly. The company said teams including Notion, Ramp, Braintrust, and Wasmer are using it in engineering workflows. (openai.com) (blockchain.news) The release also widened model choice inside ChatGPT. OpenAI’s release notes say paid users can toggle among models and get larger context windows, which let the system keep more code and documents in view at once during a task. (help.openai.com 1) (help.openai.com 2) Rival products have been pushing in the same direction, with coding tools moving from autocomplete toward multi-step agents that can operate software directly. Reports on this week’s release framed OpenAI’s move as a direct bid to keep Codex competitive with Anthropic’s Claude Code and other developer agents. (thetechportal.com) (decrypt.co) For OpenAI, the April update ties product design and pricing together: a broader Codex that can do more work on the desktop, and a billing model that lets companies pay more directly for how much of that work they use. (openai.com) (openai.com)
