Overview
On 9 July 2026, OpenAI merged the standalone Codex desktop app into the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS. There is no longer a separate Codex app. Everything Codex did now lives inside a single, unified ChatGPT app.
If you deploy either app to your Mac fleet, this change affects how those apps appear and update on managed devices. This article explains what changed, what it looks like on a Mac, and how Addigy’s PreBuilt Apps handle the transition for you.
What changed
Codex and ChatGPT used to be two separate desktop apps. OpenAI has now combined them into one ChatGPT app that contains both experiences. OpenAI is using the old Codex BundleIdentifier (com.openai.codex) for the new ChatGPT app. The exact result on any given Mac depends on what was already installed before the update.
OpenAI’s documentation on the transition is a little confusing, and what we (and others) have seen so far is inconsistent with how they describe the process.
How Addigy handles the transition
To keep this simple and consistent, Addigy’s PreBuilt Apps consolidate to a single ChatGPT install. The two apps are never left on the same device at the same time, because they share a BundleIdentifier. To macOS, that is like having two copies of the same app with different contents. They can’t run side by side and will share system preference keys.
ChatGPT PreBuilt App (use this going forward)
This is the entry to assign for ongoing deployment and updates. When it installs or updates, it also removes any leftover Codex app, so each Mac ends up with one clean ChatGPT install. Updates apply only when the app is closed, so users need to quit ChatGPT or Codex for a pending update to complete. Important note: this does not retain the old ChatGPT app as ChatGPT Classic, it only maintains the new, unified ChatGPT.app.
Codex PreBuilt App (one-time conversion, being retired)
The Codex PBA is no longer a normal, self-updating entry. It is now a one-time conversion: on devices where it is still assigned, it removes the old Codex app and installs the unified ChatGPT app. It will receive no further version updates and will be retired from the catalog at a later date.
What you should do
- Assign the ChatGPT PreBuilt App to anyone who should have the app going forward. It handles updates and cleans up old Codex installs automatically.
- If you assigned Codex to your policies, you can leave the Codex PreBuilt App assigned and it will convert remaining Codex installs into the new ChatGPT.
- The Codex PBA will not receive future updates, so to keep the new ChatGPT install updated, add ChatGPT to your policies.
Note: If ChatGPT is configured for a policy, PBA will follow this workflow:
- If Codex is installed and running, the install script will fail and print a message, “Codex.app is running, can not migrate existing Codex app to new ChatGPT app, failing install…”
- Since the new ChatGPT is effectively taking over Codex, Codex can’t be running when the install of the new app happens.
- If Codex is installed but not running, we delete Codex and install the new ChatGPT.
- If no preexisting Codex install is found, we install the new ChatGPT directly.
Good to know
Whether the Codex features appear inside the unified ChatGPT app depends on your OpenAI account access, not on the app install itself. A device can update successfully and still not show the Codex view if the account has not been granted access. If the app is installed and current but Codex is missing, that is an account and licensing question for OpenAI rather than a deployment issue.