Codex computer use not working or not available: causes and fixes
Why Codex computer use is missing or fails: wrong surface, plugin not enabled, region rollout, macOS permissions, admin policy, Windows foreground mode, excluded apps. With the fix for each.
Short answer: OpenAI documents Codex computer use only in the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS and Windows (select Codex, or ChatGPT in Work mode), and only after you install and enable the Computer Use plugin. It is not documented for the Codex CLI or the IDE extension, and the Linux preview of the app does not have it yet. If it is enabled but cannot see or click an app, check Screen Recording and Accessibility for "Codex Computer Use" on macOS, or keep the target app visible on the active desktop on Windows. If you need computer use outside the desktop app, connect a computer use MCP server to Codex instead.
Quick diagnosis
Find your symptom, then read the matching section below.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No computer use option at all | You are in the Codex CLI, the IDE extension or the web | Use the ChatGPT desktop app, or add an MCP server |
| The app has no Computer Use plugin | Region rollout or an outdated app | Update the app; check whether it has reached your region |
Plugin installed, but @Computer does nothing | Plugin not enabled, or the server and skill toggles are off | Turn on both toggles in Plugins > Computer Use |
| It sees nothing or its clicks do nothing (Mac) | Missing macOS permissions | Allow Screen Recording and Accessibility for Codex Computer Use |
| It stops on Windows | Target app not visible on the active desktop | Keep the app visible and the device unlocked, or use a VM |
| It refuses a particular app | Terminal apps, ChatGPT itself or admin policy | Use the shell for terminal work; ask your admin |
| Its changes do not show in the review pane | The desktop app has not saved the file yet | Save the file in the app |
1. You are in a surface without computer use
OpenAI's computer use documentation describes the feature in one place: the ChatGPT desktop app, with Codex selected or with ChatGPT switched to Work. Since July 9, 2026 the former Codex app is part of that ChatGPT desktop app, so an old Codex app install may simply need the update (What's new).
On Linux, the desktop app is in preview, and OpenAI says computer use is not yet available there. The Codex CLI and the IDE extension are not mentioned on the computer use page. The IDE extension does not support plugins at all, and computer use is delivered as a plugin (Plugins). The CLI has a plugin browser (/plugins), but OpenAI does not document the Computer Use plugin there. If you work in the terminal, read Codex CLI and computer use for the route that does work there: an MCP server.
2. The plugin is installed but not enabled
Computer use is not on by default. In the ChatGPT desktop app:
- Select Codex, or select ChatGPT and switch to Work.
- Open Plugins > Computer Use and choose Install plugin if asked. If the button says Enable, select it.
- Turn on both the Computer Use server and skill toggles, then select Try now.
- Start a task by mentioning
@Computeror@AppName, and name the exact app or window.
If the plugin is installed but a task never opens an app, check the two toggles.
3. It has not reached your region
The documentation says computer use is available "in supported regions" without listing them. At launch it excluded the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. OpenAI's weekly notes say computer use, together with the Chrome extension, Memories and Chronicle, began rolling out to the EEA, the UK and Switzerland in the week of June 15, 2026 (What's new). A rollout reaches accounts gradually, so update the desktop app first. Record & Replay, which builds skills from a workflow you demonstrate, started without these regions.
4. macOS permissions are missing
On a Mac, computer use needs two system permissions: Screen Recording to see the target app and Accessibility to click, type and navigate. The documentation's own troubleshooting step is to open System Settings > Privacy & Security and check both for Codex Computer Use, which is the name the helper appears under.
If you granted them while the app was running, quit and reopen it; macOS may ask you to do so before a new Screen Recording permission takes effect. These permissions are separate from the per-app approvals inside ChatGPT, so granting them does not approve any app yet.
5. The app was not approved, or your admin blocked it
During a task, ChatGPT asks before it uses each app. If you dismissed that prompt, it cannot use the app. Approvals you saved with Always allow are listed under Settings > Computer Use, where you can also remove them.
In a managed workspace, administrators can restrict which apps computer use may access, prevent saved approvals, or turn the feature off with features.computer_use = false in requirements.toml. A local setting cannot override such a restriction. If computer use is greyed out on a company account, ask your administrator rather than trying to work around it.
6. On Windows it needs the foreground
Windows support arrived at the end of May 2026, with one important difference: on Windows, computer use runs on the active desktop and cannot work in the background while you use the same session. OpenAI says to expect it to move the pointer, type and take over the foreground, and to keep the target app visible on the active desktop while the task runs. For tasks that should continue while you step away, OpenAI suggests keeping the device unlocked and online, checking progress from your phone with remote control, or running the ChatGPT desktop app inside a Windows virtual machine so it takes over the VM instead of your desktop.
On macOS, a scoped task can run in the background. If your Mac locks during a task, computer use only continues if you turned on Locked use in Settings > Computer Use, a macOS-only option.
7. It refuses the app you named
Some targets are excluded on purpose. Codex computer use cannot automate terminal apps or ChatGPT itself, because that could bypass ChatGPT's security policies. It cannot authenticate as an administrator or approve macOS security and privacy prompts either. For terminal work, let Codex use its shell, which follows the normal sandbox and approval settings.
When a computer use MCP server is the better fix
Some of these causes have no fix inside the desktop app: you work in the Codex CLI or the IDE extension, or you want several agents operating apps at once. OpenAI's documentation itself recommends a dedicated MCP server when an app offers one. A computer use MCP server is the general version of that: it gives Codex tools to see a window and click, type and choose menu items, in any Codex surface that supports MCP. The ChatGPT desktop app, the Codex CLI and the IDE extension share one MCP configuration (MCP in Codex).
ShadowCursor is such a server for the Mac. Codex gets its own cursor, drawn in its color with a name tag, its own keyboard whose keys arrive only in its window, its own clipboard and its own windows, which it operates in the background even when yours cover them. Several agents can work at once, each with its own cursor, so Codex and Claude Code can test apps side by side. Because it is an MCP server, it does not depend on whether OpenAI's Computer Use plugin has reached your region or your surface.
Setup takes three steps: open ShadowCursor, allow Accessibility and Screen Recording, and connect Codex with one click. The app finds Codex on your Mac; there is no configuration file to edit.
Limits to know
- It runs on macOS 15 Sequoia or later. A version for Windows 10 and 11 is in beta, and there is no Linux version.
- Minimized and hidden windows cannot be seen or operated. Covered windows can.
- System drag and drop of files, tabs or text follows the real mouse, so ShadowCursor cancels such drags instead of dropping.
- Hover without a pressed button works in Safari, not in Chrome or Electron apps.
- It is a separate subscription after a 7-day free trial: $12.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
If you use the ChatGPT desktop app with one task at a time, fixing the plugin, region or permission issue above is the simpler path. For how the built-in options compare, see Claude vs Codex computer use.
FAQ
Why is computer use not available in Codex?
Usually because you are not in the ChatGPT desktop app, the Computer Use plugin is not installed and enabled, or the feature has not reached your account's region yet. On Linux, the desktop app preview does not include it.
Does Codex computer use work in the EU?
It launched without the EEA, the UK and Switzerland. OpenAI started rolling it out there in June 2026. If you still do not see it, update the ChatGPT desktop app and check Plugins again.
Does the Codex CLI have computer use?
OpenAI documents computer use only for the ChatGPT desktop app. The Codex CLI supports MCP servers, so a computer use MCP server gives it the same kind of tools. See Codex CLI and computer use.
Do I need a paid ChatGPT plan?
The computer use page names no plan. OpenAI's pricing page says ChatGPT Work and Codex are included in the Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Edu and Enterprise plans (Pricing). On a workspace plan, your administrator can still turn computer use off.
Why does Codex take over my screen on Windows?
On Windows, computer use runs on the active desktop and cannot work in the background in the same session. If you want to keep working meanwhile, OpenAI suggests running the ChatGPT desktop app in a Windows virtual machine, so computer use takes over the VM instead of your desktop.