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High GPU usage (70–90%) on macOS with Codex app #10432
Description
What version of Codex is running?
latest (codex desktop app launch 2 Feb 2026)
What subscription do you have?
ChatGPT Pro
Which model were you using?
gpt-5.2 codex high
What platform is your computer?
Darwin 25.2.0 arm64 arm
What terminal emulator and version are you using (if applicable)?
Codex desktop app (no terminal)
What issue are you seeing?
When running the Codex desktop app with the gpt-5.2 codex high model on macOS (Darwin 25.2.0 arm64), the application consumes between 70% and 90% of my MacBook Pro M1 Pro's GPU during normal operation. This results in heavy energy use and high temperatures. For a language-based coding assistant, such intense use of the local GPU is unexpected compared to other applications.
What steps can reproduce the bug?
- On a MacBook Pro M1 Pro (32 GB RAM, 1 TB) running macOS 14.x (Darwin 25.2.0), launch the Codex desktop application using the gpt-5.2 codex high model with a ChatGPT Pro subscription.
- Use the app normally to generate or edit code; it does not need to be idle.
- Open Activity Monitor and observe the GPU usage of the Codex/Electron process while the app is performing operations.
- GPU usage stays between 70% and 90% during active use.
What is the expected behavior?
The Codex application should use minimal GPU and CPU resources because most processing occurs on OpenAI's servers. During regular coding assistance, the client should use less than 10% of the GPU. Consuming 70‑90% of the GPU is not expected for a text-based code assistant.
Additional information
Machine: 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU), 32 GB unified memory, 1 TB SSD. App: latest Codex desktop release (launched Feb 2 2026), ChatGPT Pro subscription, gpt-5.2 codex high model. The high GPU utilization persists after reboots and does not occur with other apps. Please let me know if additional logs or flags would help.
Activity
etraut-openai commentedon Feb 3, 2026
Thanks for the bug report. I'm not aware of any other reports of this behavior, so we'll need to figure out what's different about your computer, configuration, or usage.
Is there anything special or noteworthy about the coding tasks or tools that the agent is running on your system? If you can repro this on demand, could you use the
/feedbackslash command to upload your logs and session details and then post your thread ID here?etraut-openai commentedon Feb 3, 2026
Are you seeing especially large diffs during your session? We've had some reports of that resulting in poor performance, and we're working on some fixes.
fhupka commentedon Feb 3, 2026
Hello, currently experiencing the same issue as tavaresgmg. Submitted a bug report through /feedback
tavaresgmg commentedon Feb 3, 2026
Yes, I am also experiencing significant slowness in the agent's operations in addition to the high GPU consumption. Even simple coding tasks feel sluggish when using the Codex app.
tavaresgmg commentedon Feb 3, 2026
@etraut-openai Here is the thread ID from the feedback submission: 019c20f7-1823-79a3-a6d6-79281b34d349.
kaanmertkoc commentedon Feb 3, 2026
Experiencing the same behavior on an M4 Pro (24GB RAM). After viewing the diffs section once, I began seeing random GPU spikes between 60% and 100% while the agent is active. I suspect the diff view might be failing to release GPU resources even after being closed, as this usage pattern only started after I opened that section for the first time.
thread id: 019c22c9-3808-7fb3-a094-7aaf1985480e
nik1st commentedon Feb 4, 2026
Same, my Mac dies of heat. 019c27bf-7b35-78e3-9c6d-755ae4583b24
Wackymax commentedon Feb 4, 2026
I have the same problem, happens when chat is active. Might be animations causing excessive UI updates?
1fc0nfig commentedon Feb 4, 2026
bb, same
octanethegenio commentedon Feb 4, 2026
It is eating through CPU and kicking in the fan so aggressively please fix this
Macbook Pro M5
Cyfine commentedon Feb 5, 2026
When the codex is in the front the GPU util surge suddenly making my mac potato hot. When minimized to dock or covered by other window the GPU util drop to normal range.
76 remaining items
octanethegenio commentedon Feb 11, 2026
I think in the new update the CPU and fan issue has been fixed (Idk if entirely or not)
jonzhan commentedon Feb 11, 2026
Oh. GPU usage is also also much better for me on Version 260210.1703 (602)
etraut-openai commentedon Feb 11, 2026
@jonzhan, thanks for the confirmation. Yes, we think the GPU utilization issue is fixed — or at least significantly improved — with the new release.
Thanks to everyone in this thread who provided feedback, clues, and repro steps.
jonzhan commentedon Feb 11, 2026
@etraut-openai Nice! Can you perchance share in broad terms what was going on, for the curious?
andrewlm6 commentedon Feb 11, 2026
GPU issue fixed for me, thank you!
Karimrekiki commentedon Feb 11, 2026
The app is so unmanagably slow on mac, even on a fresh start the app is very laggy. it's close to impossible to give it new tasks. The AI responds quick the UI is poor. and when you press enter sometimes it does not appear in the app. Im on on M2 Ultra 64gb.
I had now 2 nights of no progress while ik took me hours to perpare this
Suhaibinator commentedon Feb 11, 2026
@Karimrekiki which app version?
I had those symptoms previously but Version 260210.1703 (602) fixed them for me
GK-KDML commentedon Feb 11, 2026
Thank-you @etraut-openai for pushing the update. I just upgraded to Version 260210.1703 (602) and it has resolved the CPU spike, UI freezing and fan kicking in issue for me.
Karimrekiki commentedon Feb 11, 2026
OK
Thank you for the help. I noticed that I had a whole bunch that was uncommitted inluding package.json. This seemed to be the reason the app got slow. perhaps and edgecase but useful to fix.
alc1986 commentedon Feb 11, 2026
This is the problem with using Electron. Why didn't they use Tauri or another better alternative to the horrifically bloated and almost universally-hated Electron?
tavaresgmg commentedon Feb 11, 2026
@etraut-openai Thanks Eric, issue resolved.
schniper commentedon Mar 3, 2026
This is not resolved. On an M4 mac mini, GPU goes into the 90s if the Codex window is in the foreground and it is displaying light animations (spinners for ongoing tasks, etc.).
Minimizing the window drops GPU usage.
etraut-openai commentedon Mar 3, 2026
@schniper, we've resolved many of the causes of high CPU usage in the app. If you're still experiencing high CPU usage, please open a new issue and provide repro steps.