Support standalone Windows installer (codex-setup.exe)

What variant of Codex are you using?

App

What feature would you like to see?

Many Windows users cannot easily install applications from the Microsoft Store due to system restrictions, corporate policies, offline environments, or personal preference for traditional installers.

Currently the Codex Windows app appears to be distributed only through the Microsoft Store. It would be very helpful if a standalone installer such as codex-setup.exe or .msi were provided.

Benefits of a standalone installer:

Allows installation without Microsoft Store
Works in offline or restricted enterprise environments
Lets users choose the installation directory
Easier automation and deployment (scripts, DevOps, package managers)
Better compatibility with portable setups and custom Windows environments

Many developer tools provide both distribution methods (Store + standalone installer), which gives users more flexibility.

A simple downloadable installer from the GitHub releases page or official website would solve this.

Example:

codex-setup.exe
codex-x64.msi

Additional information

Other developer tools commonly provide standalone installers alongside store versions, which improves accessibility for developers using custom setups or environments where the Microsoft Store is disabled.

Providing a traditional installer would make Codex easier to adopt across a wider range of developer environments.

Use this maybe its helps winget install Codex -s msstore

Use this maybe its helps winget install Codex -s msstore

That's using the store too. Just via terminal instead of GUI

Microsoft Store might still mean it is not very mature. 😄

I can’t install it from the store, this issue is definitely important.

Agree, Microsoft Store is terrible

I’m also affected on Windows 11.

I want to use the Codex App for Windows, but Microsoft Store is not a reliable installation path for my setup. A standalone installer such as .exe or .msi would make installation much easier and would avoid Store-related failures and policy restrictions.

In my case, I’m on Windows 11 and the Store path is the blocker. I would strongly support:

a direct download from the GitHub releases page or official OpenAI site
a standard .exe installer
or an .msi package for managed or enterprise deployment

Even if Microsoft Store remains supported, having a standalone installer in parallel would make the Windows app much more accessible.

+1

Over a week of this issue persisting. Unforgivable really. App download is still broken through the store. How hard is it to release a direct download? How does microsoft + openai have a functioning application on macs, while not being able to support their own native ecosystem? Utterly repugnant

+1 from me. Requiring the Microsoft Store can be a real blocker, especially on work machines or restricted environments. A simple standalone .exe or .msi installer would make Codex much easier to adopt and deploy.

+1 Msstore blocked

+1 from me. Requiring the Microsoft Store can be a real blocker, especially on work machines or restricted environments. A simple standalone .exe or .msi installer would make Codex much easier to adopt and deploy.

+1

As an individual Windows developer, I find the Microsoft Store-only distribution model for Codex Desktop very disappointing.

I already have Codex CLI installed, but the desktop app is a separate workflow. For developer tooling, I expect a direct installer and predictable version management, not a consumer-app distribution model tied to Microsoft Store.

A standalone Windows installer would help with:

installing without Microsoft Store;
controlling updates;
pinning or rolling back versions;
scripting installation on development machines;
working in restricted or corporate Windows environments;
keeping Codex Desktop aligned with how most developer tools are distributed on Windows.

I understand the convenience of Store/MSIX distribution from the vendor side, but from the user side it creates friction and reduces trust in the tool as part of a professional development setup.

Please provide an official standalone .exe or .msi installer, ideally with versioned releases, checksums/signatures, and non-Store winget support.

Full Decontainerization (Convert to 100% Portable App)

If you have Windows updates disabled or modified (like some of us do), the containerized .msix package will likely fail to launch silently due to broken Microsoft licensing/update services (ClipSVC / AppXSvc).

Since Codex is under the hood just a standard Electron app (Node.js + Chromium), you can completely rip it out of the Microsoft Store sandbox and run it as a clean, tracking-free portable app.

Here is how to break it out of the system prison:

Create a regular folder where you want your portable app to live (e.g., W:\CodexStandalone).
Open PowerShell as Administrator and copy the internal application files directly from the hidden system directory:

Copy-Item -Path "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.616.6631.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\*" -Destination "W:\CodexStandalone" -Recurse -Force

(Note: Make sure the folder name OpenAI.Codex_... matches the exact version you just installed).

Now, uninstall the crappy .msix package from your system via the standard Windows Apps menu or Start Menu (right-click -> Uninstall). We don't need the Microsoft container anymore.
Go to your new folder (W:\CodexStandalone) and run Codex.exe.
Done! ✅

You now have a 100% independent, portable version of Codex. It bypasses all Microsoft Store telemetry, works flawlessly with disabled Windows Updates, runs with standard user permissions, and can be moved to any other PC via USB drive. Just create a desktop shortcut for Codex.exe and enjoy.

Full Decontainerization (Convert to 100% Portable App)

If you have Windows updates disabled or modified (like some of us do), the containerized .msix package will likely fail to launch silently due to broken Microsoft licensing/update services (ClipSVC / AppXSvc).

Since Codex is under the hood just a standard Electron app (Node.js + Chromium), you can completely rip it out of the Microsoft Store sandbox and run it as a clean, tracking-free portable app.

Here is how to break it out of the system prison:

Create a regular folder where you want your portable app to live (e.g., W:\CodexStandalone).

Open PowerShell as Administrator and copy the internal application files directly from the hidden system directory:

Copy-Item -Path "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.616.6631.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app*" -Destination "W:\CodexStandalone" -Recurse -Force
(Note: Make sure the folder name OpenAI.Codex_... matches the exact version you just installed).

Now, uninstall the crappy .msix package from your system via the standard Windows Apps menu or Start Menu (right-click -> Uninstall). We don't need the Microsoft container anymore.

Go to your new folder (W:\CodexStandalone) and run Codex.exe.
Done! ✅

You now have a 100% independent, portable version of Codex. It bypasses all Microsoft Store telemetry, works flawlessly with disabled Windows Updates, runs with standard user permissions, and can be moved to any other PC via USB drive. Just create a desktop shortcut for Codex.exe and enjoy.

updating the Store version of Codex relies on the Store. If I use this method, does it mean I can no longer receive direct updates?

@sky40419

@sky40419 right. So I build a app to update self-unzip codex windows app.
https://github.com/Wangnov/Codex-App-Manager
welcome to use and test
If you want to download raw msix, visit releases of my other repo:
https://github.com/Wangnov/codex-app-mirror

What variant of Codex are you using?

App

What feature would you like to see?

Many Windows users cannot easily install applications from the Microsoft Store due to system restrictions, corporate policies, offline environments, or personal preference for traditional installers.

Currently the Codex Windows app appears to be distributed only through the Microsoft Store. It would be very helpful if a standalone installer such as codex-setup.exe or .msi were provided.

Benefits of a standalone installer:

Allows installation without Microsoft Store

Works in offline or restricted enterprise environments

Lets users choose the installation directory

Easier automation and deployment (scripts, DevOps, package managers)

Better compatibility with portable setups and custom Windows environments

Many developer tools provide both distribution methods (Store + standalone installer), which gives users more flexibility.

A simple downloadable installer from the GitHub releases page or official website would solve this.

Example:
codex-setup.exe
codex-x64.msi
Additional information

Other developer tools commonly provide standalone installers alongside store versions, which improves accessibility for developers using custom setups or environments where the Microsoft Store is disabled.

Providing a traditional installer would make Codex easier to adopt across a wider range of developer environments.

For anyone who is facing the issue just download it through the uptodown website and install manually this will also use microsft installer but it works , For Mine it's works perfectly .

PLZ

totally agree, program need standalone installer

+1 for a proper standalone Windows installer with an explicit installation-directory selector.

I downloaded ChatGPT directly rather than intentionally installing it through Microsoft Store, and I have Windows configured to install new applications to B:\WindowsApps because I deliberately keep applications off C: where possible.

Despite that, OpenAI.Codex is currently registered under:

C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\...

Please provide a conventional installer that lets the user choose the application location and preserves that location across updates.

In particular:

let me explicitly choose B:, D:, etc.;
preserve that choice during self-updates;
do not silently migrate/fall back to C:;
do not require Microsoft Store to manage the installation;
ideally expose the currently selected install location in the app/update UI.

The current MSIX/AppX behaviour makes storage placement unnecessarily opaque for users who intentionally separate the OS drive from application storage.

Install without Microsoft distribution services

[x64] https://persistent.oaistatic.com/codex-app-prod/ChatGPT-x64.msix
[Arm64] https://persistent.oaistatic.com/codex-app-prod/ChatGPT-arm64.msix

👉 https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/enterprise/windows-deployment#install-without-microsoft-distribution-services

Additional Information: The links mentioned above are an alias to the latest distributed release on persistent.oaistatic.com. To get the versioned builds:

ChatGPT

ChatGPT (Beta)

I'm trying to install Codex through the Microsoft Store, but it's been stuck for the last 20 minutes and nothing happens. I also tried installing via terminal (winget) and got the same result.

To anyone interested, I have created PRs to add the ChatGPT desktop app to Winget and Scoop:

Additional Information: The links mentioned above are an alias to the latest distributed release on persistent.oaistatic.com. To get the versioned builds:

ChatGPT
* x64: https://persistent.oaistatic.com/codex-app-prod/releases/26.901.5280.0/ChatGPT-x64.msix

This is how I did it:

Unpack the MSIX file as a regular folder (Bypassing installation)

Since you already have the ChatGPT-x64.msix file downloaded, you can manually unpack it because an MSIX is actually just a regular archive (like a ZIP file).
If you have 7-Zip or WinRAR installed, right-click on the ChatGPT-x64.msix file.
Select the 7-Zip (or WinRAR) option > Extract to "ChatGPT-x64".

Open that newly created folder. Inside, you will find the main executable file of the application (usually called ChatGPT.exe or something similar).
Just double-click it and the application will launch directly, without any installation.

(You can create a desktop shortcut by right-clicking -> Send to -> Desktop).

Use this maybe its helps winget install Codex -s msstore

Codex - QR Reader & Generator [9NBLGGH5M02G]

Are you phishing?

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Support standalone Windows installer (`codex-setup.exe`) #13993

What variant of Codex are you using?

What feature would you like to see?

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Full Decontainerization (Convert to 100% Portable App)

Full Decontainerization (Convert to 100% Portable App)

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Support standalone Windows installer (codex-setup.exe) #13993

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What variant of Codex are you using?

What feature would you like to see?

Additional information

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Full Decontainerization (Convert to 100% Portable App)

sky40419 commented on Jun 26, 2026

Full Decontainerization (Convert to 100% Portable App)

Wangnov commented on Jun 26, 2026

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What variant of Codex are you using?

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What variant of Codex are you using?

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Support standalone Windows installer (`codex-setup.exe`) #13993