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Windows desktop app stuck on loading spinner; repeatedly requests macOS-only record-and-replay plugin #48404
Description
Body
What happens
The Codex desktop app on Windows opens to a blank window with a loading spinner and never loads. A 5-minute wait with no interaction makes no difference. This persists after a full clean reinstall with brand-new local state.
Before the reinstall, the app had been degrading for several days. Chats would not stay in projects, and I could not reply to existing chats; I could only start new ones.
ChatGPT on the web works normally on the same account and PC, including replying in project chats.
Environment
- Codex desktop 26.924.1866.0 (x64, MSIX), installed via OpenAI's direct download
- Primary runtime bundle 26.909.12148 (windows-x86_64)
- Windows 11 25H2, OS build 10.0.26220
- Personal ChatGPT account (no Business/Enterprise workspace)
Key log evidence (desktop logs, 2026-09-26, UTC)
1. Mac-only plugin requested on Windows. This was the first launch after the reinstall, which hung at "loading plugins". Repeated from 04:18:56Z to 04:22:32Z with retry backoff (about 1/2/4/8 s):
plugin/read -> {"code":-32600,"message":"plugin `record-and-replay` was not found in marketplace `openai-bundled`"}
OpenAI support confirmed by chat that Record & Replay is macOS-only and that the Windows app loading it is not expected behaviour. My guess is that a feature flag is enabled for the account without a platform check.
2. App-internal "network policy" rejections, first launch only (04:17:15Z–04:17:27Z), immediately after sign-in:
sa_server_request_failed ... errorCode=undefined errorMessage="Workspace routing is unavailable"
sa_server_request_failed ... errorCode=undefined errorMessage="Desktop network policy does not allow this destination"
Statsig: error while bootstrapping post-login client ... "Desktop network policy does not allow this destination"
Some of these come from the hidden avatarOverlay window. They have no network error code, and they do not recur on later launches.
3. Connectivity is healthy on every launch. Across five launches (04:17Z, 06:38Z, 06:54Z, 06:58Z, 07:14Z), the app-server handshake succeeds, and chatgpt_pubsub_transport_opened and topic subscriptions succeed within about 4 s. There are no WebSocket handshake or upgrade failures. The spinner persists regardless, including on the 07:14Z launch with usage available.
4. Background model turns at startup. "Failed to refresh ambient suggestions ... Structured turn failed: You've hit your usage limit" appeared at startup with no user prompt. Please confirm whether ambient suggestions consume Codex usage, and how to disable them.
Already tried / ruled out
- Full backup, then uninstalled both
OpenAI.CodexandOpenAI.ChatGPT-Desktop. Renamed%USERPROFILE%\.codexso the app started with brand-new local state. Rebooted and reinstalled. The spinner persists. - Network: no system/WinHTTP proxy, no proxy auto-config, no proxy environment variables. chatgpt.com, auth.openai.com and ab.chatgpt.com are reachable on 443. The VPN adapter is disabled, and there is no SSL inspection.
- Windows Defender: no detections involving OpenAI.
- In-app feedback (
/) is unreachable because the UI never loads.
Expected
The Windows build should not request or wait on macOS-only plugins. It should load normally, or fail with a visible error rather than an indefinite spinner.
Logs
Full desktop logs are available privately on request.
Activity
github-actions commentedon Sep 26, 2026
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
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Coopers22 commentedon Sep 26, 2026
Update: root trigger isolated (build 26.924.2738.0)
The hang is in the saved-sign-in path, not local state generally or the network.
Reproducible on every attempt:
Remove %USERPROFILE%.codex\auth.json, launch → sign-in screen → sign in (Google) → app loads normally; sandbox setup completes.
Fully quit without chatting, relaunch → blank window with spinner indefinitely (>5 min).
Quit, rename only auth.json, relaunch → sign-in screen appears immediately.
Everything else in .codex is left intact in step 3, so the hang is specific to startup with a saved auth.json. The app never times out or falls back to the sign-in screen.
Also observed: during sign-in, the app hands a link to Windows that opens Outlook (new) instead of the default browser (Edge is the default for http and https). Sign-in still completes. Possibly related if session refresh uses the same path.
Earlier findings still stand: the record-and-replay loop was on build 26.924.1866.0 and isn't seen on 26.924.2738.0; network and WebSockets are healthy.
NopeningApp commentedon Sep 26, 2026
I’m experiencing what appears to be the same issue on Windows 11.
Environment:
The new ChatGPT desktop app was working normally on September 25. I closed the app and shut down Windows normally. After starting the computer again later, ChatGPT would no longer load. The window opens, but remains indefinitely on the blank loading screen with the spinner.
Task Manager shows the ChatGPT/Codex processes running, but the application never reaches a usable interface.
Troubleshooting already performed:
The fresh installation immediately returned to the same infinite loading spinner.
ChatGPT works normally in Microsoft Edge on this same PC and account, and also works normally on my phone.
As an additional test, ChatGPT Classic successfully renders its interface on this PC, although its browser login flow currently returns:
Error: This action with HTTP GET is not supported by NextAuth.js
I also contacted OpenAI Support. Because the new desktop application never gets past the spinner, I cannot access the composer to submit / feedback or obtain a session ID. Support directed me to report the Windows desktop issue here.
This started without any intentional configuration change to ChatGPT and persisted through a complete package removal and clean reinstall.
Coopers22 commentedon Oct 2, 2026
Resolved for me on Windows 11 (10.0.26220) by desktop build 26.930.2377.0 (app release 26.930.21537), installed from the Microsoft Store on 3 Oct 2026.
auth.jsonpresent, and it loaded normally both times with no workaround. Build 26.928.2636.0 still hung earlier the same morning.record-and-replayplugin request: I haven't seen it since 26.924.2738.0.Closing. Thanks for the fix.