Run multiple Codex accounts on Windows
The Codex CLI keeps one signed-in account at a time, so a second account means another login loop. On Windows, CodexUse keeps every account saved side by side, each in its own Codex home, and hands the Codex CLI the one you pick.
Why a second account is painful without a manager
- The Codex CLI stores one active credential. Adding a client or employer account means signing the previous one out.
- Each login also drags along its own configuration, MCP servers, and session history, which a single shared home mixes together.
- When one account hits a weekly limit mid-task, you find out through a 429, not before you start.
What CodexUse does on Windows
| Capability | On Windows |
|---|---|
| Unlimited saved accounts, each with an isolated Codex home | Yes. Auth, config, sessions, and logs stay separate per account. |
| Sign in without an OpenAI API key | Yes. An OpenAI account uses the same OAuth flow as the Codex CLI. |
| Headroom and refill timers | Yes. The 5-hour, 7-day, and 30-day windows Codex reports, per account. |
| Custom-model accounts | Yes. A local gateway on 127.0.0.1 presents the Responses API to Codex and translates to OpenRouter, DeepSeek, Groq, or a model on your own computer. |
| ChatGPT Web accounts | Yes, with Chrome 116 or newer and the bundled companion. Turns draw on the Chat allowance rather than the Codex allowance. |
| Account Pool | Yes. One local endpoint routes another OpenAI-compatible app across the accounts you select, with failover. |
| History of every local Codex task | Yes, across accounts. |
| Encrypted Cloud Sync | Yes, including pulling a setup you built on a Mac onto this PC. |
| One Codex window per account, planner-first Work, Auto-roll, Telegram | No. All four control official Codex app windows, and that app is macOS-only. |
| Automatic updates | Not yet. Download the newer package and install it over the old one. |
Install it
- Download
win-x64-CodexUse-Setup.zipfrom the current release. The same package covers Windows on ARM. - Unpack it and run the setup. The installer is currently unsigned, so Windows may show a SmartScreen warning during installation.
- Open CodexUse and add your first account under Accounts. Sign in with OpenAI, or pick a custom model if the provider bills you directly.
- Name each account for its role:
work,client-acme,personal.
Accounts, settings, runs, and local history live in %APPDATA%\codexuse-desktop and stay on the machine. The app keeps its state in local encrypted storage rather than in Windows Credential Manager.
Use your accounts from the Codex CLI
The Codex CLI reads whichever Codex home it is pointed at, which is what makes separate accounts work without a logout loop. CodexUse manages those homes for you, and the optional CodexUse CLI does the same from PowerShell or a terminal:
npm install -g codexuse-cli
codexuse profile add Work
codexuse profile add Personal
codexuse profile list --compact
codexuse profile switch WorkCLI command names still use the word profile. In the app the same thing is called an account.
Use --login=device when you are on a remote session with no browser. The CLI needs Node 20 or later and shares its local state with the desktop app.
Windows on ARM
There is no Windows arm64 build of the runtime CodexUse is built on, so an ARM PC installs the x64 package and Windows runs it under emulation. That path is covered by the same automated install, launch, and relaunch checks as x64, on an ARM runner. Expect x64 emulation performance, not native.
What to avoid
- Expecting Codex app windows on Windows. OpenAI ships that app for macOS; CodexUse disables those controls here instead of failing at them.
- Creating extra OpenAI accounts to get past a usage limit. Use accounts you already hold, and read the policy guide first.
- Waiting for an automatic update on Windows. Check the releases page and install the newer package yourself.
- Running
codexuse profile addbefore the Codex CLI is installed.
Related
Does CodexUse run on Windows?
Yes. The desktop app ships for Windows 11 x64, and Windows on ARM runs the same package under x64 emulation. It manages unlimited accounts with isolated Codex homes, custom-model accounts, ChatGPT Web accounts, Account Pool, headroom and refill timers, History, and Cloud Sync. One Codex window per account, planner-first Work, Auto-roll, and Telegram remote need the official Codex app on macOS.
Can I run multiple Codex accounts on Windows without logging out?
Yes. Each saved account keeps its own Codex home, so its auth, config, sessions, and logs never mix with another account’s. You pick the account the Codex CLI uses next instead of signing one out and another in.
Do I need an OpenAI API key on Windows?
Not for an OpenAI account, which signs in with the same OAuth flow the Codex CLI uses. A custom-model account needs that provider’s own credential, which is encrypted in CodexUse’s private app database and never written into config files.
Why does Windows not update itself?
The packaging runtime cannot apply a Windows update reliably yet, so automatic updates are disabled there rather than risking a broken install. Download the newer package and install it over the old one; your accounts and settings stay in %APPDATA%\codexuse-desktop.
Is there an Intel Mac build?
No. The current desktop line covers Apple Silicon macOS, Windows x64, and Linux x64 and arm64. On an Intel Mac, use the cross-platform CodexUse CLI.