New Codex Update. I don’t understand the new “ChatGPT Work” vs. “Codex” update. What actually changes technically?
Hi, with the latest Codex update, the app on Windows appears to have been renamed to “ChatGPT” for me (version 26.707.30751), even though the executable is still called Codex. You can now switch between ChatGPT Work and Codex in the top-left corner.
What confuses me: my existing local Codex chats remain exactly the same in both modes — they are not my regular ChatGPT web chats. Skills work in both modes, terminal commands can be executed in both, and automations also do not seem clearly separated.
According to the description, Work is supposed to be for general work such as documents and presentations, while Codex is for development. But in practice, I currently do not see any real difference apart from UI/branding and perhaps a few extra options in Codex.
Ctrl + Alt + N does open a small window with my regular ChatGPT chats, but it feels more like a limited mini-client than the full ChatGPT web experience.
Does anyone know what actually changes in the backend?
- Is it a different system prompt or different tool permissions?
- Are different models or agent loops used?
- Will Work and Codex eventually have separate chat histories or sandbox contexts?
- How do scheduled automations behave if the other mode is currently selected?
I basically just want to keep using Codex as before, but I do not understand the practical purpose of this new split yet.
ChatGPT Work and Codex | OpenAI Help Center (no infos here)
Posted Jul 9, 2026, 7:49 PM UTC