Codex how to update: commands for the CLI and the app

To update Codex, run the same command you used to install it. For the standalone installer on macOS and Linux, that is curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh. For npm it is npm install -g @openai/codex, and for Homebrew it is brew upgrade --cask codex. This guide covers the Codex CLI and the Codex desktop app, based on OpenAI's Codex docs and the Codex repository on GitHub, as read on October 29, 2026.

The CLI and the app update in different ways, so find which one you have first. If you type codex in a terminal, you have the CLI. If you use Codex from the ChatGPT desktop app, you have the app.

How to update the Codex CLI

Pick the line that matches how you installed it. OpenAI's docs give one update command per install method.

The docs say the installer commands are the same for install and update, and the same goes for npm. Homebrew is the exception: brew install --cask codex installs it, and brew upgrade --cask codex updates it. The docs say to run the Windows command from a new PowerShell window.

Update with the standalone installer

On macOS or Linux, run this in a terminal:

curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh

On Windows, open a new PowerShell window and run:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.ps1 | iex"

By default the installers download from https://releases.openai.com/codex and fall back to GitHub Releases if that download fails. To force GitHub Releases, set CODEX_INSTALLER_USE_RELEASES_OPENAI_COM to false, as the README describes:

curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | CODEX_INSTALLER_USE_RELEASES_OPENAI_COM=false sh

Update with npm

npm install -g @openai/codex

Update with Homebrew

brew upgrade --cask codex

Update from a GitHub release

You can also download a binary by hand from the latest GitHub release. Each archive holds one file with the platform in its name, such as codex-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl, and the README suggests renaming it to codex after you extract it. On Apple Silicon Macs the archive is codex-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz.

How to check which version of Codex you have

The docs we read do not name a command for printing the CLI version, and we did not test one. What you can do is compare against the newest release. As of October 29, 2026, the latest stable release on GitHub is 0.165.0 (tag rust-v0.165.0), published on October 27. A 0.166.0 alpha is also listed, but alphas are pre-releases and not what the update commands install.

The /status slash command shows the current session configuration, but the docs do not say that it prints the version. If you need to be sure, run the update command for your install method. Running it again when you are already current is the documented way to update, and it changes nothing you configured.

How to update the Codex app

OpenAI's docs do not describe a manual update step for the Codex app. OpenAI's Codex app page tells you to download ChatGPT for macOS, Windows or Linux and sign in, so updating the app means updating the ChatGPT desktop app.

On macOS and Windows, OpenAI's enterprise documentation says the app "normally checks for and installs updates on its own," and that the updater is on by default. A Check for Updates menu option exists, but the docs warn it can stay visible even when an administrator has blocked in-app updates. If you use a work computer, an administrator may manage updates for you. In that case Settings > General shows In-app updates as Managed.

On Linux, update ChatGPT through your package manager, as the Linux app page describes:

Common problems

• The command runs but the old version stays. You may have installed Codex with a different method than the one you just used, and the old copy comes first on your path. Update with the method you originally used, or remove the older install.
• The Windows command fails. The docs say to run it from a new PowerShell window.
• The installer cannot download. Set CODEX_INSTALLER_USE_RELEASES_OPENAI_COM to false to pull from GitHub Releases instead.
• You are not sure how you installed it. Check each package manager for a Codex entry, then use the matching command in the table above.

Where to go next

Once Codex is current, see what your plan includes in is Codex free and how to check Codex token usage. For how it compares with Anthropic's tool, read Claude Code vs Codex. Release notes for each version are on the Codex releases page.