Mac app shows persistent blurred/translucent overlay below composer

Same issue with my Macbook Pro 2019 i9 32GB RAM

1. Blurred overlay
2. if i try somehow to chat, it is dead slow, lagging alot, i mean alot.

Any fixes

Same issue with my Macbook Pro 2019 i9 32GB RAM 1. Blurred overlay 2. if i try somehow to chat, it is dead slow, lagging alot, i mean alot. Any fixes

Super slow here as well. Sticking to the CLI until this is resolved.

Seems like it occurs everywhere there's an input box.

<img width="2928" height="2462" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a7422a2f-2c99-4561-901f-030c4ec1f04a" />

I also notice when i make the screen small the overlay gone. but the dead slow behaviour still there. looks like its something related to hardware acceleration + electron combo.

I can confirm what looks like the same bug on another Intel Mac.

Environment:

• Codex app version: 26.415.30602 (build 1773)
• macOS: 15.7.3 (build 24G419)
• Hardware: MacBookPro16,1 / Intel Core i9-9880H / x86_64

What I see:

• A white / blurred / translucent bar appears below the composer/input area and blocks the main content.
• This is not limited to the Plugins section. I also see it in the main chat UI, which makes it look like a shared desktop rendering/compositor issue around the input area rather than a plugin-specific bug.

Extra signal:

• Testing open -na "Codex" --args --disable-gpu did not produce a usable app window here, so that was not a practical workaround in my case.

This seems consistent with the reports above from Intel Macs and may help narrow it to the desktop app rendering path on Intel + macOS 15.

I’m seeing what looks like the same underlying desktop rendering bug on another Intel Mac setup.

Environment

• App: Codex desktop
• Bundle identifier: com.openai.codex
• Version: 26.415.21839
• Build: 1763
• macOS: 15.7.5 (24G624)
• Hardware: MacBookPro15,4
• CPU: Quad-Core Intel Core i5
• Memory: 8 GB

What I see

• New chat renders with oversized dark/black blocks below the composer
• Plugins also renders incorrectly with large dark/black content regions and incomplete layout
• The sidebar mostly renders normally
• The main content area is the part that appears broken

What I tried

• Restarted app/Mac
• Reset local Codex profile/app data
• Checked for updates
• Codex says 26.415.21839 is the newest available version
• Relaunched with:
• --disable-gpu
• --disable-gpu-compositing
• --disable-features=Metal,UseSkiaRenderer
• Issue still persists

This looks very similar to the overlay/compositor/rendering problem described here, but on 26.415.21839 and with both New chat and Plugins affected.

I also opened an OpenAI support case and it has already been escalated as a Codex desktop rendering bug.

Very, very slow.

Any update regarding the issue?

When we can expect to get this resolved, not being able to use codex app right now.

same issue with all search bars
mac info: Darwin 25.4.0 x86_64 i386
codex version: 26.417.41555 (1858)

same issue

Macbook pro 13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
codex version : 26.417.41555

MacBook Pro
15-inch, 2019

Processor
2.6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7

Graphics
Intel UHD Graphics 630
1536 MB

Memory
16 GB 2400 MHz DDR4

macOS
Sequoia 15.7.5

Codex
Version 26.422.20832 (2025)

<img width="1679" height="1044" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/004b45d1-fde7-428b-bb71-af5d22383390" />

<img width="1410" height="956" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c605f264-c99e-4780-a54a-fb8ed4b6485f" />

Symptoms:

In the Plugins and Skills pages, part of the UI gets covered by a blurred white overlay.
In the chat window, similar blurred white regions can appear near the lower area.
Clicking the affected area can still open the underlying popup/popover content correctly.
After closing or returning, the blurred overlay remains visible.
If I narrow the window below a certain width, the issue disappears.
If I widen the window again past that width, the issue returns.

Same issue.

Temporary workaround for the Intel Mac GUI rendering bug:

On my Intel Mac, swiftshader renders correctly but is too slow to use. The first hardware-backed combo I found that rendered the broken Plugins page correctly was:

--disable-gpu-sandbox --use-angle=gl --disable-zero-copy

I verified this by repeatedly relaunching the app and capturing the actual Codex window while switching to the broken Plugins view.

What I tested:

• --use-angle=metal: faster, but stale or incorrect repaints remained
• --use-angle=metal --disable-gpu-rasterization: still broken
• --use-angle=metal --disable-zero-copy: still broken
• --disable-gpu-sandbox --use-angle=swiftshader: visually correct, but very laggy
• --disable-gpu-sandbox --use-angle=gl: much better
• --disable-gpu-sandbox --use-angle=gl --disable-zero-copy: best fast workaround I found

I wrapped the app executable so every launch path uses:
--disable-gpu-sandbox --use-angle=gl --disable-zero-copy

This is only a workaround, not a real fix, but it made the Intel Mac GUI usable for me.

@dimillian-oai any chance we can get this looked at?

I am seeing what appears to be the same issue on an Intel Mac.

Environment:

• Codex App: 26.422.30944 (CFBundleVersion 2080)
• Electron: 41.2.0 (from the running crashpad process annotation)
• macOS: 13.7.8 (22H730)
• Darwin: 22.6.0 x86_64
• CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700HQ CPU @ 2.80GHz

Observed behavior:

• The Codex window intermittently becomes fully gray, visually like the current window/content is covered by an opaque or translucent gray layer.
• The app is not completely dead: sometimes the window renders normally again and I can interact with it.
• This looks like a rendering/compositor/overlay issue rather than a normal UI state.

same issue

@tibo-openai Is there a rough timeline on when this might be addressed or prioritized?

On Codex Desktop for macOS Intel, the Plugins marketplace page is visually broken: plugin cards/content are partially covered by a large overlay/preview layer. Plugins are still clickable and plugin detail pages open correctly, so this looks like a rendering/layout layering issue rather than a plugin loading failure.

App: 26.422.30944 (2080)
Arch: x86_64 / Intel Mac
CLI: codex-cli 0.125.0

Attaching screenshots of the broken marketplace grid and a plugin detail page that opens successfully.

<img width="1680" height="1050" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/88744bdf-7533-4bd9-af78-e7ca6ddd1a3a" />

<img width="1680" height="1050" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/43dd510f-518b-4a65-b840-432cdc240269" />

solution / fix:

open -na "/Applications/Codex.app" --args --force_high_performance_gpu

source: https://x.com/colins_space/status/2048193500190318631

https://github.com/DeanHH/IntelMacCodexClaudeAppWrapper
You can launch your app using this AppWrapper.

exact same issue

open -na "/Applications/Codex.app" --args --force_high_performance_gpu

This doesn't work for Macbook Pro 13" 2019.

open -na "/Applications/Codex.app" --args --disable-gpu-compositing

This works but it cause strange colors in the input area.

I can confirm this is still reproducible after reinstalling the Codex desktop app.

Environment

• Codex App version: 26.429.30905 (2345)
• macOS: 15.7.5 (24G624)
• Darwin: 24.6.0 / x86_64
• Hardware: MacBookPro15,2
• CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8259U CPU @ 2.30GHz
• Memory: 16 GB
• UI locale: Chinese

Observed behavior

• The rounded composer/input box is visible, but a large white overlay appears directly underneath it.
• The white block covers a large part of the lower app window.
• The issue persists after reinstalling the app.

Troubleshooting already tried

• Reloaded the app/window
• Reset zoom with Cmd+0
• Resized the window
• Entered/exited fullscreen
• Restarted Codex App
• Reinstalled Codex App

This looks like the same compositor/overlay issue described above, but it is still present in 26.429.30905 (2345).

Here is my temporary solution until codex fix it:
Press "Cmd" + "-" several times until the overlay disappear.

Here is my temporary solution until codex fix it: Press "Cmd" + "-" several times until the overlay disappear.

This temporary solution of yours is better and simpler.

Claude Desktop and Codex also suffer from this issue; obscured areas appear
when resizing the window.

snowball @.***>于2026年5月2日 周六18:08写道：

gongqij left a comment (openai/codex#18341) <https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/18341#issuecomment-4363559640> Here is my temporary solution until codex fix it: Press "Cmd" + "-" several times until the overlay disappear. This temporary solution of yours is better and simpler. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/18341#issuecomment-4363559640>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AGWQJDREKHNTDFCAYW7HJPT4YXCI3AVCNFSM6AAAAACX5BSDWWVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHM2DGNRTGU2TSNRUGA> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: @.***>

exact same issue

I have the same issue; it's been there since I installed and launched the Codex app for the first time.

Environment

• Codex App version: 26.506.31421 (2620)
• macOS: Sequoia 15.7.4 (24G517)
• Darwin: 24.6.0 / x86_64
• Hardware: MacBookPro16,1
• CPU: 8-Core Intel Core i9 @ 2.4 GHz
• Memory: 32 GB
• UI locale: en-us

Workarounds Tried

• Can confirm that zooming out (Cmd -) does make the visual artifact disappear, however for me personally the text becomes too small to comfortably use the app.

一样的问题，下方有个模糊涂层。使用command+-快捷键缩放三次后会正常，但是字体太小几乎无法使用。

环境

• mac处理器：2.2 GHz 六核Intel Core i7
• 内存：16 GB 2400 MHz DDR4
• macOS： 12.7.6 (21H1320)版本
• Codex 应用版本：26.513.31313

<img width="1726" height="834" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/49f14c9a-37cf-46d4-a31f-b78ce7469c05" />

After a few days of investigation on a 2017 MacBook Pro (Intel HD Graphics 630 + macOS 13), I narrowed this down to a specific CSS root cause and built a fix that doesn't need any command-line flags.

Root cause

The transparent / blurred / "overlay" artifacts all come from CSS backdrop-filter: blur() rules in Codex's stylesheet. On Intel HD/UHD Graphics + macOS, backdrop-filter forces the Chromium compositor to capture the background through an IOSurface and reblend it. That IOSurface transfer silently fails on this driver+OS combo, leaving the element rendered as transparent (so you see the desktop behind the window) or as a stale buffer.

This explains the existing workarounds in the thread:

• Cmd + - works because zoom triggers re-layout, invalidating the broken layer
• --force_high_performance_gpu works on dual-GPU MBPs because it bypasses the Intel driver entirely
• Window resize making it come and go — same layer invalidation behavior

Fix

Full analysis + reproducible report: #23458
Repository with installer: https://github.com/Uncle-Gao/codex-gpu-fix

It wraps the Codex binary so that on launch:

1. Codex starts with --use-angle=metal --remote-debugging-port=9222
2. A small Node.js process connects via Chrome DevTools Protocol and injects:

* { backdrop-filter: none !important; -webkit-backdrop-filter: none !important; }

1. The injector re-runs every 2s and installs a MutationObserver so the rule survives React's mount cycle (which otherwise wipes document.head).

Compared to the existing workarounds:

• Doesn't require a discrete GPU (unlike --force_high_performance_gpu)
• Keeps Metal acceleration enabled (unlike --use-angle=gl)
• No color/input artifacts (unlike --disable-gpu-compositing)
• Doesn't change zoom level (unlike Cmd + -)
• Doesn't modify app.asar, so Electron's AsarIntegrity check is unaffected; a LaunchAgent re-applies the wrapper after every Codex auto-update.

Posting in case it helps anyone else stuck on this until OpenAI removes the backdrop-filter usage (or Chromium handles the IOSurface failure path).

This is still an issue. When will we get a solution?

Codex Desktop Intel HiDPI rendering bug

Recommended target: comment on https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/18341

Related issues:

• https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/18341
• https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/18774
• https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/22096

Summary

Codex Desktop on macOS Intel renders a large translucent/blurred overlay or blank blocking region when the app window is moved to a HiDPI/2K/4K-scaled external display. The same window renders normally on a 1080p display. Moving the window between displays toggles the issue immediately.

This looks like an Electron/Chromium GPU compositor or display-scale-factor bug, not a conversation/content issue.

Environment

• Codex Desktop: 26.519.41501
• Build: 3044
• Bundle ID: com.openai.codex
• Executable architecture: x86_64
• Electron: 42.1.0
• macOS: 15.7.4 (24G517)
• CPU/GPU: Intel Mac, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Metal 3
• Display setup:
• DELL S2319HS: 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz, UI looks like 1920 x 1080. Codex renders normally here.
• Mi Monitor: 3840 x 2160, UI looks like 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz. Codex overlay/rendering issue appears here.
• Mi Monitor: 3840 x 2160, UI looks like 1920 x 1080 @ 30 Hz. Similar HiDPI/external-display path.

Symptoms

• A large translucent/blurred overlay appears over the main content area.
• On plugin/skills pages, large regions render blank or partially obstructed.
• The issue is visible immediately after moving the same Codex window from a 1080p monitor to a HiDPI/2K/4K-scaled monitor.
• Moving the window back to the 1080p monitor makes the issue disappear.
• The problem reproduces even when the pet/avatar overlay is disabled, so the pet is not the root cause.

Steps to reproduce

1. Use Codex Desktop on an Intel Mac with at least one 1080p display and one HiDPI/2K/4K-scaled external display.
2. Open Codex on the 1080p display.
3. Confirm the main page and plugins/skills page render normally.
4. Move the same window to the HiDPI/2K/4K-scaled display.
5. Observe the translucent/blurred/blank blocking overlay appear immediately.
6. Move the same window back to the 1080p display.
7. Observe the rendering returns to normal.

Expected behavior

The Codex UI should render the same way regardless of display resolution, display scale factor, or monitor refresh rate.

Actual behavior

Codex renders incorrectly only on the HiDPI/2K/4K-scaled display path. The visible failure is a persistent large translucent/blurred/blank overlay blocking the app UI.

Workarounds tested or prepared

• Set opaqueWindows = true in ~/.codex/config.toml.
• Disable persisted avatar overlay state in ~/.codex/.codex-global-state.json.
• Clear Electron GPU/render caches under ~/Library/Application Support/Codex/.
• Launch Codex with GPU flags:

open -a "/Applications/Codex.app" --args \
  --disable-gpu \
  --disable-gpu-compositing \
  --disable-accelerated-2d-canvas

Diagnostics

Recent logs are under:

~/Library/Logs/com.openai.codex/2026/05/25/

The current app process includes a separate Codex Helper --type=gpu-process, and the issue tracks display movement/scale rather than app content.

Hi there, we have received multiple reports of this now and are actively investigating. Thank you all for the detailed repro instructions in the thread.

It seems to have been fixed.
version: 26.527.60818 (3437)
<img width="1023" height="968" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ea02885d-f62a-4152-84b4-6b6d4d0be8f7" />

Closing as resolved in current releases.