DOCX preview is inconsistent across file tabs, file cards, and local links on Windows

Open 💬 0 comments Opened May 29, 2026 by 0okay

Bug Description

DOCX preview behavior is inconsistent in Codex Desktop on Windows. The same local .docx file can be previewed from one message/file-link entry point, but cannot be previewed from other entry points such as the file tab or an auto-generated file card.

Related in-app feedback ID shown by Codex Desktop:

019e6df1-1ad4-7200-a07d-3d46a4f25079

Environment

  • Agent Platform: Codex Desktop / Codex CLI
  • Codex CLI Version: codex-cli 0.135.0
  • OS: Windows 11 / Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.22621.0
  • Shell: PowerShell 7.6.1
  • File type: .docx
  • Local path characteristics: Windows absolute path, includes spaces and non-ASCII Chinese characters

What Happened

When opening a generated local DOCX from the normal file tab or auto-generated file card, Codex shows a blank viewer with the message equivalent to:

Word document preview is not supported. Please open this file outside Codex.

However, in another conversation / another message entry point, clicking a DOCX preview link for a similar local Word document opens the built-in document previewer successfully, showing DOC, page navigation, and zoom controls.

So the problem appears to be entry-point/routing dependent rather than a corrupt DOCX file.

Expected Behavior

All Codex UI entry points that refer to the same supported local .docx file should route consistently to the built-in document previewer, including:

  1. File tabs opened from the workspace/file list
  2. Auto-generated file cards in assistant messages
  3. Markdown links to absolute local paths

If a specific entry point cannot support preview, it should explain why or offer an "Open in document preview" action.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. In Codex Desktop on Windows, create or select a local .docx file in a workspace path that includes spaces and Chinese characters.
  2. Open the file from the workspace/file tab or an auto-generated file card.
  3. Observe that Codex displays a message saying Word preview is unsupported.
  4. In another message/conversation, open a DOCX through a preview-capable document link/card.
  5. Observe that the built-in DOC previewer opens correctly with page navigation and zoom controls.

Error Messages / UI Text

The non-previewing path displays Chinese UI text equivalent to:

暂不支持预览 Word 文档,请在 Codex 外部打开该文件查看

Additional Context

The user also uploaded in-app feedback for this issue; feedback ID:

019e6df1-1ad4-7200-a07d-3d46a4f25079

This inconsistency is confusing because users can see that DOCX preview exists in Codex, but the same kind of DOCX does not preview depending on how it is opened.

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