Codex Desktop on Windows: rendering freezes/transparency when maximized

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

• #25347
• #25217
• #25417
• #25505
• #25235

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I can reproduce this issue as well on Codex Desktop for Windows, version 26.527.3686.0 / package OpenAI.Codex_26.527.3686.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0.

When the app is maximized, the UI can stop repainting correctly. Restoring the window or avoiding native maximized mode is the only usable workaround I have found.

On the same Codex build I am also affected by a separate critical issue:

• the app reports that my refresh token was revoked and requests login again;
• re-authentication fails because the codex:// callback opens an Electron error:

"Unable to find Electron app at ...\app\codex:\...\new"

Repair, uninstall/reinstall, deleting auth.json, and checking Windows Credential Manager did not resolve the authentication/deep-link issue.

Go to Settings -> Appearance, then under Light Theme and Dark Theme, there is a "Translucent Sidebar" option for each. Just turn it off.

​​

Go to Settings -> Appearance, then under Light Theme and Dark Theme, there is a "Translucent Sidebar" option for each. Just turn it off. ​​

Thank you!

I can reproduce a very similar issue on Windows with a multi-monitor setup. Adding some additional window-state data in case it helps narrow this down.

Environment:

• Codex Desktop: OpenAI.Codex 26.527.3686.0 / Microsoft Store package OpenAI.Codex_26.527.3686.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
• OS: Windows
• Displays:
• DISPLAY1: 1920x1200 at X=-1920
• DISPLAY2: 1920x1080 at X=1920
• DISPLAY3 primary: 1920x1080, working area 1920x1040
• DPI: 96

Observed behavior:

• After maximizing Codex, the top-left/title-bar/left area is not repainted correctly. Chrome behind the Codex window is visible through the Codex surface.
• The visible result is not just a sidebar layout issue; it looks like part of the Electron window frame/client area is transparent or stale after maximize.

Local window-state observations:

• Saved state in C:\Users\tanakary\.codex\.codex-global-state.json contains:

"electron-main-window-bounds": {"x":74,"y":250,"width":1920,"height":932,"isMaximized":false}

• This looks suspicious because width equals the primary monitor width, but x is 74, so the restored bounds exceed the monitor width while isMaximized remains false.
• Before maximize, GetWindowPlacement reported showCmd=1 and rect approximately -1,0,1919,1030.
• During maximize, GetWindowRect briefly became -8,-8,1928,1048 with showCmd=3.
• Shortly afterward it returned to showCmd=1 with rect -1,0,1919,1030, so the window appears to fall back to a near-full-screen normal window rather than staying in native maximized state.
• DwmGetWindowAttribute extended frame bounds matched the non-maximized rect.

Hypothesis:
There may be a bounds/maximized-state persistence issue on Windows multi-monitor setups. Codex can store a near-full-screen normal window with off-screen/invalid bounds and isMaximized=false, which may then interact badly with Electron transparent/sidebar/title-bar repainting when the user maximizes the app.

Workaround I will test next: disable Settings -> Appearance -> Translucent Sidebar for both light and dark themes, as suggested above. But the saved bounds/maximize state behavior still seems worth checking.

I opened a separate issue for the adjacent-monitor spillover case: #25826

That symptom appears distinct from the transparency/stale-painting behavior tracked here. In the spillover case, the visible problem is that the maximized Codex window appears to extend beyond the monitor it was maximized on, with a thin strip/border visible on neighboring monitors. Leaving this as a cross-reference in case the underlying Windows maximize/bounds path overlaps.

Go to Settings -> Appearance, then under Light Theme and Dark Theme, there is a "Translucent Sidebar" option for each. Just turn it off. ​​

really useful, thanks

I can reproduce the same class of issue on Windows.

Environment:

• OS: Windows 10.0.19045
• Codex app version: 26.601.2237.0
• Install source: Microsoft Store
• PowerShell: 7.6.0
• Package status: Ok
• codex.exe signature: Valid / OpenAI OpCo, LLC

Behavior:

• Clicking the fullscreen/maximize control with the mouse causes the rendering/fullscreen issue.
• Pressing F11 works normally.
• The issue persists after app restart, Windows app repair, reinstall, and clearing only Codex cache/GPUCache/Dawn cache folders.

Workaround:

• Use F11 instead of the mouse fullscreen/maximize control.

Adding another affected Windows setup.

Environment:

• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro for Workstations, version 10.0.19045 / build 19045, x64
• Codex desktop package: OpenAI.Codex_26.601.2237.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
• Codex app version: 26.601.2237.0
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
• GPU driver: 31.0.15.3623, driver date 2023-06-07

Observed behavior:

• Since roughly the week of 2026-05-25, the Codex Windows desktop UI becomes transparent/translucent when the app is in the foreground.
• Apps behind Codex are visible through the Codex side panel, making the side panel difficult to read.
• Minimizing the apps behind Codex makes the Codex panel readable again.
• The attached evidence from the affected machine shows background app text and windows visible through the Codex foreground UI.

Expected behavior:

• The Codex foreground window should render as opaque and readable, without showing apps behind it.

I am not attaching the screenshot publicly here because it includes internal workspace/project labels, but it is available to OpenAI through a private feedback/support channel if useful.

I am seeing what looks like the same maximized/fullscreen transparency/composition issue on a newer Codex Desktop build.

Environment

• Codex package: OpenAI.Codex_26.602.3474.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
• Codex release shown in logs: codex@26.602.30954
• OS: Windows 10 x64, build 19045
• CPU/GPU setup: AMD CPU, NVIDIA RTX GPU, AMD integrated graphics also present
• Virtual display adapters are present on the system
• Windows transparency effects are disabled:

EnableTransparency = 0

Behavior

• When Codex is maximized/fullscreen and focused, the left sidebar and top/title/window-frame area can become transparent or visually unpainted.
• The desktop wallpaper/icons behind Codex are visible through those regions.
• The main conversation/content area remains dark/opaque.
• The issue is focus-sensitive: when Codex loses focus, the maximized/sidebar transparency behavior changes or does not reproduce in the same way.
• Rebooting Windows, reinstalling Codex, resetting graphics/display state, and closing suspected overlay apps did not resolve it.

I am not attaching the screenshot here because it contains desktop icons and local UI content, but the visible symptom matches this issue: transparent/undrawn left and top regions while the Codex window is maximized.

Notes

This still reproduces after moving from the earlier 26.527.x generation mentioned above to 26.602.3474.0.

There is also a separate Computer Use problem on the same Codex install. I do not know if it is related, but I am mentioning it here in case both problems share a bundled-plugin/native-helper or desktop startup path:

• Computer Use is not visible from @ / global plugin UI after restart.
• The persistent local Computer Use plugin cache exists, including codex-computer-use.exe.
• The temporary bundled marketplace directory is regenerated without the Computer Use subtree after restart.
• App startup logs contain:

[computer-use-native-pipe] computer-use notify config ensure finished platform=win32 reason=missing-helper-path status=skipped
[computer-use-native-pipe] computer-use native pipe startup failed errorMessage="Windows Computer Use helper paths are unavailable" errorName=Error platform=win32

The Computer Use symptom appears similar to:

• https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/26562
• https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/26561

Related transparency/rendering issues I found:

• https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/25249
• https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/24904

I’m seeing the same issue too.

My environment is roughly:

• Windows 10
• Codex Desktop app 26.602.4764.0
• NVIDIA GPU A4000

When the Codex window is maximized, parts of the sidebar / top area become transparent and I can see what’s behind the app. The main chat area still works, but the left side gets hard to read.

I can reproduce the same issue.

Environment

• OS: Windows 10 Pro, version 20H2
• OS build: 19042.631
• Display resolution: 1920 × 1080
• Codex Desktop: Windows app

Reproduction Steps

1. Launch Codex Desktop on Windows.
2. Maximize the main Codex window using the native Windows maximize button.
3. Observe the left sidebar and top title/menu area.

Actual Behavior

After maximizing the window, parts of the Codex UI are rendered incorrectly:

• The left sidebar and top area become transparent.
• The desktop or other application windows behind Codex become visible.
• The main content area retains its previous size and position instead of filling the maximized window.
• Restoring the window resolves the rendering issue temporarily.

Expected Behavior

The entire Codex window should repaint correctly, remain opaque, and fill the available screen area after being maximized.

The attached screenshot shows the issue while the window is in the native maximized state.
<img width="1920" height="536" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/94243119-e4f5-4506-a2fe-2ab5c4034f80" />