Regression: Chat / Quick Chat button missing from left sidebar on macOS 26.715.21425
What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?
Version 26.715.21425 (Build 5488)
What subscription do you have?
Not specified
What platform is your computer?
macOS 26.5.1 (Build 25F80), Apple Silicon (arm64)
What issue are you seeing?
The Chat / Quick Chat button that previously appeared near the New task area in the left sidebar is missing.
Previously, this button opened a standalone, projectless Quick Chat window that could be used without selecting or binding the conversation to a local project.
Crucially, Quick Chat could be invoked at any time while working in any project, appearing as a floating side conversation alongside the current project. This made it possible to insert a lightweight, ad hoc conversation into any project workflow without leaving the project, creating a project-bound task, or mixing the exchange into the project’s main thread.
After updating to the latest unified ChatGPT/Codex desktop app, I can no longer find this button or an equivalent replacement.
This appears related to #32743, but it is still reproducible on the newer app version 26.715.21425.
What steps can reproduce the bug?
- Install or update to ChatGPT/Codex desktop app version
26.715.21425on macOS. - Launch the app.
- Look at the left sidebar near the New task area.
- Observe that the Chat / Quick Chat button is not present.
- Check the app menus and settings for an equivalent standalone or projectless chat entry.
- Observe that no obvious replacement is available.
What is the expected behavior?
The Chat / Quick Chat button should remain globally available in the left sidebar and be invokable from any project context. It should open a standalone, projectless floating conversation alongside the current project without binding the conversation to that project or altering its main thread. If the feature was intentionally moved, the app should provide a clearly documented and discoverable replacement.
Additional information
Related report: #32743
7 Comments
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
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This feature is very useful, but its entry point disappeared after the update. Please bring it back.
Same issue here. I want to add the workflow impact because this is not just a missing button for me.
My normal workflow is to use Codex for the current project/task while also having a separate regular ChatGPT conversation available for quick questions, notes, or general discussion that should not be tied to the current project.
Before the recent ChatGPT/Codex desktop app update, the small Quick Chat / floating mini window handled this well: I could quickly open a lightweight ChatGPT chat, ask something, and keep working in Codex without switching away from the project or mixing that exchange into the project context.
After the update, I can still use Codex, but I cannot find the old global Quick Chat / mini window. The sidebar avatar/chat entry seems scoped to the current project or task, so it does not replace a global, projectless ChatGPT chat.
Expected behavior: please restore the global Quick Chat / floating mini window, or add a clearly visible shortcut/entry for a separate regular ChatGPT chat that can be used side by side while a Codex project/task remains open.
Codex and general ChatGPT chat serve different purposes during development, so having both available independently was a very useful workflow.
Adding a screenshot for reference. This is the workflow I miss in Codex: keeping a project/coding session open while also having an independent chat/split for quick, unrelated questions. The important part is the separation of contexts, not just the old Quick Chat button itself.
<img width="1408" height="1126" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/96227069-3f84-4e3c-8295-7f2b55c52691" />
To clarify what the Claude screenshot is showing: the requested behavior is an independent secondary chat pane or mini window that remains available beside the active project. It should let users start a quick, projectless conversation without leaving the current project, creating a project-bound task, or changing the project’s main thread.
A project-scoped sidebar chat is not an equivalent replacement.
hi Michael, just found the chat pane can be pulled up by
option + cmd + n, hope this helps before the chat button is resumed.Thanks for sharing that, @WentingWT. The shortcut is helpful as a temporary workaround.
That said, I still hope Codex can provide a first-class split-chat experience similar to the Claude workflow shown in the screenshot: a separate, persistent chat pane or mini window that can stay alongside an active coding project while remaining independent of that project’s context. That would make quick side conversations much more natural without disrupting the main task.