ChatGPT for macOS gets stuck blinking after launch on macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 (Apple Silicon M5)

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

• #34538
• #34363
• #34274

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same problem here been 2 days

Same problem.

Updated from working Codex, now the app is unusable.

Funnily enough, when the window is Inactive, it does display the UI. Otherwise it is completely blank.

Having this issue as well

26.6 This issue will also arise

ChatGPT for macOS — window flickers/blinks on focus, app unusable

Summary

The ChatGPT desktop app window rapidly flashes on and off (blinks) in a continuous
loop and never becomes usable. The flickering happens only when the app is the
active/focused window — the window is stable when the app is in the background or
when viewed in Mission Control ("Show All Windows"). Clicking into the app immediately
restarts the flicker. The app is effectively impossible to use.

Environment

• Device: MacBook Air (Mac16,12), Apple M4, 10-core CPU, 16 GB RAM
• macOS: 26.5.2 (build 25F84), Apple Silicon
• ChatGPT app: 26.721.81911 (build 5973), arm64, bundle id com.openai.codex
• Embedded Chromium/Codex framework: 150.0.7871.128
• Single built-in display (no external monitor); no VPN, DNS filter, or proxy active
• Account works perfectly on chatgpt.com (web) and on the iOS app

Symptom details

• Native window show/hide loop (the whole window flashes on then off), not just

content repainting.

• Triggered by the app becoming the key/active window; stops when unfocused.
• The only time a window renders stably is the "Quit?" confirmation dialog.
• No crash reports are generated (checked ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports and the

app's Crashpad/sentry dirs) — so it is not a crash loop.

Troubleshooting already performed (issue persists through ALL of these)

1. Force-quit all ChatGPT/helper processes and relaunched — still flickers.
2. Cleared WebView/GPU render cache (~/Library/Caches/com.openai.codex) — still flickers.
3. Launched with hardware acceleration disabled (--disable-gpu

--disable-gpu-compositing) — still flickers (rules out GPU compositing).

1. Reset embedded-browser / sidebar session state (browser-sidebar-page-states.json,

codex-browser-app, Session Storage) — still flickers.

1. Started with a 100% fresh, empty Chromium profile (login screen, no user data)

— still flickers. This proves the cause is not cached data, profile corruption,
GPU state, or login state.

1. Confirmed app is code-signed/notarized and Gatekeeper-accepted (not a damaged app).
2. Already on the latest available version (appcast reports nothing newer).

Conclusion / likely cause

A native-window management regression in the macOS app that manifests on macOS 26.5.2 /
Apple Silicon. Matches these open reports:

• github.com/openai/codex/issues/34773 (same OS 26.5.2, same blinking symptom)
• github.com/openai/codex/issues/32055 (screen flickering/flashing)
• github.com/openai/codex/issues/33463 (DeviceCheck, macOS 26.5)

Requested fix

A patched app build that resolves the focus/activation window loop on macOS 26.5.2
(Apple Silicon).

I managed to log out from the app (you need to be fast and to click on settings and log out button when you have UI loaded for a second), then log in again and that fixed the blinking issue.

I managed to log out from the app (you need to be fast and to click on settings and log out button when you have UI loaded for a second), then log in again and that fixed the blinking issue.

In my case, I can get into settings using Command + , but there is no option to log out.
I have found that the UI stops flickering when it is not in focus, and the Settings window seems to work fine, no flickering at all.

<img width="1966" height="1506" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9fe927fb-b824-4d4f-8030-1632f4e75630" />

> I managed to log out from the app (you need to be fast and to click on settings and log out button when you have UI loaded for a second), then log in again and that fixed the blinking issue. In my case, I can get into settings using Command + , but there is no option to log out. I have found that the UI stops flickering when it is not in focus, and the Settings window seems to work fine, no flickering at all. <img alt="Image" height="1506" src="https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/230378/629277475-9fe927fb-b824-4d4f-8030-1632f4e75630.gif?jwt=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJnaXRodWIuY29tIiwiYXVkIjoicmF3LmdpdGh1YnVzZXJjb250ZW50LmNvbSIsImtleSI6ImtleTUiLCJleHAiOjE3ODU0ODE3MzUsIm5iZiI6MTc4NTQ4MTQzNSwicGF0aCI6Ii8yMzAzNzgvNjI5Mjc3NDc1LTlmZTkyN2ZiLWI4MjQtNGQ0Zi04MDMwLTE2MzJmNGU3NTYzMC5naWY_WC1BbXotQWxnb3JpdGhtPUFXUzQtSE1BQy1TSEEyNTYmWC1BbXotQ3JlZGVudGlhbD1BS0lBVkNPRFlMU0E1M1BRSzRaQSUyRjIwMjYwNzMxJTJGdXMtZWFzdC0xJTJGczMlMkZhd3M0X3JlcXVlc3QmWC1BbXotRGF0ZT0yMDI2MDczMVQwNzAzNTVaJlgtQW16LUV4cGlyZXM9MzAwJlgtQW16LVNpZ25hdHVyZT1hNjc1Y2UyMmRjM2M3MWQ1YTBiNTc0Yjg4MzQ4NTRiMDEzMzkyOTRmYTQ1OTEwN2MzYmM1ZGI3NjFhNGVkNjY4JlgtQW16LVNpZ25lZEhlYWRlcnM9aG9zdCZyZXNwb25zZS1jb250ZW50LXR5cGU9aW1hZ2UlMkZnaWYifQ.vYxViMR3da2EaRT7HFzi-nqMjUqws6LrPFxcvzBi0lo">

You can click on log out from the drop down menu:
<img width="347" height="549" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5e3b29b3-c0df-4499-8e8d-092123d77103" />

Or you can try to be fast enough and click on profile (bellow your conversations) and then log out
<img width="393" height="875" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/eda7000c-d79f-4eca-b5d6-ce72fbbd1a81" />

Alternative solution:

brew uninstall --cask codex

npm uninstall -g @openai/codex
npm cache clean --force

install again (not homebrew) https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/codex/cli#getting-started

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

_open your terminal and:_

codex logout

open the new Codex/ChatGPT app

Login is requested again, the app looks stable and works as expected.

Device: Macbook Air, M5

This worked for me:

reduce window size to the smallest possible, and then it should stop flickering and you will be able to log out

Verified, if you close the window, and click on ChatGPT in the menu bar, then logout, once the window opens login again and it works fine... so far.

This worked for me: reduce window size to the smallest possible, and then it should stop flickering and you will be able to log out

LMAOO this is literally the solution. Minimize your window so it stops flickering. Sign out and sign back in. Absolutely insane that this is still not fixed!

Another solution that worked is to try the Settings shortcut. Cmd + , (multiple press, fast) and then logout from the Menu bar

> This worked for me: > reduce window size to the smallest possible, and then it should stop flickering and you will be able to log out LMAOO this is literally the solution. Minimize your window so it stops flickering. Sign out and sign back in. Absolutely insane that this is still not fixed!

It works!!

just reproduced this issue on Windows Version 26.818.61809 as well. The same workaround of opening the Settings menu (Ctrl+,) and then File > Log out works to reset the app