Windows app stuck in startup/loading loop after unexpected shutdown

Open 💬 5 comments Opened Aug 19, 2026 by mouhsine-dev

💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

26.814.5167.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

After an unexpected Windows shutdown, the Codex/ChatGPT desktop app became stuck in an endless startup/loading loop. The window opens but never finishes loading.

The ChatGPT web app works normally on the same computer and account.

Troubleshooting already attempted:

Fully terminated ChatGPT/Codex processes
Windows App Repair
Windows App Reset
Complete uninstall, reboot, and reinstall
wsreset.exe
Launched ChatGPT.exe --disable-gpu
Renamed/cleared the package LocalCache

None of these changed the behavior.

Windows Event Viewer records:

Application Hang — Event ID 1002

ChatGPT.exe version 151.0.7922.137 stopped interacting with Windows

Executable:
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.814.5167.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\ChatGPT.exe

Package:
OpenAI.Codex_26.814.5167.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0

Hang type:
Top level window is idle

The issue began immediately after an unexpected computer shutdown. The desktop app worked normally before that.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Feedback ID: no-active-thread-01a017c8-16db-7e22-9991-cd2d0accdacb

What is the expected behavior?

_No response_

Additional information

_No response_

View original on GitHub ↗

5 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 9 days ago

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

#38968

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luisuarez09 · 9 days ago

Additional Windows reproduction on package OpenAI.Codex 26.814.5167.0 (Windows build 22631, x64): the app worked before the update, then entered an endless splash/logo animation loop immediately after updating. Reinstalling the stable package and trying the Beta did not resolve it. Launch flags --disable-gpu, --disable-gpu --disable-gpu-compositing, and --use-angle=swiftshader did not change the behavior.

Windows Code Integrity logged Event ID 3033 for an old AMD Radeon driver DLL (atiumd6a.dll), but ChatGPT Classic logs the same event and still opens normally, so that warning does not appear sufficient to explain the failure.

A signed rollback to OpenAI.Codex 26.803.10989.0 changed the behavior immediately: the splash loop disappeared and the app reached Windows setup. On the rolled-back build, setup initially became stuck with both “Retry Windows setup” and “Continue with limited access” unresponsive. Renaming %USERPROFILE%\.codex to a backup allowed the rolled-back app to complete startup with a fresh state directory.

The user’s prior conversations were not lost. Restoring sessions, session_index.jsonl, and then the previous state_5.sqlite* files brought back the historical threads successfully while 26.803.10989.0 continued to launch normally.

This strongly suggests a regression in 26.814.5167.0 startup/state handling rather than a general hardware incompatibility. A rollback to 26.803.10989.0 is a working workaround in this case. No private project paths, account identifiers, or conversation content are included here.

mouhsine-dev · 8 days ago

@luisuarez09 Thanks — this closely matches my symptoms on the exact same OpenAI.Codex 26.814.5167.0 package. Where did you obtain the signed 26.803.10989.0 rollback package? Was it from the Microsoft Store / an official OpenAI distribution, and what exact steps did you use to install it over 26.814.5167.0?

luisuarez09 · 8 days ago

@luisuarez09 Thanks — this closely matches my symptoms on the exact same OpenAI.Codex 26.814.5167.0 package. Where did you obtain the signed 26.803.10989.0 rollback package? Was it from the Microsoft Store / an official OpenAI distribution, and what exact steps did you use to install it over 26.814.5167.0?

Download at: http://uptodown.com/

Follow the instructions from ChatGPT.

gargel1973 · 7 days ago

I can confirm the same issue on a newer app version.

App version: 26.818.3698.0 x64
Windows: Windows 11 Home 25H2, OS build 26200.9168
Subscription: ChatGPT Pro
Related report: #39882

The application opens as a persistent blank white window and never loads. ChatGPT in the web browser works normally.

Repair, Reset, reinstalling the application, reinstalling WebView2, clearing LocalCache, using a fresh user-data directory, launching with --disable-gpu, testing another network, pausing Kaspersky, and disabling the VPN did not resolve the problem.

Windows Error Reporting recorded a critical OpenAI.Codex failure with praid:App and Chromium version 151.0.7922.170.

This confirms that the startup/rendering problem is still present in version 26.818.3698.0.