[Windows][26.820.60940] Ctrl+click no longer opens links in external browser after Aug 25 update

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

Powered by Codex & OWL Version 26.820.60940 — Released Aug 25, 2026.

What platform is your computer?

Windows desktop.

What issue are you seeing?

After updating to 26.820.60940, Ctrl+left-clicking a URL in Codex no longer opens the link in the system/default external browser.

Instead, the link is opened in the Codex/ChatGPT built-in browser.

This is a regression from the previous build: Ctrl+left-click was still opening links in the external browser on Aug 24, immediately before this update.

Shift+click does not work as an alternative either; it also fails to open the link externally.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Run Codex Desktop on Windows using version 26.820.60940.
2. Find a URL rendered in a Codex conversation.
3. Hold Ctrl and left-click the URL.
4. Observe that the URL opens in the Codex/ChatGPT built-in browser rather than the system/default browser.
5. Try Shift+click as an alternative; it also does not open the URL externally.

What is the expected behavior?

Ctrl+left-click should preserve the behavior from the previous build and open the URL in the system/default external browser.

At minimum, there should be a reliable modifier-click gesture for opening a link externally without having to copy the URL manually or use a context menu.

Additional information

The behavior changed immediately after the Aug 25 update. It was working on Aug 24.

Related issues around external-browser/link-routing behavior:

• #36601 — make the external-browser gesture deterministic
• #32078 — Codex App links cannot open in browser or external browser on Windows

I searched the current issue list and did not find an existing report for this exact 26.820.60940 Ctrl+click regression.