Identify the layer where you are stuck: installation, sign-in, account access, workspace selection, or the generated result. This guide gives a practical troubleshooting order so you do not keep reinstalling or repeating the same task.
Compiled on October 13, 2026. These are general troubleshooting suggestions, not official explanations for specific error codes. Follow your current account status and the official documentation for availability, limits, and interface details.
Installation fails: record the full error
Use the Windows installation guide to confirm the current official download source. If Microsoft Store installation fails, check the network, Windows updates, and free disk space, then record the error code.
Architecture and system version can also affect installation. Do not treat an unsupported-device error as a network problem or install unfamiliar dependency packages from strangers.
Sign-in does not return to the app
Confirm that browser sign-in finished and that you used the intended account. If the browser succeeded but the client is still waiting, record the client's message and compare the current official sign-in instructions.
Do not share temporary authorization information in sign-in links, passwords, or verification codes. Remove private account details before posting an error publicly.
The app is installed, but where is Codex?
Current official desktop documentation includes a ChatGPT / Codex selector. Check the product menu and the official Quickstart. Older tutorial screenshots may show different controls.
Is Codex free?
These website tutorials are free to read. Actual Codex access, limits, and billing depend on OpenAI's current plans. This website's third-party subscription advertisement is separate from official software downloads and account entitlements.
If you hit a limit, check the current restriction and reset time in the app. Verify official plan information before purchasing or changing a plan; historical tutorial descriptions are not guarantees of current access.
The task says it is finished, but where are the files?
Check the working directory assigned to the current chat. With several projects or chats, output may be in a different folder. Ask directly:
Give me the full path to the file you just created.
Confirm that it actually exists and explain how I should open it.
The page opens, but a button does nothing
Reproduce the issue once. State which page you opened, which button you clicked, and what actually happened. Include the browser error if one is visible, plus the expected behavior:
Open index.html and click the first card's "Mark as read" button. Its status does not change.
I expect only the first book to become "Read".
Check the relevant code, fix it, then click the button to verify and report the result.
A screenshot looking correct does not prove the interaction works. Verification should include real clicks.
The page still shows the old version
Confirm that you opened the latest file or the correct website URL. Save the changes and refresh. If there is a development server, make sure it serves the folder you edited. For a public site, verify that the new deployment succeeded; changing local files alone does not update the live website.
Do I need the CLI for the desktop app?
Follow the official Quickstart for a first desktop exercise. Our first task is a single-file webpage and does not require Node.js, the CLI, or a database beforehand. Install additional tools when a task actually needs them.
How can I make a troubleshooting request useful?
Provide the system and client version, the task goal, reproduction steps, the full non-sensitive error, the expected result, and what you already tried. You do not need to upload your entire computer directory.
System: Windows. Client version: enter the actual version you see.
Goal: create a local reading-list webpage.
Issue: clicking a button does not update the status.
Steps: open index.html → click the first book's button.
Error: paste the actual error, or write "no error observed".
Already tried: refreshed once; the issue remains.
Continue learning and references
- Windows download and installation
- First task: from requirements to verification
- Official desktop app documentation
- Official Quickstart
Compiled by Codex Go. Consult the relevant official guidance for account entitlements, service status, and specific error codes. This website is not official OpenAI support.