Short answer: there are six practical ways to run more than one Codex account in 2026: a CODEX_HOME folder per account, scripts you write yourself, ChatGPT's web account switcher, separate browser profiles, a second macOS user, and Sessions Pro for Codex. For the Codex CLI alone, CODEX_HOME is free and enough. For several accounts open side by side in the Mac desktop app, each with its own Codex threads and CLI, you need a separate copy of the app per account, which Sessions Pro for Codex sets up for $24.99 one-time.
Free 1-hour preview once you've signed in to a profile. For macOS 14 or later.
How do the options compare?
| Method | Cost | Desktop app | Side by side | Codex CLI per account | Codex threads separate | Setup effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CODEX_HOME by handCommand line | Free | ✕ CLI only | ✓ In separate tabs | ✓ | ✓ Per folder | A minute |
| Your own scriptsAliases, login swaps, app copies | Free | Depends on the script | Depends on the script | Manual | Manual | You build and maintain it |
| ChatGPT's account switcherchatgpt.com, up to two accounts | Free | ✕ Web only | ✕ One active at a time | — | ✓ Per account, on the web | None |
| Browser profileschatgpt.com in each profile | Free | ✕ Web only | ✓ | — | ✓ Per account, on the web | A few minutes |
| Second macOS userFast User Switching | Free | ✓ | ✕ One desktop at a time | ✓ | ✓ | A whole new user |
| Sessions Pro for CodexMac app for ChatGPT and Codex profiles | $24.99 one-time | ✓ One app per account | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Create a profile, sign in |
We make Sessions Pro for Codex.
1. How do you separate Codex accounts with CODEX_HOME by hand?
The Codex CLI keeps its login, settings and history in CODEX_HOME, which is ~/.codex unless you set it. Create a folder per account and point CODEX_HOME at it:
mkdir -p ~/.codex-work
CODEX_HOME=~/.codex-work codexSign in once in that folder and it stays signed in, while plain codex keeps using ~/.codex. The folder has to exist first, or codex stops with an error. It's free, quick and reliable, but it covers the command line only: the ChatGPT desktop app keeps its own login. Step by step in use two Codex CLI accounts in Terminal at the same time.
2. What about writing your own scripts?
If you're comfortable in a shell, you can script the switching. The common patterns:
- An alias per account. One alias per
CODEX_HOME, such ascodex-workandcodex-personal. Simple and safe; it's method 1 with less typing. - Swapping saved logins. Keep a copy of each account's
auth.jsonand copy the one you want into~/.codex. Only one account is active at a time, history and settings stay shared, anything already running may need a restart to pick up the change, and those copies are credentials, so guard them. - A second copy of the desktop app. Start the ChatGPT app with its own
CODEX_HOMEand data folder (the commands are in our guide). Both copies share one Dock icon and name,codex://links go to whichever copy started last, ChatGPT's updater runs in each copy, and a copied~/.codexkeeps paths that point at the original folder.
Scripts cost nothing but your time, and you maintain them when ChatGPT or Codex changes.
3. Is ChatGPT's own account switcher enough?
For the browser, it can be. As of October 2026, OpenAI's help article says ChatGPT on the web can keep up to two accounts signed in per session and switch between them, with one account active at a time. It only works on the web version, not in the Codex desktop app or the ChatGPT mobile apps, so it doesn't help if you build real projects in the desktop app. It also doesn't change the Codex CLI's login. ChatGPT's account switcher vs Sessions Pro for Codex goes deeper.
4. Do separate browser profiles work for Codex?
For Codex on the web, yes. Sign in to a different account on chatgpt.com in each browser profile and keep the windows side by side. You don't get the desktop app for those accounts: no Codex working in folders on your Mac, no Dock icon per account, and no CLI login.
5. Should you use a second macOS user?
It's the most complete separation available for free: a second user has its own home folder, keychain, app data and Codex CLI. The cost is that you see one user's desktop at a time, and your files, settings and tools don't come with you. A second macOS user vs Sessions Pro for Codex compares them in detail.
6. What does Sessions Pro for Codex add?
It does the desktop-app version of method 2 for you and handles its catches. Each account becomes its own copy of OpenAI's official ChatGPT app, such as “Codex Work” or “Codex Client”, with its own name, Dock icon with a colored letter badge, login, Codex threads, projects, pins and settings, plus its own Codex CLI with its own CODEX_HOME. A menu bar switcher shows which account is in front, and codex:// links go to the profile you used last.
“Start from my current ChatGPT” copies your existing conversations, Codex threads, projects, pins and login into a profile, rewrites the copied paths so they point at the profile's own folders, and leaves the original untouched. Profiles are rebuilt automatically when ChatGPT updates, with logins and history kept. macOS asks once per profile for folder access and the keychain, then not again. It needs macOS 14 or later; a Windows version is coming soon.
Sessions Pro for CodexFree 1-hour preview once you've signed in to a profile. For macOS 14 or later.
Which one should you pick?
- Only the CLI:
CODEX_HOMEby hand, with an alias per account. - Two accounts, mostly in the browser: ChatGPT's account switcher.
- Several accounts in the browser at once: browser profiles.
- Strict separation, and you don't need both on screen: a second macOS user.
- Several accounts open at once in the desktop app, each with its own CLI: Sessions Pro for Codex, or your own scripts if you'd rather build and maintain them.
Whichever you choose, OpenAI's terms apply to each account; use accounts you're allowed to use. For the full walkthrough of the free methods, see how to run multiple ChatGPT and Codex accounts on one Mac.
FAQ
What is the free way to use two Codex accounts?
For the Codex CLI, give each account its own CODEX_HOME folder: run mkdir -p ~/.codex-work, then CODEX_HOME=~/.codex-work codex, and sign in once. For the desktop app, you can start a second copy from Terminal with its own folders.
Can I run two Codex accounts in the desktop app at the same time?
Yes, with a separate copy of the ChatGPT app per account. You can start one from Terminal, or let Sessions Pro for Codex set each account up as its own app with its own Dock icon.
Sessions Pro for Codex is made by LEX GLOBAL IT S.R.L. and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by OpenAI. It runs the official ChatGPT app with accounts you already have, and OpenAI's terms apply to each account. ChatGPT and Codex are trademarks of OpenAI.