Short answer: ChatGPT's built-in account switcher keeps up to two accounts signed in on chatgpt.com and lets you flip between them, one active at a time. It only works on the web version, which doesn't help if you build real projects in the desktop app. If two accounts in a browser are enough, use the switcher; it's free. If you want several accounts open at once in the Mac desktop app, each with its own Codex login, threads, projects and CLI, that's what Sessions Pro for Codex does.
Free 1-hour preview once you've signed in to a profile. For macOS 14 or later.
What does ChatGPT's built-in account switcher do?
OpenAI added account switching to ChatGPT on the web. According to OpenAI's help article, as of October 2026 you can stay signed in to two accounts in the same browser session on chatgpt.com and switch between them without logging out and back in. One account is active at a time: the one you switched to is the one you're chatting in.
It's free, built in, and needs no setup beyond signing in to the second account. If you check a personal account now and then from your work browser, that may be all you need.
What doesn't the account switcher cover?
The help article lists where it isn't supported yet, and the rest follows from how it works:
- The desktop app. It only works on the web version, not in the Codex desktop app, which is now part of the ChatGPT app for Mac. That doesn't help if you build real projects in the desktop app: it still signs in one account at a time, so switching there means signing out and back in.
- The mobile apps. It doesn't work in the ChatGPT mobile apps either.
- A third account. A session holds up to two accounts.
- Both on screen. One account is active at a time, so you can't keep a work thread and a personal thread going side by side.
- The Codex CLI. The command line keeps its own login in
CODEX_HOMEon your Mac, which a browser setting can't change.
How is Sessions Pro for Codex different?
Sessions Pro for Codex works on the desktop app instead of the website. It makes each ChatGPT account its own copy of OpenAI's official ChatGPT app for Mac, for example “Codex Work” and “Codex Personal”. Each one has its own Dock icon with a colored letter badge, its own login, and its own Codex threads, projects, pins and settings. They all stay open together, and you switch with ⌘-Tab or from the menu bar.
Each profile also has its own Codex CLI: “Open Codex CLI in Terminal” runs codex with that profile's own CODEX_HOME, so the command line is signed in to the same account as the app. If you already use ChatGPT, “Start from my current ChatGPT” copies your conversations, Codex threads, projects, pins and login into a profile and leaves the original untouched.
How do they compare side by side?
| ChatGPT's account switcher | Sessions Pro for Codex | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | chatgpt.com in a browser | ChatGPT desktop app for Mac |
| Accounts | Up to 2 per session | As many profiles as you need |
| Open at the same time | ✕ One active at a time | ✓ |
| Codex desktop app | ✕ Not yet supported | ✓ One app per account |
| Codex CLI per account | — | ✓ Own CODEX_HOME |
| Own Dock icon and ⌘-Tab entry | ✕ | ✓ |
| Phones | ✕ Not yet supported | ✕ Mac app |
| Cost | Free, built in | $24.99 one-time, 2 computers |
We make Sessions Pro for Codex.
Which one do you need?
Use the account switcher if…
- You have two accounts and mostly use ChatGPT in a browser.
- You switch now and then and don't need both on screen.
- You don't use Codex in the desktop app or the CLI with the second account.
Use Sessions Pro for Codex if…
- You work in the ChatGPT desktop app or Codex every day.
- You want two or more accounts open side by side.
- Each account needs its own Codex threads, projects and CLI login.
- You want a Dock icon and a ⌘-Tab entry per account.
Sessions Pro for CodexFree 1-hour preview once you've signed in to a profile. For macOS 14 or later.
Setting up a company account next to your own? See how to use your work and personal ChatGPT accounts on one Mac at the same time.
Can you use both?
Yes. Sessions Pro for Codex doesn't change chatgpt.com or your browser, so the web switcher keeps working there. One thing to know: the ChatGPT extension for Chrome connects to the Sessions Pro for Codex profile you opened last.
If you'd rather stay free, there are other routes too: a second browser profile, a second macOS user, or a second copy of the app started from Terminal. The best ways to run multiple Codex accounts, compared covers each one, a second macOS user vs Sessions Pro for Codex goes deeper on that option, and our guide has the free Terminal setup.
FAQ
Does the ChatGPT desktop app have an account switcher?
No. OpenAI's help article says account switching only works on the web version, chatgpt.com, not in the Codex desktop app or the ChatGPT mobile apps. That doesn't help if you build real projects in the desktop app, which signs in one account at a time.
How many accounts can ChatGPT's account switcher hold?
Up to two accounts per session, with one account active at a time.
Does Sessions Pro for Codex replace ChatGPT's account switcher?
No, they work alongside each other. The switcher is for chatgpt.com in a browser. Sessions Pro for Codex runs each account as its own copy of the ChatGPT desktop app on a Mac, all open at the same time.
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.