Short answer: to keep two ChatGPT accounts open at once, each account needs its own copy of the ChatGPT desktop app with its own folders. You can start one from Terminal for free, or use an app that sets the copies up as separate Mac apps with their own Dock icons. For the Codex CLI on its own, give each account its own CODEX_HOME.
Free 1-hour preview once you've signed in to a profile. For macOS 14 or later.
Why does the ChatGPT app only sign in one account?
OpenAI's ChatGPT desktop app for Mac now includes Codex. It keeps its app data in ~/Library/Application Support/Codex, and Codex's own state (your login, threads, projects and pins) in ~/.codex, a folder it shares with the Codex CLI. One set of folders means one login. Signing in to another account replaces it, so switching between a work and a personal account means signing out and back in each time.
Your conversations aren't lost when you switch, because they belong to your account. What you lose is time, your place in the work, and the ability to see both accounts at once.
What about ChatGPT's own account switcher? ChatGPT on the web can stay signed in to two accounts and switch between them without logging out. As of October 2026, OpenAI's help article says it works on chatgpt.com, with up to two accounts per session and 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. To keep several accounts open side by side on a Mac, each with its own Codex login, threads, projects, pins and CLI (its own CODEX_HOME), you still need a separate copy of the app per account, as in options 4 and 6 below. ChatGPT's account switcher vs Sessions Pro for Codex compares the two in detail.
Every way to run two ChatGPT accounts on a Mac, compared
There are six ways to use more than one ChatGPT account on a Mac. Five are free: signing out and back in, a second browser profile, a second macOS user, a second copy of the app started from Terminal, and CODEX_HOME for the Codex CLI. The sixth, Sessions Pro for Codex, is $24.99 one-time. Only two keep the desktop app open in two accounts at the same time: a second copy from Terminal, and an app that turns each account into its own Mac app. For more approaches, including scripts you write yourself and ChatGPT's web account switcher, see the best ways to run multiple Codex accounts, compared.
| Method | Both open at once | Own Dock icon | codex:// links | Codex CLI per account | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign out and back inBuilt into ChatGPT | ✕ | — | ✓ | One at a time | Free |
| Second browser profilechatgpt.com on the web | ✓ | ✕ | — | Web only | Free |
| Second macOS userFast User Switching | One at a time | Separate desktop | ✓ | ✓ | Free |
| Terminal: a second copyStarted by hand with its own folders | ✓ | Shared icon | Go to the copy started last | Manual | Free |
Codex CLI: CODEX_HOMECommand line only | CLI only | — | — | ✓ | Free |
| Sessions Pro for CodexMac app for ChatGPT and Codex profiles | ✓ | ✓ | To the profile used last | ✓ App + CLI | $24.99 one-time |
We make Sessions Pro for Codex.
Option 1: Can you just sign out and back in?
Yes, and it's free and built in: sign out of the ChatGPT app and sign in with the other account. It's fine if you switch once a week. If you switch several times a day, it gets old fast, and you can never see both accounts at once.
Option 2: Can you use a second browser profile?
Yes, for chats. Open chatgpt.com in another browser, or another profile of your browser, and sign in with the second account. In the same browser, ChatGPT's own account switcher can also hold two accounts and switch between them. You lose what only the desktop app has for that account: Codex working in folders on your Mac, its own Dock icon and ⌘-Tab.
Option 3: Does a second macOS user work?
Yes, but you can only use one account at a time. Create another user in System Settings → Users & Groups and sign in to the other ChatGPT account there. Everything is fully separate, including the Codex CLI. But you see one user's desktop at a time, and your files, apps and settings don't come with you.
Option 4: How do you run a second copy of the ChatGPT app from Terminal? (free)
Start a second copy of the app with its own folders. The ChatGPT app reads CODEX_HOME for Codex's state, CODEX_ELECTRON_USER_DATA_PATH for its app data, and accepts a --user-data-dir option. Create two new folders, point all three at them, and a second copy starts next to the first, signed out:
mkdir -p "$HOME/.codex-work" "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Codex-Work"
open -n \
--env CODEX_HOME="$HOME/.codex-work" \
--env CODEX_ELECTRON_USER_DATA_PATH="$HOME/Library/Application Support/Codex-Work" \
/Applications/ChatGPT.app \
--args --user-data-dir="$HOME/Library/Application Support/Codex-Work"Sign in to the second account in that window. The catches:
- Both copies share the same Dock icon and name, so ⌘-Tab can't tell them apart, and there's no per-account icon.
- You have to start it from Terminal (or a script) every time.
- Every copy claims
codex://links when it starts, so connector sign-ins and thread links go to whichever copy started last. - ChatGPT's own updater runs in every copy, and nothing keeps the copies in step when an update arrives.
- If you start the copy from a duplicate of your existing
~/.codexto keep your history, the duplicate still points to the original folder in places, so threads you continue in the copy can be written into the original.
Option 5: How do I use two Codex CLI accounts with CODEX_HOME? (free)
Give each account its own CODEX_HOME folder. The Codex CLI keeps its login, settings and history in CODEX_HOME, which is ~/.codex unless you set it, so a second folder means a second, separate login. Create the folder, start codex with CODEX_HOME pointing at it, and sign in once with the other account:
mkdir -p ~/.codex-work
CODEX_HOME=~/.codex-work codexFrom then on, the same command opens the CLI signed in to that account, while plain codex keeps using ~/.codex and your first account. To save typing, add an alias to ~/.zshrc: alias codex-work='CODEX_HOME="$HOME/.codex-work" codex'. More detail, including what to copy between folders, in use two Codex CLI accounts in Terminal at the same time.
- Create the folder first. If it doesn't exist,
codexstops with the errorCODEX_HOME points to "/Users/you/.codex-work", but that path does not exist. Runmkdir -pon the folder and try again. - Settings are per folder too. Each
CODEX_HOMEhas its ownconfig.toml, so settings such as MCP servers are kept per account. Copyconfig.tomlfrom~/.codexif you want the same setup, but notauth.json, which holds the login. - Logging out is per folder.
codex logoutdeletes the login stored for the currentCODEX_HOME. With one shared~/.codex, which the ChatGPT app's Codex also uses by default, changing accounts on the command line means logging that shared login out. With a folder per account, each one stays signed in. (Why codex logout signs you out everywhere.) - It only covers the command line. The ChatGPT desktop app keeps its own login. Use option 4 or option 6 if you want the app per account too.
Option 6: Can an app make each account its own Mac app?
Yes. An app can automate option 4 and fix its catches by giving each copy its own name, icon and folders, so macOS treats each account as a separate app. Sessions Pro for Codex is built just for the ChatGPT app and Codex. For the CLI alone, several free command-line tools switch Codex logins.
How do I set it up with Sessions Pro for Codex?
- Download and open the app. It finds your ChatGPT app.
- Create a profile for each account. Name it (Work, Personal, a client) and pick a color. It becomes its own app, for example “Codex Work”, with a colored letter badge on its Dock icon.
- Sign in once, or bring your ChatGPT along. “Start from my current ChatGPT” copies your conversations, Codex threads, projects, pins and login into a profile. The original is left unchanged.
- Keep them all open. Switch with ⌘-Tab or the menu bar. Each profile has its own Codex CLI: “Open Codex CLI in Terminal” runs it with that account.
macOS asks once per profile for things like folder access and the keychain; choose Always Allow and it won't ask again after updates. When ChatGPT updates, each profile app is rebuilt from the new version the next time it's closed, with logins and history kept. Each computer gets a free 1-hour preview, which starts once you've signed in to a profile. A license is $24.99 one-time for up to 2 computers, and 3 more computers are $14.99. It needs macOS 14 Sonoma 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.
Is it allowed to use multiple ChatGPT accounts?
Plenty of people keep separate accounts for good reasons, such as a company workspace and a personal plan, or one account per client. Every method on this page runs the official ChatGPT app and doesn't change how ChatGPT or Codex work. OpenAI's terms still apply to each account, though, and making extra accounts to get around usage limits can get them restricted. Check OpenAI's Terms of Use and Usage Policies, and only use accounts you're allowed to use.
FAQ
Can I be signed in to two ChatGPT accounts at once on a Mac?
Not in one copy of the ChatGPT desktop app, because it keeps a single login in its folders. You need a second copy of the app with its own folders: start one from Terminal with CODEX_HOME and --user-data-dir, or use an app like Sessions Pro for Codex that sets the copies up for you.
Does the ChatGPT desktop app have a built-in account switcher?
No. As of October 2026, the ChatGPT app for Mac, which includes Codex, signs in one account at a time, and switching means signing out and back in. Users have asked OpenAI for multiple-account support.
Can I just use chatgpt.com in a browser for my second account?
Yes. Signing in to a second account in another browser or browser profile works for chats. You don't get the desktop app for that account, such as Codex working in folders on your Mac, its own Dock icon or ⌘-Tab.
How do I use two Codex CLI accounts on one Mac?
The Codex CLI reads its login and history from CODEX_HOME, which is ~/.codex unless you set it. Give each account its own folder: create it with mkdir -p ~/.codex-work, then run CODEX_HOME=~/.codex-work codex and sign in once. Sessions Pro for Codex does this for you: each profile opens the CLI with its own CODEX_HOME.
Will I lose my chats when I switch accounts?
No. Conversations belong to the account and come back when you sign in again. Running each account in its own copy of the app just means you don't have to sign out to see them.
Is it allowed to have more than one ChatGPT account?
Many people have separate accounts, for example a company workspace and a personal plan. OpenAI's terms apply to each account, and creating extra accounts to get around usage limits can get them restricted. Read OpenAI's Terms of Use and Usage Policies, and only use accounts you're allowed to use.
Sessions Pro for Codex is made by LEX GLOBAL IT S.R.L. and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by OpenAI. ChatGPT and Codex are trademarks of OpenAI.