Short answer: a second macOS user account keeps a ChatGPT account completely separate, for free: its own home folder, keychain, app data and Codex CLI. But you see one user's desktop at a time, and your files, tools and settings don't come with you. Sessions Pro for Codex keeps you in your own macOS user and runs each ChatGPT account as its own app, all open side by side. Pick a second user for strict isolation, and Sessions Pro for Codex for working in several accounts at once.
Free 1-hour preview once you've signed in to a profile. For macOS 14 or later.
How does the second-user method work?
Create another user in System Settings → Users & Groups, log in to it, open the ChatGPT app there and sign in with the other account. With Fast User Switching you can jump between the two users without logging out; the other user's apps keep running in the background.
Because each macOS user has its own home folder, the ChatGPT app and the Codex CLI each get their own ~/Library and ~/.codex automatically. Nothing is shared between the two accounts.
What do you give up with a second macOS user?
- One desktop at a time. You can't have a work thread and a personal thread on screen together, or copy between them at a glance.
- Your setup stays behind. Files, Git and SSH settings, editor preferences, shell aliases and signed-in apps all live in your own user. You set them up again in the second one, or share folders between users.
- Projects need a shared home. A repository in your user's home folder isn't available to Codex in the other user unless you put it somewhere both users can read and write.
- Switching takes a moment. Changing users usually asks for the other user's password.
When is a second macOS user the better choice?
When the separation itself matters more than convenience. A macOS user is a real boundary enforced by macOS: separate keychain, separate files, separate permissions. If a client requires their work to be isolated from everything else on your Mac, or two people share the computer, use a second user (or a second computer). Sessions Pro for Codex profiles are separate apps with separate data, not a security boundary.
How does Sessions Pro for Codex compare?
Sessions Pro for Codex stays inside your own macOS user. Each account becomes its own copy of OpenAI's official ChatGPT app, such as “Codex Work” and “Codex Personal”, with its own Dock icon and colored letter badge, login, Codex threads, projects, pins, settings and Codex CLI. They're all open at once, you switch with ⌘-Tab or from the menu bar, and your files, repositories, terminal and tools are the same for every account.
| Second macOS user | Sessions Pro for Codex | |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts on screen together | ✕ One desktop at a time | ✓ |
| Your files, repos and tools | Set up again or shared | ✓ Same user |
| Codex threads, projects and pins per account | ✓ | ✓ |
| Codex CLI per account | ✓ Own ~/.codex | ✓ Own CODEX_HOME |
| Separation | ✓ Full macOS user boundary | Separate app and data, not a security boundary |
| Switching | Fast User Switching | ⌘-Tab or the menu bar |
| Keeps up with ChatGPT updates | ✓ | ✓ Profiles rebuilt automatically |
| Cost | Free | $24.99 one-time |
We make Sessions Pro for Codex.
Sessions Pro for CodexFree 1-hour preview once you've signed in to a profile. For macOS 14 or later.
Already using ChatGPT in your main user? “Start from my current ChatGPT” copies your conversations, Codex threads, projects, pins and login into a profile and leaves the original untouched.
Can you combine them?
Yes. You can keep a separate macOS user for a client that needs strict isolation, and use profiles in your main user for everyday accounts such as work and personal. For freelancers juggling several clients, one account per client walks through that setup. For every other approach, from CODEX_HOME to browser profiles, see the best ways to run multiple Codex accounts and our guide; ChatGPT's own web switcher is covered in ChatGPT's account switcher vs Sessions Pro for Codex.
FAQ
Is a second macOS user more secure than Sessions Pro for Codex?
Yes. A macOS user is a boundary enforced by macOS, with its own files and keychain. Sessions Pro for Codex profiles are separate apps with separate data inside your own user, built for convenience, not as a security boundary.
Can I use two ChatGPT accounts at once with two macOS users?
Not on screen together. With Fast User Switching both users stay logged in, but you see one user's desktop at a 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.