Getting started
Codex for Chrome is a lightweight side panel that lives next to ChatGPT, OpenAI and Codex. It puts two things one click away: a library of ready-to-use prompt templates, and a complete cheatsheet of every keyboard shortcut. There's nothing to configure and no account to create — once it's installed, you just open it.
The extension never reads your conversations and never sends data anywhere. The only thing it remembers is whether you prefer dark or light mode, and that's stored locally on your own machine. Everything below explains how to get the most out of it.
Pin it first. The single best thing you can do right now is pin the extension to your toolbar so it's always one click away. The next section shows you exactly how.
Open the side panel
Chrome doesn't allow extensions to pop their side panel open automatically — that's a privacy protection built into the browser. So the first time, you open it manually. After you pin the icon, it's a single click from then on.
Click the puzzle-piece icon
It's in the top-right of Chrome's toolbar. This opens the list of every extension you have installed.
Pin “Codex for Chrome”
Find it in the list and click the pin icon next to it. The Codex icon now stays permanently in your toolbar.
Click the Codex icon
The side panel slides in from the right, ready to use. It sits beside your chat instead of covering it.
There's also a shortcut you'll love: on any ChatGPT or Codex page, a small ⚡ button appears right next to the chat input. Tap it to toggle the panel without reaching for the toolbar at all.
Using prompt templates
The Prompts tab holds 30+ carefully written prompts, grouped into four categories so you can find the right one fast. Click any prompt and it's inserted straight into the ChatGPT or Codex input box — and copied to your clipboard as a backup. No more retyping “explain this code step by step” for the hundredth time.
The four categories
- Code — explain, refactor, write tests, add types, optimize, translate to another language, identify the design pattern, and more.
- Review — act as a senior engineer and review this, is it production-ready, what are the security holes, what are the trade-offs, give me five alternatives.
- Clarity — summarize in three bullets, give me the TL;DR, explain like I'm five, make this more concise, rewrite it professionally.
- Debug — trace through this and tell me where it breaks, why is this returning null, what's the difference between X and Y, continue where you left off.
The prompts are deliberately short and general so they work as a starting point. Click one, then add your specifics — paste your code, name your file, describe your bug — and send.
Workflow tip: chain prompts. Start with Explain this code step by step, then follow with Find all bugs and explain each one, then Write unit tests for this. Three clicks, a full review.
Keyboard shortcuts
The Shortcuts tab is a complete, always-on cheatsheet for ChatGPT and Codex. Stop interrupting your flow to Google “how do I start a new ChatGPT chat with the keyboard” — it's right there in the panel. Here are some of the most useful ones.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New chat | Ctrl Shift O |
| Toggle sidebar | Ctrl Shift S |
| Focus chat input | Shift Esc |
| Show all shortcuts | Ctrl / |
| Send message | Enter |
| New line (no send) | Shift Enter |
| Codex — submit / run task | Ctrl Enter |
| Codex — stop task | Esc |
The panel groups every shortcut by area — Navigation, Input & Editing, Conversation, Model & Settings, Codex, and Browser — so the one you need is easy to scan for. On macOS, swap Ctrl for ⌘ where it applies.
Working with Codex
If you use Codex for agentic coding tasks, the panel shines. Keep the prompt templates open while you draft a task, and use the Codex shortcut group to run and stop tasks without leaving the keyboard.
A typical Codex loop
Refactor the auth module and add error handling
# 2. Submit it
Ctrl + Enter
# 3. Need to change course? Stop it
Esc
The extension only adds UI — it never touches your code, your repositories, or your Codex account. It simply makes the prompts and shortcuts you already use faster to reach.
Dark & light mode
The panel ships in dark mode to match how most people run ChatGPT and Codex late at night, but you can flip it instantly. Click the moon / sun icon in the top-right of the panel header to toggle between dark and light. Your choice is saved withchrome.storage.local, so it sticks across sessions and browser restarts — and it never leaves your device.
Privacy & permissions
Codex for Chrome is built to be boring about your data — in the best way. Here's exactly what it does and doesn't do.
- No data collection. It reads nothing from your conversations and transmits nothing to any server. There are no analytics and no tracking pixels.
- One tiny stored value. The only thing saved is your theme preference — the literal string
"dark"or"light"— kept locally. - Scoped to OpenAI sites. The content script only runs on
chatgpt.com,openai.com,codex.com, andsora.com. Everywhere else, the extension is completely inactive. - Two minimal permissions.
storage(for the theme) andsidePanel(to show the panel). That's it.
This extension is an independent third-party tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to OpenAI. ChatGPT and Codex are trademarks of OpenAI.
Troubleshooting
The panel won't open
Make sure you're on a supported site (ChatGPT, OpenAI, Codex, or Sora). The icon is active on those pages. If the icon looks greyed out, you're on a different site — open a ChatGPT tab and try again.
I don't see the ⚡ button next to the input
ChatGPT occasionally re-renders its interface. Reload the page with F5 (or a hard reload,Ctrl Shift R) and the button re-injects. If it still doesn't appear, just open the panel from the toolbar icon instead — same panel, same features.
A prompt didn't insert into the box
The prompt is always copied to your clipboard as a fallback, so you can paste it withCtrl V. If insertion keeps failing, reload the ChatGPT tab so the content script reconnects.
My theme keeps resetting
That usually means the browser is clearing extension storage (for example, an aggressive “clear browsing data” setting). Re-pick your theme and check your Chrome privacy settings aren't wiping extension data on exit.
FAQ
Is it really free?
Yes — completely. No subscription, no paywall, no account. Install it and use everything immediately.
Does it work on the ChatGPT mobile app?
No. It's a Chrome extension for the desktop browser. Use it with ChatGPT and Codex on the web.
Will it slow down ChatGPT?
No. It's tiny and only adds a button plus a side panel. It does no background work and makes no network requests.
How do I uninstall it?
Right-click the extension icon in Chrome and choose Remove from Chrome. No leftover files, nothing to clean up.