Codex Can Now Use Chrome Directly on macOS and Windows.

OpenAI
OpenAIMay 8, 2026

Why It Matters

By embedding Codex into the browser users already use, the extension turns everyday web tasks into automatable processes, giving enterprises a low‑friction way to scale AI‑driven productivity.

Key Takeaways

  • Cortex Chrome extension integrates AI directly into users’ existing browser sessions.
  • Extension accesses same cookies, tabs, and logged‑in apps for seamless automation.
  • Enables multi‑tab parallel tasks like research, spreadsheet generation, and expense reporting.
  • Combines with plugins to read emails, extract data, and upload receipts automatically.
  • Codex can script repetitive actions without screen‑scraping, boosting productivity.

Summary

Cortex has released a Chrome extension that lets its AI engine, Codex, operate directly inside the Chrome browser on both macOS and Windows. By bridging the gap between the standalone Cortex app and the web environment where most professionals spend their time, the extension expands the platform’s reach to the “real work” context.

The extension inherits the user’s existing Chrome profile, preserving cookies, logged‑in sessions, and open tabs. This enables Cortex to read documents, scrape data, and interact with web apps without the need for separate plugins or UI‑click loops. It can also launch its own tab group, scroll pages, and reason about content in the background while the user continues other work.

Demo scenarios include having Cortex research user sentiment for recent product launches and automatically populate a spreadsheet, pulling expense‑related emails via a plugin, extracting trip details, and filing expense reports with attached receipts. In a more creative use‑case, Codex spawns multiple sub‑agents that each control a separate tab to play a multiplayer drawing game in parallel.

For businesses, the extension promises to automate repetitive browser‑based tasks, cut down on manual data entry, and integrate AI insights directly into existing workflows, potentially delivering significant productivity gains and faster decision‑making.

Original Description

Codex is now even better at working with apps and sites in Chrome, and can now work in parallel across tabs in the background, without taking over your browser.
To get started on macOS and Windows, install the Chrome plugin in the Codex app.

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