[Windows] Projects disappeared after update to 26.820.60940, but chats remain intact

Codex
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1

After the ChatGPT/Codex desktop app updated, all of my existing Codex projects disappeared from the Projects list in the Windows desktop app.

Environment

  • Subscription: ChatGPT Pro
  • Platform: Windows x64
  • Desktop app: Powered by Codex & OWL — Version 26.820.60940
  • Release date shown in About: August 25, 2026
  • The problem began immediately after this update.

The projects and data do not appear to be deleted

  • All existing chats remain searchable and open normally on the Windows desktop.
  • Hovering over an affected chat still shows its original project association.
  • The complete original project list remains visible in Codex Remote in the ChatGPT iOS app.
  • Existing affected chats continue working normally.
  • A new test chat created inside a desktop project synchronizes successfully and can be found in the iOS app.
  • Only the Windows desktop Projects list is missing/not rebuilding.

This strongly suggests that account/chat synchronization is functioning, while the Windows desktop project registry, sidebar index, or project-list hydration is broken.

Troubleshooting already attempted

  • Fully quit and reopened the desktop app.
  • Restarted Windows.
  • Signed out and signed back into the same OpenAI account.
  • Confirmed the same account/workspace is selected.
  • Confirmed the projects remain visible on iOS.
  • Confirmed existing chats remain searchable and functional.
  • Confirmed newly created desktop chats synchronize to iOS.

None of these restored the desktop Projects list.

Expected behavior

All existing projects should remain visible in the Windows desktop Projects list after an update, and desktop/iOS should show the same project inventory for the same account and connected computer.

Actual behavior

Chats, synchronization, and project associations remain intact, but the Windows desktop app does not display the Projects list.

Data-safety concern

I have not reset the app, cleared application data, edited the local SQLite/database files, or recreated all of the missing projects. Since the underlying chats and associations still exist, I do not want a troubleshooting step to overwrite valid project metadata.

This appears related to these existing reports:

The older community thread was closed after a prior fix, but this appears to be a regression in the August 25 Windows build.

Please provide a supported way to rebuild or reindex the Windows desktop Projects list without deleting or recreating the existing projects.

2

Update: I installed the latest ChatGPT/Codex desktop update offered to me. Settings → About now shows version 26.820.71523.

Unfortunately, the problem still reproduces exactly as before: the Windows desktop Projects list remains missing, while the underlying chats are still searchable and functional, retain their project associations, and continue synchronizing with Codex Remote on iOS.

I restarted the desktop application and checked again after the update. I still have not reset the app, cleared local data, or applied any unofficial repair scripts.

3

Update: I successfully restored the missing Projects list on Windows desktop version 26.820.71523.

The chats were never deleted. The desktop application had lost or failed to rebuild the local catalog that organized those chats into Projects.

A backup-first community repair reconstructed the catalog from surviving local folder associations. After restarting the application, the registry contained all nine intended Projects and 74 user-facing task associations. Existing chats remained intact and appeared under the restored Projects list.

The repair changed only the primary and shadow local project-state JSON files. SQLite, chat content, source files, authentication data, and cloud/account state were not modified.

This was an independent community workaround, not an official OpenAI fix. The exact updated repair is not yet published, so the older GitHub project should not be treated as containing this successful version-specific solution.

Anyone considering local-state repair should first make complete backups and use a privacy-redacted, read-only dry run. Recorded working directories can include nested repositories, temporary folders, and internal agent tasks, so blindly converting every folder into a project can create incorrect associations.

I still hope OpenAI adds an official Repair/Rebuild Projects option so users do not have to modify internal application state.

4

Thanks for confirming your Projects are back! The request for an official Repair/Rebuild Projects option makes sense, especially given the care needed around local data. We don’t have a timeline to share for that feature. We’ll pass this feedback to the relevant product team.