Step 1: Pick the right plan
Codex comes with every ChatGPT plan, per OpenAI's pricing page. A solo owner can start on Plus (US$20 a month). A team of two or more should look at Business (US$20 per user a month billed yearly, or US$25 monthly), which adds admin controls and a shared workspace. Pro (US$100 to US$500 a month) only makes sense for someone using it hard every day.
Our advice: start everyone on the cheaper tier. Upgrade the one or two people who hit usage limits, not the whole team.
Step 2: Use the desktop app
OpenAI offers Codex in a lot of places: a desktop app, a command line tool, code editor extensions, the web, the cloud and mobile, according to OpenAI's docs. For a non-technical team, the ChatGPT desktop app is the one to use. It puts Chat, Work and Codex side by side, and it is the only place computer use runs.
Install it on the machines of the people who will use it, sign in with your company ChatGPT account, and open the Codex tab.
Step 3: Choose a model
Your plan will show one or more models. GPT-6.1 Sol is the default and the stronger of the two. GPT-6.1 Terra, added on October 26, 2026 per the Codex changelog, is faster and lighter. Start routine jobs on Terra and move to Sol when the result needs more care.
Step 4: Give it one boring task
The best first job is repetitive, easy to check, and harmless if it goes wrong. Some good ones:
- Turn a folder of PDF invoices into one spreadsheet with date, vendor and amount.
- Rename and sort a messy folder of job photos by address and date.
- Summarize last month's meeting notes into one page of decisions and to-dos.
- Build a simple checklist page for a process your team repeats every week.
Write the request the way you would brief a new hire: what the input is, what you want back, and what it should not touch. Then check the result line by line the first few times.
Step 5: Set guardrails before you widen access
- Separate logins. Give the AI its own limited account in any system it works in, not an admin login.
- No money, no customers, no passwords. Keep banking, payroll and customer email off limits until your team trusts it.
- Approve each app. Computer use asks permission per app. Leave "Always allow" off at first. More in our computer use guide.
- Write it down. Save the prompts that work as reusable presets so everyone runs a job the same way.
Rule of thumb: treat Codex like a capable new hire on day one. Clear instructions, limited keys, and you check the work until it earns more trust.
Step 6: Decide if Codex is the right tool
Codex is a strong pick if your team already lives in ChatGPT. For long, careful business tasks, many of the small businesses we work with do better on Claude Code. Read our Claude Code vs Codex comparison, or ask us and we will tell you straight.