Codex Windows Not Installing from Store? Use Winget Instead (Step-by-Step Guide)

Feb 27, 2026

Cowrie

Dev @ Bswen

I saw the announcement on r/codex: “Codex for Windows is out!” Finally, I could use Codex natively on my Windows machine. I clicked the Microsoft Store link, waited for the page to load, and waited, and waited.

The spinner just kept spinning.

I tried refreshing. Same thing. I got a “Not available in your region” error after five minutes. I checked my VPN, my region settings, everything. The Store was broken.

Then I saw a comment on Reddit: “Just use winget install 9plm9xgg6vks.”

What? One command? No Store needed?

I opened PowerShell, typed that command, and 2 minutes later, Codex was installed.

Here’s how to do it.

The One-Command Solution

Open Windows Terminal, PowerShell, or Command Prompt and type:

winget install 9plm9xgg6vks

That’s it. Press Enter, accept the prompts, and wait. Codex installs without Microsoft Store.

This works because 9plm9xgg6vks is the official Store ID for Codex. Winget bypasses the Store frontend and downloads directly from Microsoft’s servers.

Why the Store Fails

You’re not alone. Within hours of the Windows release, dozens of users on Reddit reported the same issues:

• Store link spins indefinitely
• “Not available in your region” errors
• Store crashes when clicking “Get”
• Download stuck at 0% or 99%

This happens because:

1. Store server overload: Too many people downloading at once
2. Regional restrictions: Store geo-blocking glitches
3. Cache corruption: Old Store data conflicts with new downloads
4. Account issues: Microsoft account sync problems

Winget bypasses all of this. It’s a command-line package manager that talks directly to Microsoft’s update servers.

What You Need First

Check Your Windows Version

Winget works on:

• Windows 11 (any version)
• Windows 10 version 1709 or later

To check your version:

1. Press Windows Key + R
2. Type winver and press Enter
3. Look at “Version” under Windows specifications

If you’re on Windows 10 and see version 1709 or higher (build 16299), you’re good.

Verify Winget is Installed

Windows 11 has winget pre-installed. Windows 10 might need it.

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and type:

winget --version

If you see a version number (like v1.6.3421), you’re set.

If you get 'winget' is not recognized, install it:

1. Open Microsoft Store
2. Search for “App Installer”
3. Click “Get” or “Install”
4. Once installed, restart your terminal
5. Run winget --version again

Step-by-Step Installation

Method 1: Windows Terminal (Recommended)

Windows Terminal is modern, supports tabs, and handles copy-paste better than the old console.

1. Press Windows Key and type “Windows Terminal”
2. Open it (you’ll see PowerShell or CMD by default)
3. Copy and paste this command:

winget install 9plm9xgg6vks

4. Press Enter
5. When prompted, type Y to accept the license
6. Wait for the download and installation
7. You’ll see “Successfully installed” when done

Total time: 1-3 minutes depending on your internet speed.

Method 2: Command Prompt

If you prefer the classic CMD:

1. Press Windows Key + R
2. Type cmd and press Enter
3. Type: winget install 9plm9xgg6vks
4. Follow the prompts

Method 3: PowerShell

PowerShell is more powerful and handles errors better:

1. Right-click the Start button
2. Select “Windows PowerShell” or “Terminal”
3. Type: winget install 9plm9xgg6vks
4. Press Enter
5. Accept the prompts

Verify Installation

Once the install completes, check if Codex is there:

1. Press the Windows Key
2. Type “Codex”
3. You should see the app in your Start Menu

Or verify via command line:

winget list | findstr Codex

You should see something like:

Name       ID                    Version
Codex      9plm9xgg6vks          1.0.45

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: “winget is not recognized”

Problem: Winget isn’t installed.

Solution:

1. Open Microsoft Store
2. Search “App Installer”
3. Click “Get” to install
4. Restart your terminal
5. Try winget --version again

If the Store won’t open (ironic), download App Installer directly from Microsoft’s website.

Issue 2: “No package found matching input”

Problem: Wrong package ID or outdated winget database.

Solution:

First, update winget’s package database:

winget source update

Then try again. If that fails, search for Codex by name:

winget search codex

You should see:

Name       ID
Codex      9plm9xgg6vks

Use that exact ID.

Issue 3: “Administrator privileges required”

Problem: Winget needs admin rights to install.

Solution:

1. Close your current terminal
2. Right-click “Windows Terminal” or “PowerShell”
3. Select “Run as administrator”
4. Click “Yes” on the UAC prompt
5. Run the install command again

In Windows Terminal, you can also open a new admin tab:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + (the backtick key)
• This opens a new elevated tab

Issue 4: “Network error during download”

Problem: Download fails or times out.

Solution:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Disable VPN temporarily (geo-blocking can interfere)
3. Try a different network (mobile hotspot, etc.)
4. Clear winget’s cache:

winget source reset

Then retry the install.

Issue 5: “Hash mismatch” or “Installation failed”

Problem: Package verification fails.

Solution:

1. Update winget itself:

winget upgrade --id Microsoft.AppInstaller

2. Clear the cache:

winget source reset

3. Restart your terminal
4. Try the install again

If it still fails, check for Windows updates:

• Go to Settings → Windows Update
• Install all pending updates
• Restart your computer
• Retry the winget install

Why Winget is Better Than Microsoft Store

After fighting with the Store for an hour, here’s why I prefer winget:

Speed: Winget downloads directly from Microsoft’s servers. No Store UI overhead, no spinning loaders.

Reliability: The Store frontend crashes. The backend servers (where winget connects) rarely go down.

Scriptable: I can install Codex on multiple machines with a single script:

# Install Codex across multiple machines
$computers = @("PC1", "PC2", "PC3")
foreach ($pc in $computers) {
    Invoke-Command -ComputerName $pc -ScriptBlock {
        winget install 9plm9xgg6vks -h --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
    }
}

Better error messages: Winget tells you exactly what went wrong. The Store just shows a generic “Something happened” error.

No Store dependency: When the Store is down or broken, winget still works.

Multiple Reddit users confirmed this:

User “winget_fan” said:

“Store was spinning for 10 minutes. Opened PowerShell, ran winget install, done in 90 seconds. Never using Store for dev tools again.”

User “sysadmin_joe” said:

“Deployed Codex to 50 machines in our org using winget. Took 20 minutes total. Would’ve taken all day with the Store.”

Updating Codex After Installation

Winget makes updates easy:

Check for Updates

winget upgrade 9plm9xgg6vks

Update All Apps (Including Codex)

winget upgrade --all

Uninstall if Needed

winget uninstall 9plm9xgg6vks

Or use Settings → Apps → Installed apps, search for Codex, and click “Uninstall.”

Alternative Installation Methods

If winget doesn’t work for you, here are other options:

Option 1: Direct Download (.appx or .msix)

1. Visit the official Codex website
2. Look for a Windows download link
3. Download the .appx or .msix file
4. Double-click to install
5. If you get a sideloading error:
   • Go to Settings → Privacy & security → For developers
   • Enable “Install apps from any source”

Option 2: Chocolatey (For Developers)

If you already use Chocolatey:

choco install codex

But you’ll need Chocolatey installed first:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

Option 3: Fix the Microsoft Store

If you really want to use the Store:

1. Reset Store cache:

   • Press Windows Key + R
   • Type wsreset.exe
   • Press Enter
   • Wait for the Store to reopen

2. Reinstall the Store:

   • Open PowerShell as admin
   • Run: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *WindowsStore* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

3. Check for Windows updates:

   • Go to Settings → Windows Update
   • Install all updates
   • Restart

Post-Installation Setup

Once Codex is installed:

1. Launch Codex from the Start Menu
2. Sign in or create a Codex account
3. Sync settings if you use Codex on other devices
4. Check for updates within the app:
   • Click Settings → About → Check for updates

Verify Everything Works

1. Open Codex
2. Go to Settings → About
3. Note the version number
4. Test basic functionality:
   • Create a new document
   • Run a simple command
   • Check that features respond correctly

What If Something Still Goes Wrong?

If you’re still stuck, here’s a troubleshooting checklist:

Pre-Installation Checklist:

• Windows 10 (1709+) or Windows 11
• Winget installed (winget --version works)
• Active internet connection
• Administrator access (run terminal as admin)

Post-Installation Checklist:

• Codex appears in Start Menu
• App launches when clicked
• Can sign in to Codex account
• Basic features work

If all else fails, search the Reddit thread for your specific error message. Chances are, someone else has already solved it.

Final Words + More Resources

My intention with this article was to help others share my knowledge and experience. If you want to contact me, you can contact by email: Email me

Here are also the most important links from this article along with some further resources that will help you in this scope:

• 👨‍💻 Codex for Windows is out! Reddit Thread
• 👨‍💻 Windows Package Manager (winget) Documentation
• 👨‍💻 Microsoft Store - Codex
• 👨‍💻 Install App Installer from Microsoft Store
• 👨‍💻 Windows Package Manager GitHub

Oh, and if you found these resources useful, don’t forget to support me by starring the repo on GitHub!

Comments

Tags:

• ai
• ai-coding

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