ChatGPT’s New Mac History Feature Tracks Your Computer Activity

OpenAI has launched a new Computer History feature for the ChatGPT desktop app on Mac. The tool creates a searchable timeline of activity across selected applications and websites, allowing ChatGPT to use previous computer activity as context in future requests. The feature is designed to reduce the need for users to repeatedly explain what they have been working on.

Unlike Microsoft’s Recall feature, Computer History does not capture screenshots, screen recordings, microphone input or system audio. Instead, it records interaction events such as clicks, keystrokes, keyboard shortcuts and application switches. Private or incognito browsing is also excluded.

The feature can make ChatGPT more useful for everyday computer tasks. For example, users could ask it to identify recently edited documents, summarize their recent work or help continue a task they started earlier. Users can also choose which applications and websites are included, pause collection and delete individual records or their entire history.

Privacy remains an important part of the discussion. Computer History is opt-in rather than enabled automatically, but reports have raised concerns because the locally stored history files are reportedly kept as unencrypted text. This means other software running under the same macOS account could potentially access those files. The feature is also currently unavailable in the EEA, Switzerland and the UK.

The launch represents another step toward AI assistants that understand what users are doing across their entire computer rather than only responding to individual prompts. If OpenAI can balance this broader context with strong privacy and security protections, Computer History could make ChatGPT significantly more useful for productivity. At the same time, the feature demonstrates why control over personal computer data will become increasingly important as AI assistants become more deeply integrated into people’s digital lives.