OpenAI has quietly launched Computer History, an opt-in feature for ChatGPT on Mac that logs your clicks, keystrokes, keyboard shortcuts, and app switches, then stitches them into a searchable timeline you can query later. The feature rolled out on Thursday for Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers, though it is not yet available in the UK, Switzerland, or the European Economic Area, where OpenAI says access will follow in the coming weeks.

What Exactly Does Computer History Track?

Computer History is designed to solve a common workplace frustration: reconstructing what you were working on before an interruption. Instead of reopening 14 tabs or scrolling through your browser history, you can ask ChatGPT, "What was I working on before my last break?" and the assistant will answer by referencing its log of your activity.

The feature captures interaction events that macOS exposes through its accessibility system, but it deliberately avoids taking screenshots, recording microphone input, capturing system audio, or logging private browsing activity. This design choice creates clear distance from Microsoft's Windows Recall, which was pulled in 2024 over security and privacy concerns before returning in reworked form roughly a year later.

Events are processed on OpenAI's servers and then written back to your Mac as plain-text Markdown memory files stored in a hidden folder. Raw event files are deleted after 48 hours, and OpenAI states it does not use them for training. The feature also requires Memories to be switched on and consumes tokens while summarizing your activity.

How Can You Control What Gets Recorded?

OpenAI has built in several controls to let users manage data collection. Users can pause collection from the menu bar, exclude specific apps or websites from tracking, and clear the last 10 minutes, hour, day, or everything at once.

However, OpenAI flags an important caveat: the memory files stored on your Mac are not encrypted, which means other programs running under your macOS user account may be able to read them. The company also warns of a higher prompt injection risk, since a malicious website could feed instructions to your assistant.

Steps to Manage Computer History Privacy and Access

• Enable or Disable Collection: Pause data collection from the menu bar whenever you want to stop logging your activity, such as during personal browsing or sensitive work sessions.
• Exclude Specific Apps or Sites: Block particular applications or websites from being tracked, giving you granular control over what Computer History captures.
• Clear Recent Activity: Delete your last 10 minutes, hour, day, or all recorded activity to remove sensitive information from your memory files.
• Understand Encryption Limitations: Be aware that memory files are stored in plain text and not encrypted, so consider what sensitive information you allow to be logged.
• Grant Admin Approval: If you are a Business or Enterprise user, admins must grant access before individual users can enable the feature, and each user must opt in separately.

How Does This Compare to Windows Recall?

Computer History and Windows Recall both aim to create searchable records of user activity, but they differ significantly in approach. The most visible difference is that Computer History does not capture screenshots, whereas Windows Recall's original version did. This distinction proved crucial to Windows Recall's reception; the screenshot-based approach triggered widespread privacy concerns that led Microsoft to pause the feature in 2024.

Computer History's reliance on interaction events rather than pixel-level screenshots represents a deliberate architectural choice to avoid the backlash that plagued Windows Recall. By logging only what macOS exposes through its accessibility system, OpenAI sidesteps the concern that a full visual record of your screen could expose sensitive information like passwords, financial data, or confidential documents.

Both features require explicit user consent and offer controls to pause or clear data. However, Computer History's limitation to the Mac ecosystem and its integration with ChatGPT's Memories feature create a different use case than Windows Recall, which was designed as a system-wide feature for Windows 11.

Who Can Use Computer History Right Now?

Computer History is currently live for ChatGPT Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers on Mac. Access is not yet available in the UK, Switzerland, or the European Economic Area, though OpenAI has committed to rolling it out to those regions in the coming weeks.

For Business and Enterprise users, administrators must grant access before anyone can enable the feature. Even after admin approval, every individual user must opt in separately, ensuring that no one is tracked without their knowledge.

The rollout represents OpenAI's latest effort to deepen ChatGPT's integration into daily workflows. By giving the assistant access to a timeline of your work, OpenAI aims to make ChatGPT more contextually aware and useful for productivity tasks, though the privacy trade-offs remain a consideration for users deciding whether to enable the feature.