OpenAI has introduced a new macOS feature called Computer History, allowing ChatGPT to remember aspects of how users work across their computers. The optional feature is designed to help users recover information about previous activity, including files, documents, websites and tasks they may have worked on earlier.

The feature could be particularly useful for people who regularly switch between multiple applications and browser tabs. A user could ask ChatGPT what they were working on the previous day, where they stopped on a coding project or which document they had edited, with the system using stored activity history to help locate the relevant context.

However, the expanded capability also raises questions about privacy, data access and the use of such tools on workplace computers.

How Computer History Works

According to OpenAI, Computer History records interaction events from applications and websites to help ChatGPT understand a user's previous computer activity.

The company says the feature does not continuously capture screenshots or record audio. Instead, it can collect activity such as clicks, typing and switching between applications.

OpenAI executive Dominik Kundel said Computer History “doesn’t rely on screen or audio capture”.

Different From Microsoft Recall

OpenAI's approach differs from Microsoft's controversial Recall feature, which was designed to periodically capture screenshots of activity on Windows PCs.

Computer History is also separate from OpenAI's earlier Chronicle experiment, which used screen captures and optical character recognition to create a record of computer activity.

The company has also clarified that Computer History is different from Record & Replay, which allows ChatGPT and Codex users to demonstrate workflows that can subsequently be turned into reusable skills.

Users Can Control the Feature

Computer History is optional and remains disabled until users choose to activate it.

Mac users can exclude specific applications and websites from being included in their history. OpenAI has also introduced a menu bar control that allows users to pause the feature.

The company says the collected history is stored locally on the user's Mac. Users can inspect the information that has been recorded and delete it when required.

Privacy Concerns Remain

Local storage may provide users with greater control, but it does not eliminate all privacy concerns.

Computer History is designed to give ChatGPT access to a much broader picture of a user's digital activity than conventional conversation memory. That raises questions about how information derived from computer activity is used when ChatGPT responds to questions about previous work.

The issue could be particularly important for employees using company-managed Macs. Organisations may have separate policies governing monitoring, data access and the use of AI tools on workplace devices.

Users may therefore need to understand their company's policies before enabling Computer History on a work computer.

AI Agents Could Benefit

OpenAI also sees Computer History as a potential foundation for more capable AI agents.

By understanding how users perform tasks on their computers, future agents could potentially identify recurring workflows and help automate them.

Users could, for example, ask an agent to create a reusable skill from a task they have just completed or help prepare a regular team update based on their established workflow.

This could move ChatGPT beyond simply answering questions and towards becoming an assistant that understands how people actually work.

Who Gets Access

Computer History is rolling out to Pro, Business and Enterprise customers.

OpenAI says the feature is being introduced globally, although customers in the European Economic Area, UK and Switzerland are expected to receive access in the coming weeks.

Because the feature is optional, users who do not want to give ChatGPT broader access to their computer activity can choose not to enable it.

Convenience vs Privacy

Computer History represents a significant expansion of ChatGPT's ability to understand a user's digital context.

For people who frequently lose track of files, browser tabs or unfinished projects, the feature could save time by helping recover previously completed work.

At the same time, the wider access makes privacy controls particularly important. Users will need to consider which applications and websites should be included, how their history is stored and when it should be deleted.

For now, OpenAI's decision to make Computer History optional gives users the final choice over whether ChatGPT gets this broader window into their digital activity.