OpenAI's latest feature for ChatGPT’s macOS app allows the AI tool to create a timeline of your Mac activity and use that information to respond to queries or automate tasks.
Computer History is available for ChatGPT Pro, Business, and Enterprise users at launch. You can use it to “ask natural questions about recent work, pick up where you left off, understand patterns in how you work, and turn repeated workflows into skills or automations,” OpenAI says.
Computer History is disabled by default; users must enable Computer History and Memories from app settings for it to work. Pro users can turn them on manually by going to Settings > Integrations > Computer History. Business and Enterprise users can follow the same steps, provided their administrator has approved the feature.
How Does ChatGPT's Computer History Work? #
To record your Mac activity, Computer History tracks your clicks, typing, app switches, and other movements across allowed apps and websites. It then organizes the information into Memory files and daily summaries, which ChatGPT can tap when prompted.
Samples prompts shared by OpenAI include: "Give me a list of tasks I’ve worked on today and their status,” "Prepare a summary of what I did yesterday for standup," or "Where can I find the proposal document I was looking for earlier today?”
Temporary Memory files created by Computer History will be retained for 48 hours, while all other details will be retained until you manually delete them. Once enabled, you can manage all operations related to the feature from Settings > Computer History.
As OpenAI notes, "Computer History replaces the earlier Chronicle research preview," which used screenshots (similar to Microsoft Recall). "Computer History records interaction events and does not capture your screen or audio."
OpenAI warns that the data collected by the feature isn’t encrypted, and other apps and websites running on your Mac may be able to access it. “Protect your Mac account and exclude sources you do not want included,” it says.
The feature is already available to Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers in the US and most other regions worldwide. Access in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland will follow in the coming weeks, OpenAI said in an X post.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, PCMag's parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.