AI
OpenAI's ChatGPT gains local activity tracking for Mac without taking screenshots
A new Computer History feature lets ChatGPT monitor your daily work across apps and websites to answer contextual questions, while storing data locally and avoiding the privacy pitfalls that plagued Microsoft's Recall.
The New Stack
OpenAI is rolling out a new capability to ChatGPT on macOS that lets the AI assistant keep tabs on your work throughout the day. The feature, called Computer History, is designed to help users interact more naturally with ChatGPT by building an awareness of what they've been doing across their computer.
How it works#
Rather than snapping constant screenshots like Microsoft's infamous Recall tool, Computer History captures interaction events—clicks, typing, app switches, and similar actions—to build a searchable timeline of your activity. This allows ChatGPT to answer questions such as "What was I debugging yesterday?" or help you locate files and documents you've worked on, without requiring you to provide the full context each time.
The system tracks your work across Google Docs, Slack, browser tabs, and other applications, making it easier to find information you remember seeing but can't quite locate.
Privacy controls built in#
OpenAI has emphasized user control throughout the feature's design. Computer History launches in an off-by-default state, and users can granularly exclude specific apps and websites from monitoring via a new menu bar entry on macOS or settings in the ChatGPT desktop app. A menu bar toggle also lets you pause the system at any time.
Importantly, all captured data stays stored locally on your machine rather than being sent to OpenAI's servers. Users can view exactly what the system has recorded and delete entries from the timeline as needed.
Setting itself apart#
The approach differs from both Microsoft's Recall—which faced severe backlash over privacy and security concerns—and OpenAI's own earlier Chronicle research project, which relied on screenshots and optical character recognition. Computer History also builds on Record & Replay, a separate ChatGPT feature that lets users demonstrate workflows to teach the AI new skills.
Rollout timeline#
Pro, Business, and Enterprise users now have access to Computer History globally, though OpenAI is phasing in availability for users in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland over the coming weeks.
