OpenAI launches Computer History feature that tracks Mac user activity for ChatGPT

OpenAI has launched Computer History for the ChatGPT Mac desktop app, an opt-in feature that tracks user clicks, keystrokes, and app switches via the macOS accessibility system to build a searchable timeline of activities. Replaying workflows allows ChatGPT and Codex to automate tasks and recall context. However, the feature raises privacy concerns because the local Markdown files are stored unencrypted, and OpenAI warns of heightened prompt injection risks from malicious web content.

Computer History feature launch

• ▪OpenAI launched Computer History, an opt-in feature for the ChatGPT macOS desktop app that tracks user activity across apps and websites to build a searchable timeline of memories.
• ▪The Computer History feature is available globally to ChatGPT Pro, Business, and Enterprise users, with rollouts in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the European Economic Area scheduled for the following weeks.

Activity tracking mechanism

• ▪The Computer History feature does not capture screen images, screenshots, screen recordings, microphone input, system audio, or private browsing activity.
• ▪Computer History tracks user interactions—including clicks, typing, keyboard shortcuts, and app switches—by utilizing the macOS accessibility system to generate text summaries and local memory files.
• ▪When ChatGPT detects repeatable patterns in a user's tracked activity, the timeline suggests a "Skill" or automation that users can review and have Codex build into a reusable template.

Privacy concerns

• ▪OpenAI warns that Computer History files are stored locally as unencrypted plaintext Markdown files, meaning other programs running under the same macOS user account could potentially access them.
• ▪OpenAI's documentation flags an increased risk of prompt injection, warning that malicious instructions embedded on a visited webpage or app could trick ChatGPT or Codex into executing them.
• ▪OpenAI advises users to pause Computer History during communications with other people unless they have prior express consent, and to exclude or pause apps containing sensitive health, financial, or personal data.

User permission controls

• ▪Users can pause or resume Computer History recording at any time via a macOS menu bar shortcut, choose which specific apps and websites are allowed to contribute data, and delete recorded history at any time.
• ▪Computer History is disabled by default, requiring Pro users to manually opt in, while Business and Enterprise users require their workspace administrator to grant access before they can individually opt in.
• ▪Computer History requires the ChatGPT Memories feature to be enabled so that the captured context can be utilized across different chats and tasks.

Chronicle replacement rationale

• ▪OpenAI states that Computer History offers more privacy controls and uses fewer tokens than its predecessor, Chronicle, because it records interaction events instead of capturing screen images.
• ▪Computer History replaces OpenAI's earlier Chronicle research preview, which relied on taking screenshots and optical character recognition to monitor user activity.