Archive · 14 Aug 2026
ChatGPT's Computer History on Mac tracks activity, raising privacy questions
ChatGPT is a computer helper that people talk to on their computers.
Now, people who use ChatGPT on a Mac can turn on a new feature called Computer History.
This feature remembers some of the things people do in other apps and on websites, like clicking and typing.
It does not take pictures of the screen or record audio.
If someone forgets what they were doing yesterday, they can ask ChatGPT and it can help them find it.
The feature is optional, which means people have to turn it on themselves.
The recorded history stays on the Mac, and people can look at it or delete it.
Some people worry that ChatGPT is getting to see too much private activity, especially on work computers.
OpenAI says the feature gives people control and is different from other tools that capture screenshots.
OpenAI has launched a macOS feature called Computer History that records interaction events from apps and websites to help ChatGPT answer questions about past work.
The optional feature is available to Pro, Business and Enterprise customers and stays disabled until users choose to enable it.
Unlike Microsoft's Recall, Computer History does not take screenshots or record audio; it collects clicks, typing and app switching.
Activity data is stored locally and can be inspected or deleted, though ChatGPT still uses derived information to answer questions.
The feature is rolling out globally now, with customers in the European Economic Area, UK and Switzerland gaining access in the coming weeks.
- Who
- OpenAI and ChatGPT Pro, Business and Enterprise customers using Macs
- What
- ChatGPT's new Computer History feature records app and website interactions to help users recover lost work context
- When
- Announced and rolling out globally now, with EEA, UK and Switzerland customers gaining access in the coming weeks
- Where
- Macs (macOS), as part of a global rollout
- Why
- To help users remember previous work activity and to let agents create skills from workflows or automate recurring tasks
Privacy advocates
OpenAI and productivity-focused users
Privacy vs. convenience
Privacy advocates
Computer History gives ChatGPT a broad view of a person's digital activity, raising privacy concerns even though the data is stored locally.
OpenAI and productivity-focused users
The optional, locally stored feature helps users recover lost context, such as what they were debugging or where they stopped on a pull request.
Workplace monitoring
Privacy advocates
On company-managed Macs, the feature raises questions about whether monitoring or data access is appropriate for workplace devices.
OpenAI and productivity-focused users
The feature is useful for people who move between tools such as Slack, Google Docs and browser tabs, and users can exclude apps and pause it.
- Feature name
- Computer History
- Platform
- macOS (Mac computers)
- Availability
- ChatGPT Pro, Business and Enterprise customers
- Data captured
- Interaction events including clicks, typing and app switching
- Not captured
- Screenshots or audio
- Storage
- Local; users can inspect and delete recorded history
- Opt-in
- Disabled until enabled; apps and websites can be excluded, menu bar control pauses it
- Rollout
- Global now; EEA, UK and Switzerland in coming weeks