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ChatGPT macOS app adds opt-in Computer History tracking clicks and keystrokes for ChatGPT and Codex
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OpenAI's ChatGPT desktop app on macOS introduced a feature called Computer History that records user activity as events to build a timeline ChatGPT and Codex can reference when responding to requests.
Computer History gives ChatGPT and Codex persistent context about what you do on your machine, which changes how automation suggestions and task continuations work. The feature is opt-in and excludes incognito tabs, but it still captures a broad record of clicks and keystrokes that engineers should evaluate before enabling on work devices.
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Computer History is opt-in, lets you exclude specific apps and websites, and allows deletion of individual entries.
The feature relies on events rather than screenshots and does not capture images, videos, or audio.
ChatGPT and Codex can reference the activity timeline when you make a request, including looking up recently edited documents or summarizing your morning.
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ChatGPT's macOS desktop app now offers a feature called Computer History that records clicks and keystrokes as structured events. OpenAI says it does not capture images, videos, or audio, distinguishing it from Microsoft's Windows Recall approach. The recorded activity builds a timeline that both ChatGPT and Codex can reference when a user makes a request.
The feature is opt-in rather than opt-out, which matters for deployment in environments with sensitive data. Users can exclude specific apps and websites from tracking and delete individual entries. OpenAI also stated that Computer History will automatically ignore content in incognito or private browser tabs.
In a demo, an OpenAI developer showed the app looking up the last document he edited, checking whether it was shared via Slack, and delivering a recap of how he spent his morning. This suggests the timeline is queryable by ChatGPT in natural language, not just passively stored. The practical effect is that ChatGPT gains persistent cross-application context it previously lacked.
The cost of adoption is primarily privacy and data-governance risk. Although the feature avoids screenshots, a detailed event log of clicks and keystrokes across applications can still reveal sensitive workflows, document titles, and communication patterns. Engineers evaluating this for managed devices should consider app exclusions, deletion controls, and whether the opt-in default is sufficient for their compliance posture.
This story is carried by a single feed, so the details are uncorroborated. The feature's scope, its interaction with Codex, and its data-handling guarantees are described only by The Verge's reporting and statements attributed to OpenAI staff. Until additional sources confirm the specifics, engineers should treat the capabilities and limitations as reported rather than verified.
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