ChatGPT’s New Computer History Feature Lets the Mac App Remember Activity Across Apps and Websites

OpenAI has given ChatGPT a long-term memory for your computer activity. The company announced on 13 August 2026 that a new feature called Computer History is rolling out to ChatGPT Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers using the Mac desktop app.

The feature lets ChatGPT remember what you’ve been doing across apps and websites — so you don’t have to explain yourself every time you start a new chat.

What Computer History Actually Does

Computer History works by building a timeline of your recent activity across selected apps and websites. ChatGPT can then reference that timeline to understand what you’re working on, pick up where you left off, and help automate repetitive tasks.

It’s off by default. Users have to go to Settings → Integrations in the Mac desktop app and actively switch it on. And they can choose which apps and websites are included, pause recording at any time, or delete individual entries from their timeline.

OpenAI is clear about what the feature does not capture. Computer History records interaction events — things like which app is open, which document or webpage is active, and certain user actions — but it does not take screenshots, record your screen, capture microphone input, or record system audio. Private browsing sessions are also excluded.

Built on Earlier Research

This isn’t the first time OpenAI has tried something like this. Computer History builds on Chronicle, a research preview that explored similar ground. OpenAI has now brought that idea into a full production feature, replacing Chronicle in the desktop app.

The feature works alongside both ChatGPT and Codex, OpenAI’s code-focused model. That means developers can use it to help resume coding tasks, while other knowledge workers can use it to bring context from document editors, browsers, and communication apps directly into their chats.

Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, has previously described the company’s personalisation push as central to making ChatGPT genuinely useful rather than just capable. Computer History is a concrete step in that direction.

Rollout and Who Gets Access

The feature went live globally on 13 August 2026 for Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers on macOS. Users in the European Economic Area, the UK, and Switzerland will follow in the coming weeks — no specific calendar date has been confirmed.

For Business and Enterprise accounts, there’s an extra step. A workspace administrator must first enable Computer History before individual team members can opt in themselves. Enterprise admins can also control access by role. That gives organisations a layer of oversight before the feature reaches staff.

There’s no separate charge for Computer History. It’s included within existing paid tiers — Pro, Business, and Enterprise — rather than being sold as an add-on. Whether it will come to Windows or other desktop platforms is unverified; OpenAI has confirmed only the Mac app for now.

Privacy Questions Are Already in the Air

Any feature that tracks activity across apps and websites will attract scrutiny. Privacy and digital-rights commentators have long raised concerns about AI assistants gaining visibility into day-to-day computer use, even when the feature is optional and user-controlled.

The Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s data-protection regulator, has not yet issued a public statement on Computer History. Regulators typically look at whether users are clearly informed, whether consent is genuinely revocable, and whether data collected is limited to what’s needed. OpenAI’s design choices — opt-in, granular controls, no screen capture — appear aimed at addressing those tests, but no formal regulatory assessment has been published.

Workers in regulated sectors will want to tread carefully. Healthcare staff, solicitors, finance professionals, and those in public services are likely to wait for organisational guidance before enabling Computer History on a work machine. The question of who can access activity data, and for how long it’s retained, will matter to employers and their data-protection officers.

Critics have also pointed out that typical users may not fully grasp what opt-in tracking at the operating-system level means in practice — even when the controls are there.

But for productivity-focused users and developers, the appeal is straightforward. If ChatGPT already knows you’ve spent the morning editing a contract in Word and researching case law in your browser, you don’t need to spend five minutes explaining the situation before asking for help.

What This Means for Kent Residents

Kent residents on ChatGPT Pro, Business, or Enterprise subscriptions using a Mac can expect access to Computer History within the next few weeks, once OpenAI completes its UK rollout. Professionals in sectors such as law, finance, education, and marketing may find the feature saves time on routine tasks — but anyone using it in a work context should check with their employer first, as UK GDPR obligations and internal data-protection policies will apply. Local organisations considering enabling it for staff, including public-sector bodies, will need to review their information-governance frameworks before doing so.