ChatGPT on macOS Gains Computer History Timeline—OpenAI Warns of Risks
ChatGPT on macOS just gained a new capability through Computer History, but it comes with clear security caveats that even OpenAI highlights in its own documentation. The feature can turn app and website activity into a searchable timeline and saved memories—yet it also raises concerns around unencrypted local data handling and prompt injection.
Quick facts
- OpenAI enabled the Computer History feature for ChatGPT on macOS on August 13
- The feature converts app and website interactions into a searchable timeline plus lasting memories
- ChatGPT Pro, Business, and Enterprise have it disabled by default
- Pro users can enable it themselves, while Business/Enterprise require an administrator
- OpenAI warns that processed local data is not encrypted and that prompt injection is a risk
- Computer History does not capture the user’s screen, audio, or private browsing activity
- Availability is limited: not available in the European Economic Area, the UK, or Switzerland
With Computer History enabled, the system records interaction events from apps and websites and transforms them into “memories” and a timeline that ChatGPT and Codex can access. That means users can ask about recent work or convert repeat routines into automations. OpenAI frames the feature as a way to make past activity easier to reference during ongoing tasks.
Security warnings OpenAI documented
OpenAI’s documentation flags two main problems. First, the data handled by ChatGPT is stored locally in unencrypted plain-text form as Markdown, while temporary event data is processed server-side. Second, the feature can be vulnerable to prompt injection: if a user visits a website containing malicious instructions, ChatGPT or Codex could follow those instructions through the Computer History context.
Because of that second risk, OpenAI emphasizes the need to block unwanted sources from being included in the feature. In other words, users and administrators should be careful about what sites and inputs can feed into the system’s remembered timeline.
Computer History has also been scoped to avoid certain forms of capture. It does not record the screen or audio—so it excludes screenshots, screen recordings, microphone input, and system audio. It also shouldn’t track activity performed in a private web browsing mode.
Feature availability is currently limited to macOS. Even there, OpenAI’s rollout excludes the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, where Computer History is not yet offered.
