OpenAI is rolling out a feature that turns a Mac user’s daily app activity into a searchable timeline for ChatGPT and Codex. Computer History, announced in OpenAI’s product changelog August 13, records interaction events such as clicks, typing, and app switches through macOS accessibility features, then converts them into memories the assistants can reference.
The feature is opt-in and off by default. Pro users can enable it themselves; Business and Enterprise workspaces require an administrator to grant access first, after which each member opts in individually. The rollout covers global markets, with the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom to follow in the coming weeks.
Computer History replaces Chronicle, an earlier research preview that relied on screen captures. The new approach captures interaction events rather than images of the screen, and does not record screenshots, screen recordings, microphone input, or system audio. It requires ChatGPT’s Memories system and does not work with an API key or through Amazon Bedrock.
Periodically, the desktop app starts an ephemeral Codex session that summarizes the event stream into text summaries and memory files. Those memories are plain-text Markdown files stored on the user’s own machine under the Codex memories directory, and users can read and edit them directly.
The output surfaces in two places. A timeline view in Settings groups activity summaries by day and time, showing which apps contributed to each entry. In conversation, ChatGPT and Codex can reference the memories to answer questions about recent work. When the system spots repeatable activity, a timeline entry can propose turning that workflow into a reusable skill or a scheduled automation, which Codex then builds from the recorded workflow.
