Noise

Saw it once, find it forever.

Memory Machine [fka Orbit] records your Mac's screen activity in the background, letting you instantly search and revisit anything you've seen. Everything stays local on your device.

Free during early access

How it works

Memory Machine continuously records your Mac's screen activity in the background, storing everything locally on your device. Search your entire screen history by keyword, app, or time.

  • An icon of a magnifying glass over a document.

    Instant screen history search

    Find anything by searching for text, app name or the time you viewed it.

  • An icon of a computer mouse.

    Interactive screen captures

    Copy text, reopen URLs, or save screen captures as images directly from your history.

  • An icon of a camera.

    Visual timeline navigation

    Scroll through your screen history with an intuitive timeline. Jump to any date or time instantly.

A screenshot of the 'Memory Machine' search app interface. The focus is on a command menu that allows the user to search their history.
A screenshot of the 'Memory Machine' app featuring a search results interface. The interface displays a list of recorded screen activities related to the search term 'memory'.
  • An icon of a battery.

    Minimal resource usage

    Memory Machine continuously records your screen without impacting performance, using storage optimizations and on-device text recognition.

  • An icon of a cube.

    Import from Rewind

    Seamlessly migrate your existing Rewind data and continue your screen history without gaps.

  • An icon of a bolt.

    Fast retrieval at scale

    Built for speed and reliability, Memory Machine is designed to instantly retrieve information from months or even years of recordings.

How data is handled

Memory Machine stores all recordings exclusively on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded. Sensitive data stays in your control at all times.
Learn how to verify this yourself.

  • An icon of a folder.

    Local data storage

    All recordings and data stay exclusively on your Mac. Nothing is ever uploaded to external servers.

  • An icon of a set of keys.

    Encrypted & under your control

    Your database is encrypted at rest. Access your data whenever you want in a standard format.

  • An icon showing a face.

    Independently developed

    Created by an independent developer with no external funding, data selling, or hidden agendas.
    Follow the journey.

Get Memory Machine early

I'm currently offering Memory Machine as an early-access preview. It's free during this early period, and your feedback will directly shape its future. Simply join below, and I'll contact you soon with details.

Free during early access

The Memory Machine app icon.

Common questions

If your question isn't answered here, please feel free to reach out to me directly.

How much storage does this actually use?
Memory Machine uses approximately 6 GB per month of recordings. This is an estimate and may vary depending on what you're recording.
Can I exclude certain apps or websites from being recorded?
Yes. You can define excluded apps and websites in a dropdown menu in the settings. Incognito or private browsing modes are automatically excluded.
How far back can I search?
There is currently no limit to how far back you can search. You can revisit anything you've seen since installing the app. In the future, you'll also be able to set a custom retention period and mark specific days as important and persist those recordings for longer.
Does this work across multiple monitors?
Yes. Memory Machine records whichever monitor your cursor is on. If you have a multi-monitor setup, it automatically switches between them based on where you're actively working.
What are the system requirements?
Memory Machine requires a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later) running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Intel Macs are not supported.
Can other people access my recordings if they use my Mac?
Your recordings are stored in your user folder. If someone is logged in under your username, they can open the app and view your recordings. Make sure to use separate user accounts if you share your Mac.
How is this different from Rewind?
Memory Machine focuses on speed and powerful search capabilities. I'm building advanced filtering and complex queries so you can combine logical expressions, filter by app metadata, and narrow down searches precisely. Think of it as Command+F for your entire screen history. I'm also prioritizing performance over experimental features, keeping the tool lightweight and fast.
Why is it free right now?
It's free during early access because I need your feedback to shape the product. This is an alpha version, so you'll encounter bugs and rough edges. In exchange for using it free, I'm asking you to help improve it. Once it's more polished, it will be a paid subscription. There's no investor money behind this, so I need to fund development sustainably.
Can I pause recording temporarily?
Yes. You can toggle recording on and off directly from the menu bar.
Is the search actually good?
The search is powered by Apple's on-device machine learning, the same technology that lets you select text inside images on your Mac. The OCR is reliable and works well with most text. Right now you can search by text, with metadata, app name, and website filtering coming soon.
What if my Mac crashes or restarts?
You might lose a few seconds of recording, but Memory Machine uses checkpoints to minimize data loss. You won't lose significant amounts of your screen history.