How to Delete ChatGPT History, Chats and Memory (2026 Guide)

Quick answer: to delete a single ChatGPT chat, hover over it in the sidebar, click the three dots and choose Delete. To delete everything, go to Settings > Data controls > Delete all chats. Deleting chats does not delete what ChatGPT has remembered about you, so also open Settings > Personalization and delete your saved memories.

ChatGPT keeps every conversation you have unless you remove it. For a small business that’s a mixed blessing. It’s handy to pick up a half-finished draft, but your history may also hold customer names, pricing, staff issues or ideas you’d rather not leave lying around, especially on a shared laptop or a team account.

This guide covers the three different things people mean by “ChatGPT history”: the list of chats in the sidebar, the memories ChatGPT builds up about you, and the copies OpenAI keeps for a short time after you delete. The steps are based on OpenAI’s help centre, checked in October 2026. Menus move around from time to time, so if a label looks slightly different on your screen, look for the nearest match.

Chats, archive and memory: what’s the difference?

What	Where it lives	How to remove it
Chat history	The sidebar list of conversations	Delete one chat, or Settings > Data controls > Delete all chats
Archived chats	Hidden from the sidebar but still in your account	Settings > Data controls > Archived chats > Manage
Saved memories	Facts ChatGPT has saved about you	Settings > Personalization > Manage memories
Chat history reference	What ChatGPT picks up from past chats	Turn off “Reference chat history” in Personalization

Archiving is not deleting. An archived chat disappears from the sidebar but stays in your account, and you can bring it back. If your aim is privacy, delete rather than archive.

How to delete a single ChatGPT chat

On a computer (chatgpt.com or the desktop app)

Open the sidebar on the left so you can see your chats.
Hover over the chat you want to remove.
Click the three dots next to its title.
Choose Delete, then confirm.

On iPhone or Android

Open the ChatGPT app and open the sidebar.
Press and hold the chat you want to remove.
Tap Delete and confirm.

The chat disappears from your history straight away. OpenAI says deleted chats are permanently removed from its systems within 30 days, unless they have already been de-identified, or it has to keep them for security or legal reasons. You can’t get a deleted chat back, so copy anything useful first.

How to delete all ChatGPT chats at once

Click your profile picture or name, then Settings.
Open Data controls.
Choose Delete all chats and confirm.

This removes every conversation, including chats inside projects. In the same menu you’ll find Archive all chats, which hides everything from the sidebar without deleting it, and Archived chats > Manage, where you can unarchive or delete chats you archived earlier.

Before you press the button, export anything you need. Settings > Data controls > Export data emails you a download link to a .zip file with your chats in a readable chat.html file. The link expires after 24 hours, so download it promptly.

How to delete what ChatGPT remembers about you

Memory is separate from chat history. When memory is on, ChatGPT saves details such as your business name, your role or the way you like things written, and uses them in future chats. Deleting the chat where you mentioned something does not delete the memory created from it.

Go to Settings > Personalization.
Open Manage memories to see what has been saved.
To remove one item, click the menu next to it and choose Delete.
To remove everything, use the menu next to the search bar and choose Delete all.

Some accounts now see a newer layout under Settings > Memory, with an editable memory summary instead of a list. The same principle applies: edit or clear the summary, and use the link to the saved memories list if you want to delete individual items. OpenAI notes that deleted saved memories may be kept in logs for up to 30 days for safety and debugging.

Turn memory off

If you’d rather ChatGPT didn’t remember anything, switch off Reference saved memories in Personalization. You can also switch off Reference chat history, which stops it drawing on past conversations. Turning saved memories off doesn’t delete what’s already saved, so delete those first if that’s your goal.

How to stop new chats being saved

For one-off sensitive questions, use Temporary Chat. You’ll find it at the top of a new chat. Temporary chats don’t appear in your history, don’t create memories and aren’t used to train models. OpenAI keeps them for up to 30 days to check for abuse, then deletes them.

If you want to stop your conversations being used to improve OpenAI’s models, that’s a different setting: turn off Improve the model for everyone under Settings > Data controls.

A sensible routine for small businesses

Don’t paste what you wouldn’t email. Customer bank details, passwords and health information shouldn’t go into a personal ChatGPT account at all.
Use Temporary Chat for anything involving named customers or staff.
Clear memory on any account that more than one person uses.
Review your history monthly and delete chats you no longer need.
Export before you delete if a chat holds work you might reuse.
Consider a business plan. ChatGPT’s business plans give an owner more control over data and retention than personal accounts.

If you’re handling personal data, deleting chats is part of good housekeeping under UK GDPR, but it isn’t a substitute for not putting the data there in the first place. Our guide to AI tools and UK GDPR explains the basics.

Files, images and projects

Files you upload and images you generate live inside the chat they belong to, so deleting the chat removes them from your history too. Projects work slightly differently: a project groups chats and files together. Deleting all chats removes the chats inside projects, but check the project itself afterwards and remove any files you added to it. If you’ve connected apps such as cloud storage, deleting a chat also removes any synced app data kept in that chat, but disconnecting the app is a separate step.

Shared and team accounts

Plenty of small businesses share one ChatGPT login between two or three people. It’s simple, but it means everyone can see everyone else’s chats, and memory blends together, so ChatGPT might use your colleague’s preferences in your drafts. If you share an account, clear the memory regularly and agree what doesn’t go in. A better long-term fix is a business plan with separate seats, where each person has their own history and the owner controls settings for the whole workspace.

Deleting history vs deleting your account

Clearing your history leaves your account, settings and any subscription in place. Deleting your account removes everything permanently, and you may not be able to reuse the same email address straight away. If you’re leaving ChatGPT, cancel any paid plan first, export your data, and then delete the account from Settings. Our guide to cancelling a ChatGPT subscription covers the billing side, including subscriptions bought through Apple or Google.

How to check it worked

After deleting, refresh the page or close and reopen the app. The sidebar should be empty, or missing the chats you removed. Open Settings > Personalization and check the memories list is empty if you cleared it. Finally, start a new chat and ask ChatGPT what it remembers about you; if memory is cleared, it should say it has nothing saved.

Common mistakes

Archiving instead of deleting. Archived chats are still stored in your account.
Deleting chats but not memories. ChatGPT may still remember details from a deleted chat.
Forgetting the mobile app. Settings sync across devices, but check the app is signed into the same account.
Deleting before exporting. Deleted chats can’t be recovered.
Assuming deletion is instant everywhere. It’s immediate in your account, but backend copies can take up to 30 days to go.

Frequently asked questions

Can I recover a deleted ChatGPT chat?

No. Once deleted, a chat can’t be restored. Export your data first if you might need it.

Does deleting a chat delete ChatGPT’s memory of it?

No. Memories are stored separately. Delete them in Settings > Personalization > Manage memories.

How long does OpenAI keep deleted chats?

OpenAI says deleted chats are removed from its systems within 30 days, with some exceptions for security or legal reasons.

What is the difference between archive and delete?

Archive hides a chat from the sidebar but keeps it in your account. Delete removes it.

How do I stop ChatGPT saving chats?

Use Temporary Chat. It isn’t saved to your history, doesn’t create memories and is deleted within 30 days.

Does deleting my history delete my account?

No. Your account and subscription stay active. Deleting your account is a separate option in Settings.

How to Delete ChatGPT History, Chats and Memory (2026)