How to Delete ChatGPT History (Chats, Memory and Your Account)

Want a clean slate? Here is how to delete ChatGPT history in under a minute: to remove one conversation, click the ••• next to it in the sidebar and choose Delete; to wipe everything, go to Settings > Data controls > Delete all chats. Deleting chats does not erase what ChatGPT has remembered about you, so this guide also covers saved memories, archived chats, shared links, model training and deleting your account.

Quick answer: One chat: hover over it in the sidebar (or long-press in the app), tap ••• > Delete. All chats: Settings > Data controls > Delete all chats. Memories: Settings > Personalization > Memory > Manage, then delete. Deleted chats vanish at once and are permanently removed from OpenAI’s systems within 30 days.

What “ChatGPT history” includes

ChatGPT keeps several kinds of data, and each is deleted separately:

• Chats in the sidebar (your conversation history).
• Archived chats, hidden from the sidebar but still stored.
• Saved memories and chat history references, facts ChatGPT remembers to personalise answers.
• Shared links you created to share a conversation.
• Images in your Library that you uploaded or generated.

All the steps below come from OpenAI’s help page on deleting and archiving chats and its Memory FAQ. Menu names can differ slightly between the website and the apps.

How to delete a single ChatGPT chat

On the website (chatgpt.com) or desktop app

1. Open the sidebar and hover over the chat you want to remove.
2. Click the ••• (more options) icon.
3. Click Delete, then confirm.

On the iPhone or Android app

1. Tap the menu icon to open your chat list.
2. Open the chat and tap ••• at the top.
3. Tap Delete and confirm.

How to delete all ChatGPT history at once

1. Click your profile name or picture and open Settings. In the app, open the sidebar and tap your profile.
2. Select Data controls.
3. Choose Delete all chats and confirm.

This removes every chat in your sidebar and can’t be undone. Want a backup first? In the same Data controls screen choose Export data; OpenAI emails you a download link with your full history.

How to find and delete archived chats

Archiving only hides a chat. To delete archived chats:

1. Go to Settings > Data controls.
2. Select Archived chats (shown as Manage on some devices).
3. Click Delete next to each chat, or Unarchive one to restore it to the sidebar.

How to delete what ChatGPT remembers (Memory)

Deleting a chat does not delete memories ChatGPT saved from it. OpenAI stores saved memories separately, so clear them too:

1. Open Settings > Personalization > Memory.
2. Select Manage (or Saved memories) to see the list.
3. Delete individual memories, or use the ••• menu and choose Delete and turn off memory to clear them all.

You can also type “Forget that I …” in a chat and ChatGPT will remove that memory. To stop ChatGPT drawing on old conversations, turn off Reference chat history in the same Memory screen; what it learned that way is scheduled for deletion within 30 days. Turning off Reference saved memories switches off both features.

Delete shared links and Library images

• Shared links: go to Settings > Data controls > Shared links > Manage and delete any you no longer want public.
• Images: open the Library in the sidebar and delete any images you don’t want kept.

Chat without saving history: Temporary Chat

For one-off questions, start a Temporary Chat. Temporary chats don’t appear in your history, don’t create or update memories and aren’t used to train models. OpenAI may keep them for up to 30 days for safety reasons, then deletes them.

Stop OpenAI training on your chats

Deleting history doesn’t change how future chats are used. To keep new conversations out of model training:

1. Open Settings > Data controls.
2. Turn off Improve the model for everyone.

The setting is saved to your account, so it applies on the website and in the apps. Details are in OpenAI’s Data controls FAQ.

How long until deleted ChatGPT chats are really gone?

Deleted chats disappear from your account straight away. OpenAI schedules them for permanent deletion from its systems within 30 days, unless they had already been de-identified or must be kept longer for security or legal reasons. Deleted chats can’t be recovered, even by OpenAI support, so export anything you need first.

How to delete your ChatGPT account completely

If you’re leaving ChatGPT for good, you can delete your OpenAI account from Settings (under Account or Data controls, depending on your version) or through the OpenAI Privacy Portal. Free, Go, Plus and Pro users can do this themselves; work and school accounts must ask their workspace owner. Deletion is permanent, so cancel any paid subscription and export your data first. Weighing a paid plan instead? See our comparison of ChatGPT Plus vs Free, or try one of these free ChatGPT alternatives.

Privacy tips for using ChatGPT

• Don’t paste passwords, ID numbers, bank details or private documents into any AI chatbot.
• Use Temporary Chat for sensitive one-off questions.
• Review saved memories every few months.
• Better prompts mean fewer, shorter chats to clean up later: here are 9 tips to get better answers from ChatGPT.

FAQ

Does deleting ChatGPT history delete memories?

No. Saved memories are stored separately. Delete them in Settings > Personalization > Memory, and delete the chat where you shared the information as well.

Can I recover deleted ChatGPT chats?

No. Once deleted, chats can’t be restored, even through OpenAI support. If you might need a chat later, archive it instead or export your data first.

Is archiving the same as deleting?

No. Archived chats leave the sidebar but stay in your account and are still searchable. Delete them from Settings > Data controls > Archived chats.

Does deleting a chat on my phone delete it on my computer?

Yes. Chat history is tied to your account, so deleting a chat in the app removes it on the website and every other signed-in device.

Does ChatGPT keep my data after I delete it?

OpenAI permanently deletes removed chats within 30 days, except data already de-identified or kept for security or legal reasons. Temporary chats are also kept for up to 30 days for safety.