Deleting Chats
How to delete a chat:
Go to your ChatGPT chat history sidebar.
Hover over the conversation you want to delete.
Click the three dots (
⋯) next to the chat title.Select Delete from the menu.
Confirm your deletion when prompted.
What happens when you delete a chat?
The chat is immediately removed from your chat history view.
It is scheduled for permanent deletion from OpenAI's systems within 30 days, unless:
It has already been de-identified and disassociated from your account, or
OpenAI must retain it for security or legal obligations.
You cannot recover a chat once it’s deleted. Deleted chats are not retrievable through the UI, APIs, or support.
Archiving Chats
How to archive a chat:
Go to your ChatGPT chat history sidebar.
Hover over the conversation you want to delete.
Click the three dots (
⋯) next to the chat title.Select Archive from the menu.
Confirm your deletion when prompted.
How to manage archived chats:
Go to Settings > General, then click the Manage button to the right of Archived Chats.
From there, you can:
Unarchive a chat (return it to your active history).
Delete an archived chat (permanently schedule it for deletion).
Tip: Archiving is ideal when you want to hide clutter without losing important conversations.
Retention Overview
Chats you keep (unarchived or archived) are saved in your account until you delete them.
Deleted chats are removed from your view immediately and permanently deleted from OpenAI’s systems within 30 days, unless de-identification or legal exceptions apply.
Archived chats remain in your account under your standard retention settings — archiving does not delete them.
📚 For a detailed explanation of chat and file retention policies, see Chat and File Retention Policies in ChatGPT