Chat History and Search

To find an old conversation in ChatGPT, open Search in the sidebar, or press Ctrl+K on Windows or Cmd+K on a Mac in the web app, and type a word from the chat's title or text (Finding your chats, projects, and files). Search covers chats, archived chats, projects, images and documents on every plan, signed in. Saved chats stay in your history until you delete them; a deleted chat is gone from your view at once and scheduled for permanent deletion within 30 days, as of Nov 6, 2026.

Quick facts

How to search your ChatGPT chats

1. Open Search from the ChatGPT sidebar (web, iOS or Android), or press Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+K (macOS) on the web.
2. Type a word or phrase. Matches come from chat titles and message text.
3. Narrow the results with a filter: All, Chats, Images, Documents or Projects. If something is missing, switch back to All.

Search looks only through your own content, never the web. It covers regular and archived chats, Projects, images, documents, eligible files saved in Library or Space, and, where connected, files and folders in Google Drive (Finding your chats, projects, and files). Since Aug 7, 2026 it also covers folders and matches titles, and the Library has its own search on the web (ChatGPT release notes). On the web, Cmd+click on a result opens it in a new tab (Feb 27, 2026 note).

Search does not find deleted chats, or locked chats and the files inside them; locked chats are under Projects > Locked chats, behind your PIN.

How unified search arrived

Search across chats, projects, images and documents in one box launched on Jul 14, 2026, "available on all ChatGPT plans globally" (ChatGPT release notes). Separately, Memory can draw on past chats when ChatGPT answers, a different thing from searching them yourself.

Organizing your history

• Pin a chat (since Dec 18, 2025): on the web hover over the chat and select ••• > Pin chat; on mobile long-press it and select Pin chat. Since Jun 18, 2026 you can pin projects too, and Recents are grouped by project.
• Branch a chat (since Sep 4, 2025, web): Branch in new chat starts a new conversation from any point of an old one.
• Table of contents (since Jun 8, 2026, web): chats longer than five responses get one.
• Projects keep related chats and files together; see Projects.

All from the ChatGPT release notes, read Nov 6, 2026. In the new desktop app, Recents can be sorted, filtered and pinned (Jul 16, 2026 note); see ChatGPT Desktop App.

How to archive a chat

Archiving takes a chat out of the sidebar without deleting it (Deleting and archiving chats in ChatGPT):

1. In your chat history, select the chat's ••• menu.
2. Select Archive. No confirmation is asked.

To see archived chats, go to Settings > Data controls and select Archived chats (or View archived chats, then Manage if shown). From there choose Unarchive to bring one back or Delete to remove it. Archived chats stay searchable, keep the same retention as any saved chat, and are still used for training if "Improve the model for everyone" is on (Data controls in ChatGPT). Archiving a chat that collects scheduled task results can pause that task.

To archive everything at once: Settings > Data controls > Archive all chats.

How to delete a chat

• Web: open your chat history, select the chat's ••• menu, select Delete and confirm.
• Mobile: open the menu (two horizontal lines), press and hold the chat's title, and select Delete.
• All chats: Settings > Data controls > Delete all chats. This also reaches chats inside projects and cannot be undone.

A deleted chat leaves your view at once and is scheduled for permanent deletion within 30 days, except de-identified data or data kept for legal or security reasons. Neither you nor OpenAI Support can restore it. Deleting a chat does not delete files saved separately in Library or Space, and it removes the chat's shared link (Deleting and archiving chats in ChatGPT; Sharing conversations). The step-by-step guide is How to Delete ChatGPT History; to keep a copy first, see How to Export ChatGPT Data.

How long ChatGPT keeps your history

Regular and archived chats are kept until you delete them, or until a Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace's retention policy removes them (Deleting and archiving chats in ChatGPT). There is no automatic expiry on a personal account. For chats that never enter history, use Temporary Chat; for the wider picture, see Privacy and Data Controls.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search my ChatGPT history? Open Search in the ChatGPT sidebar, or press Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+K (Mac) on the web, then type a word from the chat; filters narrow it to chats, images, documents or projects.

Where are my archived ChatGPT chats? In Settings > Data controls > Archived chats, where you can unarchive or delete them; they also still show up in search.

Can I recover a deleted ChatGPT chat? No. ChatGPT removes a deleted chat from your account at once and schedules it for permanent deletion within 30 days, and OpenAI Support cannot restore it.

Does ChatGPT delete old chats automatically? No, not on a personal account: chats stay until you delete them. Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces may set their own retention policy.

Why can't I find a chat in ChatGPT search? It may be locked (look under Projects > Locked chats), deleted, or in a temporary chat that was never saved; try the All filter too.

Does archiving a ChatGPT chat stop it being used for training? No. Archiving only hides the chat from the sidebar; training follows your "Improve the model for everyone" setting.

Sources

• Finding your chats, projects, and files in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Deleting and archiving chats in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Data controls in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Sharing conversations and scheduled tasks in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• ChatGPT release notes, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026 (entries Sep 4 and Dec 18, 2025, Feb 27, Jun 8, Jun 18, Jul 14, Jul 16 and Aug 7, 2026)