Skip to main content

How to delete your entire chat history in ChatGPT

chatgpt recommends sonos ace colors
Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

Just as you should be regularly clearing your browser history and deleting your oldest, cringiest social media posts, routinely wiping your ChatGPT chat history is an efficient, low-effort means of protecting your private data online.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • A computer or mobile device with an internet connection

  • Your ChatGPT login and password

Whether you're concerned about sensitive information or simply want a fresh start ahead of a new project, clearing your chat history takes less than five minutes and can be easily done, whether on desktop or the mobile app.

How to delete all your ChatGPT chats on desktop

Step 1: Log into your ChatGPT account on the desktop website. Select the Log In radio button in the lower-left corner of the screen and input your credentials.

ChatGPT home screen without anyone logged in.
Andrew Tarantola / Digital Trends

Step 2: Go to General Settings and select Delete All Chats. Click on the User icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, select Settings from the drop-down menu. The Delete All Chats option is at the bottom of the list with a large red radio button to its right.

The ChatGPT general settings screen showing the option to delete all chats.
Andrew Tarantola / Digital Trends

Step 3: Confirm your choice. Once you select the Delete All Chats button, the system will show a confirmation screen. Make sure that this is really what you want to do before confirming because the operation is irreversible and all of that data will be permanently deleted.

The ChatGPT delete all chats confirmation screen.
Andrew Tarantola / Digital Trends

How to delete all your ChatGPT chats on mobile

Step 1: Log into your ChatGPT account and open the navigation bar. As soon as you've input your credentials and arrive on the ChatGPT mobile home page, select the two horizontal lines at the top-left corner of the screen to open the navigation menu. Select your account icon at the bottom of the navigation bar to bring up the Settings menu.

Step 2: Select Data Controls. Tap on the Data Control tab in the Settings menu, it's the fourth option down under Account.

Step 3: Select Clear Chat History. It's the one in red text and, once tapped, be sure to confirm your choice to delete your chat history in the following pop-up menu.

How to to delete a single ChatGPT conversation

In some cases — say, you need to share your screen for a presentation at work and you don't want folks seeing your suspiciously thorough questioning of ChatGPT regarding the advent of Roman concrete — simply pruning your chat history is the superior option to clear cutting the entire archive.

On desktop, go to the gray navigation bar on the left of the screen, find the specific chat you want gone in the History list, click the options ellipsis (the three horizontal dots) on the right of the chat session title and select Delete from the drop-down menu. On mobile, select the two horizontal lines at the top-left corner of the screen to expand the navigation bar, then select your desired conversation from the list, long press on it to open the options tab, and select Delete from there.

Andrew Tarantola
Andrew has spent more than a decade reporting on emerging technologies ranging from robotics and machine learning to space…
ChatGPT’s highly anticipated Advanced Voice could arrive ‘next week’
screencap. two people sitting at a desk talking to OpenAI's Advanced Voice mode on a cellphone

OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman revealed on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday that its Advanced Voice feature will begin rolling out "next week," though only for a few select ChatGPT-Plus subscribers.

The company plans to "start the alpha with a small group of users to gather feedback and expand based on what we learn."

Read more
GPT-4: everything you need to know about ChatGPT’s standard AI model
A laptop opened to the ChatGPT website.

People were in awe when ChatGPT came out, impressed by its natural language abilities as an AI chatbot originally powered by the GPT-3.5 large language model. But when the highly anticipated GPT-4 large language model came out, it blew the lid off what we thought was possible with AI, with some calling it the early glimpses of AGI (artificial general intelligence).
What is GPT-4?
GPT-4 is the newest language model created by OpenAI that can generate text that is similar to human speech. It advances the technology used by ChatGPT, which was previously based on GPT-3.5 but has since been updated. GPT is the acronym for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, a deep learning technology that uses artificial neural networks to write like a human.

According to OpenAI, this next-generation language model is more advanced than ChatGPT in three key areas: creativity, visual input, and longer context. In terms of creativity, OpenAI says GPT-4 is much better at both creating and collaborating with users on creative projects. Examples of these include music, screenplays, technical writing, and even "learning a user's writing style."

Read more
OpenAI just took the shackles off the free version of ChatGPT
ChatGPT results on an iPhone.

OpenAI announced the release of its newest snack-sized generative model, dubbed GPT-4o mini, which is both less resource intensive and cheaper to operate than its standard GPT-4o model, allowing developers to integrate the AI technology into a far wider range of products.

It's a big upgrade for developers and apps, but it also expands the capabilities and reduces limitations on the free version of ChatGPT. GPT-4o mini is now available to users on the Free, Plus, and Team tiers through the ChatGPT web and app for users and developers starting today, while ChatGPT Enterprise subscribers will gain access next week. GPT-4o mini will replace the company's existing small model, GPT-3.5 Turbo, for end users beginning today.

Read more