How to Delete All Chats in ChatGPT: 7 Easy Steps

If you’re wondering how to delete all chats in ChatGPT, the good news is that you don’t have to remove hundreds of conversations one by one. ChatGPT provides a dedicated option in Settings > Data Controls to delete all chats at once. Before using it, however, make sure you genuinely want a clean slate because deleted conversations cannot be recovered through the ChatGPT interface, API, or support.

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Table of Contents

1. How to delete all chats in ChatGPT at once

If your goal is to wipe your entire ChatGPT conversation history, the fastest method is built directly into the settings.

You're reading:: How to Delete All Chats in ChatGPT: 7 Easy Steps

Open ChatGPT and follow these steps:

Open ChatGPT and sign in to the account containing the conversations you want to remove.
Open Settings from your profile menu.
Select Data Controls.
Find the option for managing your chats.
Choose Delete all chats.
Review the warning carefully.
Confirm the deletion when prompted.

OpenAI’s current Help Center confirms that Settings > Data Controls includes an option to delete all chats at one time. The action applies to all conversations, including conversations contained within projects.

This is much faster than manually removing dozens or hundreds of conversations. If you’re specifically searching for how to delete all chats in ChatGPT at once, this is the native bulk-deletion method to use.

What happens immediately after deletion?

The conversations disappear from your chat history view immediately. They are then scheduled for permanent deletion from OpenAI’s systems within 30 days, subject to limited exceptions such as legal or security requirements or cases where data has already been de-identified and disassociated from your account.

There is also an important catch: deleted chats cannot be restored. Once you confirm the deletion, there isn’t a recycle bin that lets you bring the conversations back.

That makes it worth taking a few seconds to check whether there is anything you may want to keep before pressing the final confirmation.

2. How to delete multiple chats in ChatGPT selectively

This is where things get a little different.

You might not want to erase your entire history. Perhaps you have 200 conversations but only want to remove 30 old ones. Naturally, you may search for how to delete multiple chats in ChatGPT or how to select multiple chats in ChatGPT to delete.

Currently, ChatGPT’s standard chat-history interface does not provide a general checkbox-based workflow for selecting an arbitrary group of individual chats and deleting them together. OpenAI Support has specifically stated that users currently have the options to delete chats individually or delete all chats, rather than selecting a custom group for bulk deletion.

For an individual conversation, the standard process is:

Go to the chat history sidebar.
Find the conversation.
Hover over its title.
Click the three-dot menu (⋯).
Select Delete.
Confirm.

OpenAI documents this individual deletion process in its Help Center.

So, if you’re asking, “Can you delete multiple chats in ChatGPT at once?”, the answer depends on what you mean:

Delete every chat: Yes, use Delete all chats in Data Controls.
Select 10 specific chats and delete only those 10: ChatGPT does not currently offer that general multi-select workflow.
Delete one specific chat: Yes, you can delete it individually.

That distinction is important because “bulk delete” and “selective bulk delete” are not the same feature.

3. How to delete old chats in ChatGPT

If your sidebar is full of conversations you haven’t touched for months, you may be looking for how to delete old chats in ChatGPT.

There currently isn’t a standard date-based command that says something like “delete everything older than 1 year.” Instead, you have two practical choices.

Option 1: Delete old conversations individually

Find the conversations you no longer need in your sidebar and delete them one at a time using the three-dot menu.

This takes longer, but it gives you control over what disappears.

Option 2: Delete your entire chat history

If you don’t need any of your previous conversations, use Settings > Data Controls > Delete all chats.

This is the cleaner solution when the age or topic of individual conversations doesn’t matter because you are intentionally starting from scratch. OpenAI states that the all-chat deletion action covers all conversations, including those inside projects.

For users searching how to delete previous chats in ChatGPT, the same distinction applies: you can remove previous conversations individually or use the all-chats option if you want to remove the entire history.

4. How to delete all conversations on ChatGPT without deleting your account

Deleting your chats is not the same thing as deleting your ChatGPT account.

If you simply want to clear your conversation history while continuing to use ChatGPT, you don’t need to close your account. The Delete all chats control is specifically designed for removing conversations while keeping the account itself.

Account deletion is a much broader and permanent action. OpenAI explains that deleting an account prevents you from using that account to access OpenAI services, including ChatGPT and the API.

So if your goal is only how to delete all conversations on ChatGPT, don’t jump straight to account deletion.

Think of the two actions this way:

Action	What it does
Delete one chat	Removes one conversation
Delete all chats	Removes your entire ChatGPT conversation history
Archive a chat	Hides the conversation without deleting it
Delete account	Permanently closes the account and has broader consequences

Choosing the smallest action that solves your problem is usually the safest approach.

5. How to delete all archived chats in ChatGPT

Archived conversations can cause some confusion because archiving is not deletion.

When you archive a conversation, it disappears from your active chat-history view, but it remains stored in your account. OpenAI specifically notes that archived chats remain under the standard retention rules until you delete them.

To manage archived conversations, go to:

Settings → Data Controls → Archived Chats → Manage

From there, you can review archived conversations and delete individual archived chats. OpenAI also provides controls for deleting or archiving all chats from Data Controls.

This distinction matters if you’re researching how to delete all archived chats in ChatGPT because simply archiving your conversations does not accomplish the same thing as deleting them.

Archive vs. delete: what’s the difference?

Archive is useful when you want a cleaner sidebar but may want to access the conversation later.

Delete is for conversations you no longer want stored in your account and cannot recover after deletion.

OpenAI recommends archiving when the goal is simply to reduce clutter without losing important conversations.

6. How to delete recent chats in ChatGPT

If you only want to remove conversations you’ve created recently, you don’t need to use the all-chats option.

For how to delete recent chats in ChatGPT, simply locate those conversations in your chat history and delete them individually.

The process is straightforward:

Chat history → three dots next to the conversation → Delete → Confirm

The same approach works whether the conversation was created today or several months ago. ChatGPT’s individual deletion control isn’t specifically restricted to old conversations.

If you have only a handful of recent conversations to remove, individual deletion is preferable to deleting your entire history because it lets you keep everything else.

7. Does deleting all chats delete your memories too?

This is one of the most important details to understand if you’re clearing your ChatGPT history for privacy reasons.

Deleting your chats and deleting saved memories are separate actions.

OpenAI explains that saved memories are stored separately from chat history. As a result, deleting a conversation does not automatically remove a saved memory that was created from that conversation.

For example, suppose you previously told ChatGPT something and it was saved as a memory. Deleting the original conversation does not necessarily remove that saved information from Memory.

If your goal is to remove specific information ChatGPT may still remember about you, you need to address the relevant memory separately in Settings > Personalization. OpenAI also notes that fully removing information may require deleting every place where it appears, including chats, archived chats, files, memory information, and connected apps where applicable.

This is especially important for anyone searching how to delete all chats in ChatGPT because “clear my chat history” and “remove everything ChatGPT may know about me” are not identical requests.

8. What happens to files in deleted ChatGPT chats?

Another detail that is easy to overlook is file storage.

Deleting a chat does not necessarily mean that every file associated with your account disappears. OpenAI’s current file-storage documentation says that files saved to the ChatGPT Library are managed separately from chats. If a file has been saved to your Library, deleting the conversation containing that file does not delete the Library copy.

So, if you’re clearing your account because you want to remove old documents or uploaded images too, check your Library separately.

This is particularly relevant for people who have used ChatGPT for work and have accumulated PDFs, spreadsheets, images, presentations, or other documents over time.

9. Can you recover deleted ChatGPT chats?

No. Once a conversation has been deleted, OpenAI says it cannot be recovered through the ChatGPT interface, APIs, or support. Deleted chats are removed from your visible history immediately and are scheduled for permanent deletion from OpenAI systems within 30 days, subject to the stated exceptions.

That’s why you should treat Delete all chats as a serious, irreversible cleanup action rather than a temporary way to hide your history.

If you’re unsure whether you’ll need something later, consider exporting your data before deleting everything. OpenAI provides data-export controls through ChatGPT’s Data Controls.

10. What is the safest way to clear your ChatGPT history?

The right method depends entirely on what you want to remove.

If you want a completely fresh conversation history, Delete all chats is the quickest built-in option.

If you only want to remove a few conversations, delete them individually.

If you want to hide conversations without losing them, archive them instead.

If you’re trying to remove information that ChatGPT may remember about you, check Memory separately because deleting chats alone does not necessarily remove saved memories.

And if you’ve uploaded important files, check your Library separately before assuming that deleting a conversation removes every associated file.

11. Frequently asked questions about deleting ChatGPT chats

Question: Can you delete multiple chats in ChatGPT at once?

Yes, if by “multiple” you mean all chats. ChatGPT has a Delete all chats option under Settings > Data Controls. However, there is currently no general interface for selecting an arbitrary set of individual chats and deleting only those selected conversations together.

How do I select multiple chats in ChatGPT to delete?

ChatGPT currently does not offer a standard multi-select checkbox system for choosing several individual conversations and deleting them as a group. You can delete chats individually or use Delete all chats if you want to clear everything.

Does archiving delete a ChatGPT conversation?

No. Archiving removes the conversation from the active sidebar but keeps it in your account. You need to delete the conversation if you want it removed.

Does deleting all chats include chats inside Projects?

Yes. OpenAI states that the delete-all action applies to all conversations, including conversations contained within projects.

Can I undo Delete all chats?

No. Once you delete your chats, they cannot be restored through the ChatGPT interface, APIs, or OpenAI Support.

Does deleting chats delete my ChatGPT account?

No. Deleting your conversation history and deleting your account are separate actions. You can clear your chats while keeping your ChatGPT account.

If you’re searching for how to delete all chats in ChatGPT, the process is surprisingly simple: open Settings, go to Data Controls, and choose Delete all chats. That option is designed for a complete history reset and applies across conversations, including those in Projects.

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