What is ChatGPT memory, and how do you control what it remembers?

Until now, each new ChatGPT conversation started from zero. If you'd explained last week that you teach kindergarten or run a coffee shop, you had to say it again. Memory changes that. During conversations, ChatGPT can store short facts about you, either because you ask it to or because it judges them useful, and draw on them in later chats.

For now this is a test. OpenAI is rolling memory out to a small share of free and Plus users, and will announce wider plans later. Team and Enterprise customers are due to get it in the broader rollout. If you're in the test, memory is switched on by default, so it's worth knowing the controls before it fills up with things you'd rather it didn't keep.

How memory differs from custom instructions

ChatGPT already had a way to carry context between chats: custom instructions, introduced last July. They're two boxes in settings where you describe yourself and the style of reply you want. You write them once, deliberately, and they apply to every conversation.

Memory works the other way around. It collects details as you talk, so it grows over time. OpenAI suggests using custom instructions for explicit, standing guidance and letting memory pick up the rest. A practical split:

A worked remember-and-forget example

Here is how a short sequence might look for a small-business owner. The replies are described in summary and are illustrative.

Ask it to remember.

Please remember: I own a bike repair shop in Ottawa called Two Wheels, with three employees. When I ask for social media posts, keep them under 60 words and friendly, never salesy.

ChatGPT confirms it will keep this in mind.

Use it later, in a brand-new chat.

Write a post announcing our spring tune-up special.

The draft mentions the shop by name, stays short and avoids pushy language, without you repeating any of it.

Check what it knows.

What do you remember about me?

It lists the stored details. This is a good habit every few weeks, because memory also picks things up on its own.

Correct or remove one item.

Forget that I have three employees. I now have four.

To be sure the change took, open Settings > Personalization > Manage Memory, where each memory appears as an item you can delete.

Privacy points to know

Three details matter more than they first appear.

First, memories aren't tied to particular conversations. Deleting a chat does not delete what ChatGPT learned in it; you have to delete the memory itself.

Second, OpenAI may use what you share, memories included, to improve its models unless you turn that off under Data Controls. Content from Team and Enterprise accounts isn't used for training. OpenAI also says it is steering ChatGPT away from remembering sensitive details such as health information on its own, unless you explicitly ask it to.

Third, GPTs will keep their own separate memories. What ChatGPT remembers isn't shared with a GPT, or with the person who built it, and the reverse is also true. So a greeting-card GPT won't know your daughter's age just because ChatGPT does.

How do you make it forget something?

You have four tools, from lightest to strongest.

Tell it in the chat. "Forget that I'm looking for a new job" is enough for ChatGPT to remove that memory. Then check with "What do you remember about me?" to confirm.

Delete it in settings. Under Settings > Personalization > Manage Memory, you can remove specific memories one by one or clear them all at once. This is the most reliable way to be sure something is gone from memory, and remember that deleting the original chat isn't enough.

Use a temporary chat. For a conversation you don't want remembered at all, such as planning a surprise or asking about a private matter, start a temporary chat. It begins with a blank slate, doesn't use or create memories, doesn't appear in your history and isn't used for training. It still follows your custom instructions if you've set them. OpenAI may keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety reviews.

Turn memory off. Under Settings > Personalization > Memory, you can switch the feature off entirely. While it's off, ChatGPT neither creates nor uses memories. If you want a fresh start rather than a pause, clear your memories in Manage Memory as well.