ChatGPT: what it remembers, keeps, costs, and how to leave
thecontinuitylayer.com/memory/chatgptOpenAI's chat app, on the web, desktop and phones. Memory comes as saved memories plus what it draws from past chats. ChatGPT gets a C+ and ranks #3 of 9 on the Scorecard, 12 of 19: memory 4½ of 7, your data 3½ of 4, leaving 1 of 4, price 3 of 4; exit grade 1½ of 4. Every grade is read from OpenAI's own pages, last checked 3 November 2026.
Memory: what OpenAI's pages say
Can you see what it remembers, change it, delete it, take it with you and bring it in.
Yes, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says ChatGPT can use saved memories and past chats to personalize new conversations.
Partly, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says saved memories and a memory summary are in Settings > Personalization > Memory; the summary may not show everything.
Yes, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says you can correct a memory from the Sources panel under a reply.
Partly, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says you can delete a saved memory in settings or ask ChatGPT to forget it; full removal also means deleting the chats it came from.
Partly, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI documents a ZIP export of chat history and account data; we found no page that names a memory export.
OpenAI's pages don't say so.
OpenAI says uploading exported chats to another account does not carry over memories; we found no import from another provider.
Yes, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says the Sources icon under a reply shows saved memories and past chats used, and may not show everything that shaped a reply.
Your data: what OpenAI's pages say
Can you keep your chats out of training, know how long they are kept, delete the account yourself, and talk without being saved.
Yes, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says the Improve the model for everyone setting is on by default for Free, Plus and Pro users and can be switched off while keeping chat history.
Yes, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says deleted chats are permanently removed within 30 days unless already de-identified or held for security or legal reasons.
Yes, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI's help page gives self-serve deletion under Settings, Account on web and mobile, with account data deleted within 30 days except where law requires longer.
Partly, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says temporary chats stay out of history and are not used for training, but a copy may be kept up to 30 days for safety.
Leaving: what OpenAI's pages say
Can you take your chats, files and projects with you, bring chats in from another AI, and cancel without losing them.
Partly, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says Free, Go, Plus and Pro users can export from Settings > Data controls as a ZIP of chat history, but the page names no file format for the chats.
OpenAI's pages don't say so.
OpenAI's export page does not mention uploaded files, images or projects, only chat history and other account data.
OpenAI's pages don't say so.
OpenAI describes only moving an export between ChatGPT accounts by uploading it into a chat, with no import from another AI provider.
Partly, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says cancelling downgrades you to the free plan and you lose access to the GPT Builder and GPTs you created, though they are not deleted; the page does not say what happens to your chats or files.
Price: what OpenAI's pages say
Is every price and limit on a public page, is there a free plan, and do you hear about a price change before it lands.
Partly, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI's pricing page text shows no amounts for its consumer plans; prices for Plus, Go and Pro appear only on separate help and newsroom pages.
Partly, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI describes limits in relative terms such as more, expanded, or 5x or 20x more usage, and gives no message counts per plan.
Yes, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI says the Free tier includes everyday text chats, subject to abuse safeguards, with no stated time limit.
Yes, according to OpenAI's own pages.
OpenAI's terms say subscribers get at least 30 days' notice of a subscription price increase, which takes effect at the next renewal.
What OpenAI changed, dated, with the source
- 2 November 2026Notable
From December 2026, ChatGPT and Codex draw from one shared usage allowance on Plus, Pro and Business plans, measured in tokens; Instant chat does not count against it. People who hit the limit wait for the reset, upgrade, or buy credits. No token figures are published.
- 30 October 2026Major
Existing $200 ChatGPT Pro subscribers move to the lower usage allowance that new Pro 200 subscriptions get, at the same $200 price, after keeping the old allowance through October 29. A new Pro 500 plan has the highest included usage; see OpenAI's pricing page.
- 15 October 2026Minor
ChatGPT removed the fixed cap on how many Sites Plus and Pro users can create. Usage and storage limits still apply.
- 14 October 2026Notable
OpenAI retired GPT-5.5 from Codex for users signed in with ChatGPT, at noon Pacific on October 14. The API and Codex sessions signed in with an API key were not affected.
- 29 September 2026Notable
OpenAI launched Pro 500 at $500 a month with the highest included usage, and opened Pro 200 to new subscribers again at $200 with a lower included usage allowance. $200 subscribers active between September 22 and 29 keep their old allowance through October 29.
- 12 September 2026Notable
After users reported GPT-6 Astra as faster but lower quality, OpenAI published a postmortem naming three defects: legacy skills overtriggering, a context-management experiment reaching about 4,000 to 5,000 users, and misconfigured engines serving tail traffic. A usage reset came with it.
- 9 July 2026Major
OpenAI announced that its Atlas browser would stop working on August 9, 2026, and that Atlas bookmarks, open tabs and history would not transfer automatically. The same day it stopped new group chats, conversions and invite-link joins on web, iOS and Android, leaving existing group chats usable for now. Pulse had been sunset on June 17 (Pro users kept it 14 days), and the official DALL-E GPT was scheduled for retirement on August 30.
- 4 June 2026Notable
ChatGPT memories began updating automatically instead of only when saved, starting with Plus and Pro users in the US, and Plus and Pro got twice the memory capacity. Users can switch back to the older system under Settings > Memory > Saved memories. The same day OpenAI began showing ads to Free and Go users in the UK, after Australia, New Zealand and Canada on April 16; Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education stayed ad-free.
- 14 May 2026Notable
ChatGPT introduced storage caps per plan: 500 MB on Free, 4 GB on Go, 20 GB on Plus and Business, 100 GB on Pro.
- 9 April 2026Notable
OpenAI introduced a $100 a month Pro tier below the $200 Pro plan. It also rebalanced Plus Codex usage toward more sessions spread across the week instead of long single-day sessions as a temporary Plus promotion ended, and set the $100 Pro plan at up to 10x Plus Codex usage; the $200 plan's allowance was stated separately, so the new tier sits between Plus and the $200 plan. GPT-5.3 Instant Mini replaced GPT-5 Instant Mini as the fallback model after rate limits.
See what ChatGPT actually remembers about you, as a map. In your browser, nothing leaves it.
See it as a mapSources: OpenAI's pages, as read
- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8590148-memory-faqChecked 22 October 2026
- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7260999-exporting-your-chatgpt-history-and-dataChecked 22 October 2026
- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9106926-transfer-exported-conversations-between-chatgpt-accountsChecked 23 October 2026
- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7730893-data-controls-in-chatgptChecked 23 October 2026
- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6378407-how-can-i-delete-my-account-and-what-data-is-deletedChecked 23 October 2026
- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8914046-temporary-chat-in-chatgptChecked 23 October 2026
- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7260999-how-do-i-export-my-chatgpt-history-and-dataChecked 23 October 2026
- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9280126-what-happens-to-my-gpts-if-i-cancel-my-subscriptionChecked 3 November 2026
- https://chatgpt.com/pricingChecked 23 October 2026
- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9275245-chatgpt-free-tier-faqChecked 3 November 2026
- https://openai.com/policies/row-terms-of-use/Checked 23 October 2026