How long does ChatGPT store user conversation history for inactive accounts?
Executive summary
OpenAI’s public help pages say chat history can be referenced indefinitely when “Reference chat history” (the long‑term memory feature) is on, and Temporary Chats are deleted from OpenAI systems after 30 days [1] [2]. Reporting and blog posts disagree about whether deleted chats are truly purged: some outlets and third‑party posts say retention became effectively indefinite for consumer plans after legal developments in 2025, while OpenAI’s Help Center materials still describe configurable retention and deletion options [3] [1] [2].
1. How OpenAI officially describes chat retention: clear controls, ambiguous limits
OpenAI’s Memory FAQ and release notes present user controls — saved memories vs. “Reference chat history” — and state there is “no storage limit” for what ChatGPT can reference when that setting is on; they also say you can ask the model what it remembers and ask it to forget saved memories [1] [4]. The Help Center separately documents Temporary Chats that are “automatically deleted from OpenAI systems within 30 days” and notes backup windows and file expiry mechanics, signaling some conversations are treated as short‑lived by policy [2].
2. Conflicting accounts in tech reporting and blogs: indefinite vs. 30‑day deletion
Several third‑party summaries and blogs present conflicting narratives. Some explain that by default ChatGPT saved conversations for roughly 30 days (and that Temporary Chats follow that 30‑day lifecycle) [2] [5]. Others report a shift toward effectively indefinite retention for Free/Plus/Pro/Team accounts after a May 2025 court order, asserting deleted chats remain retained by OpenAI in perpetuity for litigation purposes [3]. These claims are not reflected in the OpenAI Help Center excerpts provided here, creating an unresolved tension between official documentation and certain secondary reporting [1] [3].
3. What matters practically for inactive accounts: sources don’t specify an inactivity cutoff
None of the provided sources state a specific inactivity‑based expiration period for consumer accounts; OpenAI’s documents describe retention behavior by chat type and user settings (Temporary Chat vs. saved chat vs. saved memories) rather than by “inactive account” status [1] [2]. Third‑party posts claiming indefinite retention focus on plan type and legal orders, not on whether an account is inactive, so available sources do not mention a time‑limit that triggers deletion solely because an account is inactive [3] [5].
4. Legal and compliance angles: court orders and backups complicate deletion claims
At least one analysis says a May 2025 court order changed retention for consumer tiers, and OpenAI’s own retention documentation warns that after a conversation’s configured retention period, internal backups may retain content for up to an additional 30 days [3] [2]. That combination—legal holds plus backup windows—means deletion from user interfaces does not guarantee immediate erasure from all internal systems; the Help Center explicitly flags backup retention as a caveat [2] [3].
5. User controls and recommended practices given uncertainty
OpenAI documents show users can disable Reference chat history, turn on Temporary Chat, and delete conversations; they also show a distinction between “saved memories” and chat history [1] [2]. Because external reporting disagrees on whether deleted chats may nonetheless be retained for legal reasons, cautious users should use Temporary Chats for sensitive topics and consider enterprise plans with stronger data agreements if retention guarantees are essential [2] [3].
6. Where reporting diverges and what’s not resolved by available sources
Official OpenAI pages emphasize configurable features and a 30‑day treatment for Temporary Chats and backups [1] [2]. Independent pieces and industry blogs assert more sweeping, indefinite retention for consumer accounts tied to litigation outcomes [3] [6]. The materials provided do not include an explicit OpenAI policy statement declaring that deleted consumer chats are now stored indefinitely because of a court order, nor do they detail a defined retention cutoff tied to account inactivity; therefore, definitive resolution of those claims is not found in current reporting supplied here [1] [3].
Limitations: this analysis relies solely on the supplied documents; I do not claim knowledge beyond them. If you want a definitive, up‑to‑date answer for a specific account or jurisdiction, consult OpenAI’s live Help Center or your legal counsel and request OpenAI’s retention specifics for your account type — the sources here show that the platform’s features and external pressures both affect retention but do not settle an “inactive account” time limit [1] [2] [3].