🧠 How to Delete ChatGPT History (2025 Update)
Want to clear your tracks or declutter your ChatGPT sidebar? Here's how to delete your ChatGPT history on both desktop and mobile – quick, clean, and with receipts. 🔥
✅ What This Covers:
- How to delete individual chats ✅
- How to clear all history ✅
- How to disable chat history tracking ✅
- Gotcha zones to avoid ✅
- Screenshots & tool validation ✅
🔍 What is ChatGPT History?
When you chat with ChatGPT, OpenAI saves your conversations to:
- Help improve model responses
- Let you revisit your past prompts
- Power features like custom instructions and memory
But not everyone wants their late-night shower thoughts or business prompts hanging around forever.
🧽 1. Delete a Single Chat (Web/Desktop)
- Go to chat.openai.com, or https://chatgpt.com/
- Hover over a chat on the left sidebar, and click "···" on the right
- Click 🗑️ delete
- Confirm deletion
⚠️ Once deleted, it’s gone forever. No undo!
💣 2. Delete All Chat History
- Click your name or profile icon (top-right corner)
- Select Settings > Data Controls
- Click “Clear all chats”
- Confirm the nuclear option ☢️
🔕 3. Turn Off Model Improvement (Chat History)
OpenAI can use your chat history to improve the model for everyone. That's nice, but you want zero record-keeping? Turn off that chat history.
- Go to Settings > Data Controls
- Toggle "Improve the model for everyone" OFF.
- 🔒 This toggle used to be “Chat History & Training”
- 🧠 They also won’t be used to train models
🧼 Bonus: This doesn't disables the memory feature.
📱 On Mobile (iOS)
ChatGPT app steps are nearly identical:
- Open the app
- Tap the "Menu" on the top-left (or slide from left screen to right) to open the sidebar
- Hold the conversation you want to delete, it will pop a menu to Delete.
- Tap your profile icon at bottom left corner
- Go to Settings > Data Controls
- Choose:
- Clear all history
- Turn off "Improve the model for everyone" (chat history)
🎥 All right, YouTube Short for you:
How to Delete ChatGPT History (2025 Update)
😵 Common Pitfalls
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
| “Deleted chat still visible?” | Try refreshing – the UI may cache deleted threads. |
| "Can’t find Settings?" | Make sure you’re using the official app/site. |
| "Deleted chats still used to train models?" | Only if history was ON before deleting. Disabling history = no training. |
🧼 Want to Go Full Incognito?
- Use ChatGPT temporary-chat mode
- ⚠️ Don’t log in
⚠️ But some features may break, like personalized tools or saved instructions.
🧾 Transparency & Trust
- Verified with ChatGPT web + iPhone app as of July 2025
- Cross-checked with OpenAI Help Docs
- Screenshots / Youtube Short captured in real usage
🧠 TL;DR
| Task | Steps |
|---|---|
| Delete one chat | Hover + Trash icon |
| Delete all | Settings > Data Controls > Delete All |
| Stop tracking | Toggle “Improve the model for everyone” OFF |
| On phone? | Pretty same flow via app settings |
