# How to export ChatGPT chat history (full data export) > Export your ChatGPT chat history from Settings, Data controls. ChatGPT emails a link to a ZIP file. See how long it takes and what to do if it's late. https://www.kortex-notebooklm.com/tutorials/how-to-export-chatgpt-chat-history 1. [Tutorials](/tutorials) 2. How to export ChatGPT chat history (full data export) # How to export ChatGPT chat history (full data export) 5 minutes, plus waiting for the email 6 steps Updated November 10, 2026 ## Quick answer In ChatGPT, open your profile menu, then Settings, then Data controls. Under Export data, select Export, then Confirm export. ChatGPT sends an email or text message when the file is ready. It can take up to 7 days. Select Download data export within 24 hours to get a ZIP file with your chats. ## Watch it first How to export ChatGPT chat history (full data export) Read the transcript Here's how to export your full ChatGPT history. ChatGPT emails you a link to a ZIP file. com. Open your profile menu, then Settings. Select Data controls. Under Export data, select Export. Then select Confirm export. ChatGPT sends an email when the export is ready, or a text if your account uses only a phone number. OpenAI says it can take up to 7 days. Don't ask for a second export while the first is processing. Open the message and select Download data export. The link expires 24 hours after you get it. Download it while signed in to the same account. Open the ZIP and check that the chats you need are inside. Keep the file somewhere safe. It can hold sensitive account details. A ZIP file is hard to search. Kortex saves your ChatGPT chats on your computer, where you can search and read them. When it asks, click Keep my chats in my Library. For chats from before you installed it, open the Library. In the menu on All chats, choose Add older chats from export files. Then choose the ChatGPT file. Export it. Keep it somewhere safe. ## What you need - A ChatGPT account on Free, Go, Plus, Pro or an eligible Edu workspace. Business, Enterprise and Healthcare workspaces cannot self-export. - Access to the email address or phone number on your account ## On this page 1. [Sign in and open Settings](#step-1) 2. [Open Data controls and start the export](#step-2) 3. [Wait for the email or text message](#step-3) 4. [Download the file within 24 hours](#step-4) 5. [Open the ZIP and check it](#step-5) 6. [Optional: keep a searchable copy outside the ZIP](#step-6) 7. [If it doesn’t work](#trouble) 8. [Questions](#faq) 1. ## Sign in and open Settings Go to chatgpt.com and sign in. Open your profile menu and select **Settings**. You cannot export while you are logged out. 2. ## Open Data controls and start the export Select **Data controls**. Under **Export data**, select **Export**. On the confirmation screen, select **Confirm export**. 3. ## Wait for the email or text message ChatGPT sends an email, or an SMS if your account uses a phone number only, when the export is ready. OpenAI says it can take up to 7 days to arrive. Do not request a second export while the first one is still processing. 4. ## Download the file within 24 hours Open the message and select **Download data export**. The link expires 24 hours after you receive it. Download it while you are signed in to the same ChatGPT account that asked for the export. 5. ## Open the ZIP and check it The ZIP file holds your chat history and other account data. Open it and check that the conversations you need are inside. Keep the file somewhere safe, because it can hold sensitive account details. 6. ## Optional: keep a searchable copy outside the ZIP A ZIP file is hard to search. Kortex is a Chrome extension that saves your ChatGPT chats on your computer, where you can search and read them. When it asks **Keep your AI chats in your Library?**, click **Keep my chats in my Library**. To add chats from before you installed it, open the Library, then ⋯ on **All chats**, then **Add older chats from export files…**, and choose the ChatGPT file. [![The Kortex Library All chats view with a list of saved chats by day and one chat open in the reader beside the list.](/images/library/all-chats.webp)](/images/library/all-chats.webp) All chats lists every saved chat by day. Open one to read it in full beside the list. ## If it doesn’t work The export email never arrived Exports can take up to 7 days. Check the spam and promotions folders for the email address on your account. If your account uses a phone number only, check your text messages. After 7 days, contact OpenAI Support. The download link expired or will not open Sign in to the same account that requested the export. The link lasts 24 hours, so if it has expired, request a new export from Settings, Data controls. If it fails on your phone, open the same link on a computer. ChatGPT says an export was already requested Wait for the first request to finish. ChatGPT does not accept a second one while the first is processing. Check your email for the finished export before you ask again. I cannot sign in to ChatGPT Use the OpenAI Privacy Portal instead. Select Make a Privacy Request, then I have a consumer ChatGPT account, then Download my data, and follow the instructions. ## Questions people ask Something we missed? [Ask us](#contact). ### How long does a ChatGPT data export take? OpenAI says it can take up to 7 days to arrive. You get an email, or an SMS if your account has only a phone number. The download link then works for 24 hours. ### Can I export chats I already deleted? No. OpenAI states that an export cannot restore chats that have already been deleted. Export before you delete anything you want to keep. ### Can I export from the ChatGPT app on my phone? Yes. On iOS and Android, open your account settings, select Data controls, then Export data, and confirm. Some versions of the app offer to open ChatGPT on the web instead. If that happens, finish the export on the web. ### Can I export one chat only? The built-in export covers your account data, not a single chat. To keep one chat as a file, you can use a tool such as Kortex. See [how to export a ChatGPT conversation to PDF](/tutorials/how-to-export-chatgpt-conversation-to-pdf). ## Sources - [Exporting your ChatGPT history and data (OpenAI Help Center)](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7260999-exporting-your-chatgpt-history-and-data) , checked November 10, 2026 ## Keep going [Chat Library Keep your AI chats on your computer and search them, next to your YouTube videos and notebooks.](/features#organize) [Kortex docs The full reference for this feature, with every option.](/docs/chat-library) ### More tutorials - [How to export a ChatGPT conversation to Markdown](/tutorials/how-to-export-chatgpt-conversation-to-markdown) - [How to export a ChatGPT conversation to PDF](/tutorials/how-to-export-chatgpt-conversation-to-pdf) - [How to export Claude chat history (Claude's built-in export)](/tutorials/how-to-export-claude-chat-history) - [How to export a Claude conversation to PDF](/tutorials/how-to-export-claude-conversation) [All tutorials](/tutorials) ## Do it on your own notebooks. Install the Kortex extension and follow these steps on a notebook you already have. [Add to Chrome](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/kortex/hdapplggdhndkblofffknpmnnnnbncbn) 100,000+ users, rated 4.5 on the Chrome Web Store.