# How to use Claude memory: turn it on or off

> Turn Claude memory on or off, see what Claude remembers, edit or delete topics, and switch memory off for one chat. Steps from Anthropic's help center.

https://www.kortex-notebooklm.com/tutorials/how-to-use-claude-memory

1.  [Tutorials](/tutorials)
2.  How to use Claude memory: turn it on or off and see what it saves

# How to use Claude memory: turn it on or off and see what it saves

3 minutes 7 steps Updated November 10, 2026

## Quick answer

Open Settings, then Your Claude. Turn Generate memory from chats on or off. To see what Claude remembers, click Manage next to Your memory and read the Topics. Edit or delete any topic. To skip memory in one chat, click + in the message box and turn Memory off before you send your first message.

## Watch it first

 

How to use Claude memory: turn it on or off and see what it saves

Read the transcript

Claude can remember you across chats. Here's how to turn memory on or off, and see what it saves. In Claude, open Settings, then Your Claude.

Switch on Generate memory from chats. Claude saves memory as separate topics while you chat. You can also say remember this in any chat.

To see what Claude remembers, click Manage next to Your memory. Everything is listed under Topics. Select one to read it.

Use the edit icon to change it, or click Delete to remove it. To turn memory off, click the toggle. Pause memory keeps what Claude knows, but stops it using or adding memory.

Reset memory deletes all memories, project memories too. It can't be undone. To skip memory in one chat, start a new chat.

Click the plus in the message box, and click Memory to turn it off. Then send your first message. After that, the setting can't change.

For a private chat, click the ghost icon in the upper right of a new chat. An incognito chat isn't saved to your history or to memory. Fixes for common problems are on the Kortex website.

## What you need

-   A Claude account on the web, Claude Desktop or the mobile app (memory is on by default for Free, Pro, Max and Ultra plans)
-   On Team and Enterprise plans, an owner must allow memory

## On this page

1.  [Open the memory settings](#step-1)
2.  [Turn memory on](#step-2)
3.  [See what Claude remembers](#step-3)
4.  [Edit or delete a topic](#step-4)
5.  [Pause or reset memory](#step-5)
6.  [Turn memory off for one chat](#step-6)
7.  [Use an incognito chat for a private one](#step-7)
8.  [If it doesn’t work](#trouble)
9.  [Questions](#faq)

1.  ## Open the memory settings
    
    In Claude, open **Settings** and choose **Your Claude**. In the older Settings layout, open **Settings** and then **Memory**. Memory is saved as individual topics as you chat, not as a summary after the chat ends.
    
2.  ## Turn memory on
    
    Switch on **Generate memory from chats**. You can also tell Claude to remember something by saying remember this in a chat.
    
3.  ## See what Claude remembers
    
    Next to **Your memory**, click **Manage**. Everything Claude remembers is listed under **Topics**. Select a topic to read it.
    
4.  ## Edit or delete a topic
    
    Use the edit icon to change a topic, or click **Delete** to remove it. The change applies to every conversation from then on. You can also tell Claude in a chat what to remember, change or forget.
    
5.  ## Pause or reset memory
    
    To turn memory off, click the toggle and choose **Pause memory** or **Reset memory**. Pause keeps what Claude knows but stops it from using or adding memory. Reset deletes all memories, including project memories, and it can't be undone.
    
6.  ## Turn memory off for one chat
    
    Start a new chat. Click **+** in the message box and click **Memory** to turn it off. Then send your first message. After that the setting can't be changed. Claude will not use or add to your memory in that chat, but the chat stays in your history.
    
7.  ## Use an incognito chat for a private one
    
    Outside a project, a new chat shows a ghost icon in the upper right corner. Click it to open an incognito chat. It is not saved to your chat history or to memory.
    

## If it doesn’t work

I don't see Memory in the + menu

That option only appears when memory is on for your account and your organization, and your plan includes it. It doesn't appear in incognito chats either. Check Settings, then Your Claude.

Claude still remembers something from a chat I deleted

Deleting a chat does not remove the memory entries made from it. Open Manage next to Your memory and delete those topics one by one.

Claude won't remember a sensitive detail

By default Claude doesn't store topics like health, politics or religion. You can switch on Include sensitive topics in memory in the same settings page. Government ID numbers, criminal history, financial account numbers and immigration status are never saved, even if you ask.

## Questions people ask

Something we missed? [Ask us](#contact).

### What does Claude remember about me?

It remembers everyday context that helps it work with you: your role and projects, the people and places in your work, your communication style and your technical preferences. You can read all of it under Topics.

### Is Claude memory on by default?

On Free, Pro, Max and Ultra plans, memory is on by default on the web, Claude Desktop and Claude Mobile. On Team and Enterprise plans, owners control whether memory is available.

### Do projects have their own memory?

Yes. Each project has its own memory. Claude uses it with your memory from chats outside projects, but not with the memory of other projects. Turn off Use account memory on the project's page to keep it separate.

### Can I take my facts to another AI?

Claude can export memory as text you copy. Kortex also keeps your own facts in its Memory view and adds them to a chat as an about-me pack when you type ;me in a supported AI. You read and edit the pack first.

## Sources

-   [Use Claude's chat search and memory to build on previous context (Claude Help Center)](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11817273-use-claude-s-chat-search-and-memory-to-build-on-previous-context) , 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 use Claude Projects, step by step](/tutorials/how-to-use-claude-projects)
-   [How to use Perplexity Spaces (now called Projects)](/tutorials/how-to-use-perplexity-spaces)
-   [ChatGPT temporary chat: how to start one and what it does](/tutorials/how-to-use-temporary-chat-in-chatgpt)
-   [How to archive ChatGPT chats and find them again](/tutorials/how-to-archive-chats-in-chatgpt)

[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.
