Long-Term Memory in ChatGPT

Introduction

Not long ago, OpenAI announced that it had added memory to its LLM models.
This update didn’t cause as much buzz as, say, the recent release of GPT-5 models,
but the topic is still quite interesting — and practical.

Why? Because sooner or later, everyone runs into the limitations of context windows, chat history size, and system rules.
And the idea of asking the model to create a set of general rules — so you don’t have to repeat them in every conversation — is tempting.

One might imagine simply scanning past chats, extracting common patterns, and having the model remember them permanently.
But reality is more nuanced than that. Here’s what ChatGPT can — and can’t — do in this area.

Does ChatGPT Really Remember All Your Chats?

When asked directly, ChatGPT answers:

Conclusion #1: ChatGPT (including GPT-5) does not remember all your past conversations.

Two Types of Memory

Still, not all is lost — there is some form of memory in ChatGPT.
It comes in two types:

1. Regular Chat Memory — exists only within the current conversation.

2. Long-Term Memory — and here’s the official explanation:

That means long-term memory exists — but it’s opt-in.
ChatGPT will only save something if you explicitly tell it to.

How Long-Term Memory Works

When you store information this way, ChatGPT will recall it in future chats and use it to answer questions or perform tasks.

In practice, this lets you build your own equivalent of “User Rules.”
Instead of the model analyzing all your chats and generating a ruleset automatically,
you — the user — manually decide which pieces of information get stored for future use.

It’s a semi-automated process:

• You identify important facts, preferences, or project details.

• You instruct ChatGPT to save them to memory.

• The model recalls and applies them in later conversations.

Memory Management Cheat Sheet

Add Something to Memory

• Remember that…

• Save to memory…

• Keep in mind that…

View Your Memory

• What do you remember about me?

• Show me what’s in your memory.

Delete Something from Memory

• Forget that…

• Remove from memory…

Edit a Memory Entry

• Update the memory entry about…

Summary

ChatGPT doesn’t automatically store every conversation,
but its long-term memory can be a powerful tool if you actively use it.
By saving important details yourself, you can make future interactions smoother and more personalized, without repeating the same instructions in every chat.