To find and open an archived conversation in ChatGPT on the web, use Search in the sidebar: enter a word or phrase from the conversation, then select a result. To unarchive it, open Settings → Data controls → Archived chats (the label may appear as View archived chats), then choose Unarchive. (help.openai.com)
Find and open an archived chat on the web
- Open Search from the ChatGPT sidebar.
- Enter words or a phrase related to the conversation. Search can match words in a chat’s title or messages.
- Select the result to open the conversation. Archived chats can appear in search results even though they are not in regular chat history. (
help.openai.com)
These steps describe the web interface; Search is also available on iOS and Android, but the instructions here do not cover mobile settings navigation. (help.openai.com)
Unarchive a conversation
On the web, open your account menu, select Settings, then Data controls. Select Archived chats or View archived chats. If Manage appears, select it, then choose Unarchive for the conversation you want to return to regular history. (help.openai.com)
If the conversation is missing
Search for a word or phrase from the conversation and check Archived chats. If it was deleted rather than archived, OpenAI says it cannot be restored through ChatGPT or Support. (help.openai.com)
Can a production API access my ChatGPT archive?
The OpenAI guides cited here describe finding and managing archived conversations through ChatGPT’s user-facing Search and Settings controls. They do not document a production API route for browsing a user’s ChatGPT archive, so API access to that archive cannot be confirmed from these guides. (help.openai.com)
Sources
Finding your chats, projects, and files in ChatGPT