To find archived chats, open Settings → Data controls → Archived chats (the label may instead be View archived chats; select Manage if it appears). To open and read a conversation, use Search in the sidebar: archived chats can appear in search results, and selecting a result opens the conversation. (OpenAI Help Center: archiving and deleting chats; finding chats and files)
On the web
- Open Settings in ChatGPT.
- Select Data controls.
- Select Archived chats or View archived chats. If Manage appears, select it to reach the archived-chat list.
- To read a conversation, open Search from the sidebar, enter a distinctive word or phrase from the chat, then select the result.
In the iOS or Android app
- Open Settings in the ChatGPT app.
- Tap Data controls.
- Tap Archived chats or View archived chats. If Manage appears, tap it to reach the archived-chat list.
- To read a conversation, open Search from the sidebar, search for a word or phrase from the chat, and tap the result.
The archive-management label can vary by device. OpenAI says sidebar search is available on web, iOS, and Android, and that archived chats may appear in its results. (OpenAI Help Center: archiving and deleting chats; finding chats and files)
If you can’t find a conversation
- Search for words from the chat and check Archived chats; archived chats are removed from the regular sidebar but are not deleted.
- Make sure you’re signed in to the right OpenAI account and workspace. OpenAI lists this as a check for missing conversations.
- If the chat was deleted rather than archived, OpenAI says it cannot be restored through ChatGPT or Support. (OpenAI Help Center: archiving and deleting chats; missing-chat troubleshooting)
To return a chat to regular history, open Archived chats and select Unarchive. Avoid Delete if you want to keep the conversation: deletion cannot be undone through ChatGPT or Support. (OpenAI Help Center: archiving and deleting chats)
Sources
Deleting and archiving chats in ChatGPT