Hey there,

OpenAI just announced memory improvements for all free ChatGPT users. This major update will bring smarter, more personalized conversations to everyone—not just those on paid plans. As someone who’s constantly sharing the same information in new chats, I’m excited to see how these changes will improve my results and help me save time.

What Is Memory in ChatGPT?

Before we go any further, I want to quickly explain what Memory is within ChatGPT. Memory is what allows ChatGPT to remember helpful information you’ve shared across multiple chats. Normally, ChatGPT disregards past conversations, with each new chat starting as a blank sheet of paper. However, Memory enables the model to recall certain facts, preferences, and important topics across all future chats. Think of it like each new chat (or new page) starts with some key bullet points at the top, instead of being a blank page.

For example, ChatGPT might remember:

• Your name or how you prefer to be addressed

• That you're learning Spanish or working on a novel

• That you prefer concise answers or detailed explanations

• Your background or job experience

This helps make future chats feel more natural and way less repetitive. I’ve found that it makes ChatGPT seem much more like a real assistant that understands you and your preferences based on past interactions. 

There are two kinds of memory:

1. Saved memories — When ChatGPT saves something you explicitly tell it to. 

2. Chat history — When ChatGPT draws on your recent conversations to pull any relevant information.

What’s New for Free Users?

The updates to memory now allow free users to access chat history memory. OpenAI explains that users have a “lightweight version of memory” that limits ChatGPT to remembering recent conversations. This means that free users get only a fraction of the power that paid users get. This is because the memory is limited to referencing recent chats and won’t build a larger profile based on all your past interactions like the ChatGPT Pro plan does. 

How to Manage or Turn Off Memory

While ChatGPT’s Memory features are impressive, you may want to turn them on and off or even control what ChatGPT is actually saving. Doing this is quick and simple. To manage memory:

1. Click your profile icon in the top right corner.

2. Go to Settings → Personalization → Memory.

3. From there, you can:

   • Toggle off “Reference chat history”

   • View and edit all saved memories

   • Delete individual memories

   • Clear all stored memory

Want to keep memory enabled but create a new chat without it? Use the Temporary Chat mode, which disables memory in that conversation and won’t save anything from within it. Temporary chats can be selected by creating a “New Chat” and clicking the speech bubble in the top right corner.

Why This Matters

Since the explosion of ChatGPT in 2022, people have often talked about the idea of AI becoming personal assistants that “know” us and can help make our lives easier. Features like this mark steps toward that goal. Now, even without paying, users can experience smoother conversations that are more intuitive and less repetitive. Whether you’re using ChatGPT for planning a project, drafting emails, learning, or just asking the odd question, memory makes AI feel more personalized to you. And the best part? You can still stay in control and manage your memory.