Following a series of controversies surrounding ChatGPT and its parent company OpenAI, many users are switching to Claude.
The tipping point came after Anthropic, the company behind Claude, refused to allow the Pentagon to use its AI model for domestic mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. In response, President Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s products, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced plans to designate the company as a supply chain threat.
Hours later, OpenAI announced its own agreement with the Department of Defense, claiming it included safeguards, but the agreement still sparks widespread debate over privacy and the ethical use of AI.
As a result, Claude overtook ChatGPT to the top of the free app rankings on Apple’s US App Store. Anthropic says its daily subscriber count is at an all-time high, free users have increased more than 60% since January, and paid subscribers have more than doubled this year.
For many users, the recent controversy has made Claude an attractive alternative to ChatGPT. If you’re considering making the switch, this guide will walk you through the process of migrating your data and closing your ChatGPT account.
How to export data from ChatGPT
Parting ways with ChatGPT shouldn’t mean losing years of digital memory. Instead of using the new AI assistant from scratch, you can transfer your data to Claude so it can immediately adapt to your preferences.
There are several ways to do this. Let’s start with “Settings”. From there, go to (Personal Settings) and find the (Memory) section. Select Manage to review stored information and update any information that no longer accurately reflects your settings. Once everything is up to date, copy the content you want to keep.
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Alternatively, you can export your entire chat history. Go to Settings, select Data Control, and select Export Data. ChatGPT compiles chat recordings into text or JSON files and sends them via email. (Please note that it may take some time if there are many histories.)
You can also take a manual approach, such as copying key conversations from your history or having ChatGPT summarize key settings, frequently discussed topics, and custom instructions you use.
Import data into Claude
Once you’ve collected the data, it’s easy to transfer it to Claude.
Open Claude, go to (Settings), (Features) and make sure Memory is turned on. (You must sign up for a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan to enable this feature.) Then, start a new conversation and use a prompt like, “There’s important context to remember. Please refresh your memory about me with this.” Then paste the information or summary directly into the chat.
For exported chat files, do not paste the raw logs. Instead, he urges Claude to: “Check this out and summarize my main preferences.”
We also recommend that you confirm with Claude that the information is saved accurately. You can update your settings at any time if they change.
Permanently delete your ChatGPT account
To completely leave ChatGPT, canceling your subscription is not enough to delete your data.
Here’s what you need to do:
Go to (Settings), (Personalization), and select (Memory). Delete any saved memory or personalization settings. To be even more certain, type “Delete all memory and personal data” as your final chat command. Then go to your account management settings to permanently delete your account.
