External Publication
Visit Post

Feature Request: Deep Archive for Chats

OpenAI Developer Community July 1, 2026
Source

I’d love to suggest a Deep Archive feature for ChatGPT.

Right now, users have only two options:

  • Keep a chat visible in the sidebar.
  • Delete it permanently.

There is a missing middle ground.

Many conversations contain valuable references, ideas, project history, or context that I don’t want to lose. However, I also don’t want these chats to remain visible in my conversation list every day.

Suggested solution

Add a new option called Archive (or Deep Archive) next to Delete.

Archived chats would:

  • Disappear from the main conversation list.
  • Be accessible only from a dedicated Archive section (optionally protected by biometric authentication or a passcode).
  • Continue to be available as context for ChatGPT when relevant.
  • Preserve long-term references without cluttering the sidebar.

Why this matters

As users spend months or years working with ChatGPT, the sidebar becomes crowded with hundreds of conversations.

Many of these chats are:

  • Important for future reference.
  • Too valuable to delete.
  • Too personal or sensitive to keep easily visible.

A Deep Archive would improve both privacy and organization without sacrificing context.

This feature would be especially useful for users who use ChatGPT as a long-term thinking partner, knowledge base, or project workspace.

Thank you for considering this idea!

Discussion in the ATmosphere

Loading comments...