#Memory global setting: turning off and on again, what happens?

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iron tangle
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I had the global setting "memory" turned on , then I opted out by turning it off, a few months ago. So what happens now when I turn it on again? Is the old memory completely re-indexed ? Is the old indexed "unflagged" and simply-reactivated, perhaps with deleted chats (or chats moved into projects) still being present in the chat history? Is memory periodically refreshed, e.g. by running a cron job for all users? What is the memory update polity, generally?

dire nightBOT
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Hi @iron tangle. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:

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When you turn the global "memory" setting off in ChatGPT, the following happens:

  • All information ChatGPT remembered from past chats (via "Reference chat history") is deleted from OpenAI's systems within 30 days. This means that when you turn memory off, the system begins the process of erasing what it learned from your chat history, not just disabling access to it. This deletion is not instant but should be completed within 30 days. If you turn memory back on after this period, the previously remembered information from chat history will not be restored—it is gone and not re-indexed or reactivated. You would be starting fresh, and ChatGPT would only begin to remember new information from that point forward, based on your new interactions and settings How do I enable or disable Reference Chat History? How do I manage what ChatGPT remembers when Reference Chat History is on?.

  • Saved memories (explicitly added by you or automatically saved by ChatGPT) are not deleted when you turn memory off. Turning off "saved memories" simply stops ChatGPT from referencing them, but the data remains unless you delete it manually. If you turn memory back on, these saved memories become available again unless you have deleted them How do I enable or disable saved memories?.

  • Deleting a chat does not remove saved memories that were created from that chat. To fully remove something, you must delete both the saved memory and the chat where it was shared How do I fully delete something ChatGPT knows about me?.

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  • There is no information in the knowledge sources about periodic re-indexing, cron jobs, or automated memory refresh cycles for all users. The memory update policy is user-driven: ChatGPT updates, combines, or removes memories when you ask, and you control what is remembered or forgotten. There is no mention of automatic periodic refresh or re-indexing How does “Reference saved memories” work?.

In summary:
If you turn memory off and then on again after more than 30 days, previously remembered information from chat history is not restored. Saved memories persist unless you delete them. There is no evidence of periodic or automatic memory refresh in the knowledge sources.

Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon:

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