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Guide · ChatGPT

How to export your ChatGPT data

OpenAI gives you a complete conversation archive on demand. This guide covers every platform — web, mobile and desktop — and what to do with the download once it lands.

1. Start the export

  1. On the web: open chat.openai.com, enter Settings, open Personal, then scroll to Data controls. Under 'Export data' click Export and confirm.
  2. On iOS / Android: tap your profile avatar, open Settings, choose Data controls, then Export data and confirm.
  3. On macOS desktop: open the app, click Settings from the sidebar, then the same Data controls > Export path.

Some older accounts see an Email my data button. The result is the same: OpenAI emails you a download link to the address on your account.

2. Wait for the download

OpenAI prepares the archive asynchronously — usually within minutes, but accounts with hundreds of thousands of messages can take up to a day. Check your inbox (and spam). The email subject is roughly 'Your ChatGPT data export is ready' and the link expires, so download promptly.

3. What you actually get

You receive a .zip containing several .json files. The one that matters for analysis is conversations.json — a JSON array where each element is one conversation with its messages, timestamps, roles (user / assistant / system / tool) and, for ChatGPT accounts, per-message token counts. Per-conversation files under a conversations/ folder mirror the same content.

4. Analyze it locally

Open AI Data Inspector, drag the .zip (or the sole conversations.json) onto the drop zone, and the tool unwraps it in your browser's memory. Nothing is uploaded; JSZip decompresses on your machine and a Web Worker handles the heavy parsing.

Analyze my export Next: scan for secrets

Questions

How long does OpenAI take to email an export link?

Usually a few minutes to a few hours, though large accounts can take up to a day. OpenAI email it to the address on your account; check spam if it is slow.

My export is a ZIP with many JSON files. Which one should I upload?

You can upload the whole ZIP — AI Data Inspector recognizes and reads it. The main file is conversation.json; the per-conversation files under conversations/ mirror the same data.

Do I need an account to analyze my export?

No. The analyzer runs entirely in your browser; there is no login, upload, or server involved.

Does OpenAI's export include deleted conversations?

No. Only conversations that exist in your account at the time of export are included. Deleted chats stay deleted.