Deleting chats doesn't make Claude forget you: 5 steps to see, delete or switch off Claude's memory

I used to think deleting a chat wiped it from Claude. It doesn't. Claude's own help centre says memory made from a deleted chat stays until you delete it yourself. And memory is on by default for Free, Pro and Max plans. This guide walks you through five steps: see what Claude remembers, tell it to forget, delete one topic, switch memory off, and keep your chats out of model training.

011. See what Claude remembers about you

The fastest check is to just ask. Open a new chat (not inside a Project, since each project has its own memory) and paste this.

Paste into a new chat

List everything you remember about me.

For the full picture, go to Settings > Memory and open Topics. That's where you can read each memory Claude keeps.

022. Tell Claude to forget something

You can tell Claude in a chat what to remember, change or forget. The change applies from your next conversation, not the one you're in.

Replace the [ ] with the topic

Forget everything about [topic].

033. Delete one topic in Settings

Open Claude and go to Settings > Memory.
Under Topics, select the topic you want to read.
Use the edit icon to change it, or choose Delete to remove it.

044. Switch memory off: pause or reset

Go to Settings > Memory.
Turn off "Generate memory from chats" to stop new memories being made.
Pause: keeps your existing memory, but Claude stops using it and stops saving new memories.
Reset: permanently deletes all memories, including project memories. This can't be undone.

055. Keep your chats out of model training

Memory and training are two separate settings. This one decides whether your chats can be used to improve Anthropic's models (Free, Pro and Max accounts).

Click your name, then Settings.
Select Privacy.
Turn off "Help improve our AI models".

06Good to know

Deleting a chat does not delete the memory made from it. Delete the topic in Settings > Memory instead.
Memory is on by default for Free, Pro and Max. On Team and Enterprise, an owner has to make it available and each member starts with it off.
Changes you ask for in a chat apply from your next conversation.
Reset can't be undone, so use Pause if you might want your memory back.
Chats flagged by safety systems may still be used for trust and safety, even with the training setting off.