How to delete or restore archived ChatGPT chats in bulk

Updated 6 November 2026

"Archive all chats" is one click. Undoing it, or deleting what you archived, is not: Settings › Data controls › Archived chats lists them, but you act on each chat separately. People who archived hundreds of chats by mistake end up clicking for an hour.

The built-in options

Restore or delete one at a time from Settings › Data controls › Archived chats.
Delete all chats removes archived chats too, but also every active chat and chats in Projects.

Delete or unarchive many at once

Disclosure: I made Bulk Delete Chats, a free Chrome extension with an Archived tab for exactly this. No limits, no sign-up, runs in your browser. Not affiliated with OpenAI.

Open chatgpt.com, click the extension's icon and switch to the Archived tab.
Search, shift-click a range, use a date filter, or Select all.
Click Unarchive to bring them back to the sidebar, or Delete to remove them for good.

It goes one chat at a time and pauses if ChatGPT asks it to slow down, so you don't get locked out halfway.

FAQ

Are archived chats used by ChatGPT's memory?

They're still in your account. If you want ChatGPT to forget something, delete the chat and check Settings › Personalization › Memory. More in archive vs delete.

Can I get a deleted chat back?

No. Unarchive is reversible; delete isn't.