ChatGPTFree2 min6 steps
ChatGPTHow to back up and restore your AI Toolbox data
AI Toolbox can save your folders, prompts, prompt chains, tags and settings as one backup file. Open Settings, scroll to Data & Storage and click Export Backup. To restore, click Import Backup and pick the file. Importing only adds what is missing and never deletes anything. Backup and restore are free for everyone.
Step by step
Step 1: Open Settings
Click the round AI Toolbox button in the bottom-right corner of chatgpt.com. A search window called the Command Palette opens. Type settings and click Settings.
You can also click the Settings button at the top of most AI Toolbox windows, such as Search History or Manage Chats.
You should see: A window called Settings with many sections.
Step 2: Go to Data & Storage
Scroll down to the last section, Data & Storage. Find the part called Back up or restore your data.
You should see: Two buttons: Export Backup and Import Backup.
Step 3: Click Export Backup
Click Export Backup. AI Toolbox collects your data and downloads one file.
The file goes to your Downloads folder. Its name starts with ai-toolbox-backup and ends with the date and time.
You should see: The button says Backup downloaded for a moment, and your browser shows the download.
Step 4: Keep the file somewhere safe
Move the file to a place you will find later, such as a cloud drive or a USB stick.
The backup holds your AI Toolbox folders, prompts, prompt chains, tags and settings. It does not hold the chats themselves. To save chats, export them.
You should see: The backup file in the folder you chose.
Step 5: Restore: click Import Backup
When you want your data back, open Settings again, go to Data & Storage and click Import Backup. A file picker from your computer opens. Choose your backup file.
You should see: A window called Restore from backup that shows how many folders, prompts and chains are in the file.
Step 6: Confirm the restore
To also bring back your look and sound choices, tick Also restore app preferences (theme, sounds, view options).
Click Import. AI Toolbox adds only the items that are not already there. Nothing you have now is changed or deleted.
You should see: The window says Import complete and lists how many folders, prompts and chains were added, and how many tags were restored.
That's it. You have finished every tutorial in this section.
If something doesn't look right
It says the file doesn't look like an AI Toolbox backup
Pick the file whose name starts with ai-toolbox-backup and ends in .json. A chat you exported (a .txt, .md or .pdf file) or a ChatGPT data export will not work here.
It says everything in this backup is already here
Your folders, prompts, chains and tags already match the backup, so there was nothing to add. That is normal, because AI Toolbox also saves folders, prompts, chains and tags to your account on its own.
Some items weren't imported because of my plan's limit
The free plan limits apply during a restore, for example 2 top-level folders. Import adds what fits. Upgrade to Premium and import the same file again to add the rest. Nothing is added twice.
My theme and sounds did not change after the import
App preferences come back only when you tick Also restore app preferences (theme, sounds, view options) before you click Import. Click Import Backup again, pick the same file, tick the box and click Import. Nothing is added twice.
Free and Premium
Backup and restore are free on every plan. When you restore on the free plan, the free limits still apply, such as 2 top-level folders.
- Free on every plan: Export Backup and Import Backup with no limit.
- Import adds folders (with the chats inside them), prompts, prompt chains and tags, and app preferences if you tick the box. It never deletes or overwrites anything.
- The backup does not contain your chats. Use Export a ChatGPT chat or bulk export for those.
What ChatGPT does on its own
ChatGPT can export your account data from Settings, under Data controls. You get an email with a ZIP of your chat history, which can take up to 7 days to arrive.
That export is about your chats. It does not include what you build in AI Toolbox, such as folders, saved prompts, prompt chains and settings. The AI Toolbox backup covers those.
Source: OpenAI Help Center: Exporting your ChatGPT history and data
Questions people ask
How do I back up my AI Toolbox folders and prompts?
In ChatGPT, click the round AI Toolbox button in the bottom-right corner, type settings and open Settings. Scroll to Data and Storage and click Export Backup. A file downloads with your folders, prompts, prompt chains, tags and settings. It is free on every AI Toolbox plan.
Does importing an AI Toolbox backup delete my current folders?
No. AI Toolbox Import Backup only adds items that are missing. It never deletes or overwrites your current folders, prompts or chains, so running it twice with the same file is safe. App preferences such as theme and sounds are restored only if you tick that box.
Are my ChatGPT chats in the AI Toolbox backup?
No. The AI Toolbox backup holds your folders, prompts, prompt chains, tags and settings, not the chats themselves, which stay in your ChatGPT account. To keep a copy of chats, export them from each chat's menu, or export many at once with AI Toolbox Premium.
Do I need a backup to move AI Toolbox to a new computer?
Usually not. AI Toolbox saves your folders, prompts, prompt chains and tags to your account, and they come back when you sign in to the same ChatGPT account on the new computer. A backup file is an extra copy you control, handy before big changes.
Is AI Toolbox backup a Premium feature?
No. Export Backup and Import Backup are free for everyone who uses AI Toolbox on ChatGPT. When you restore on the free plan, the normal free limits still apply, such as 2 top-level folders, so some items may wait until you upgrade and import again.
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