ChatGPTFree, with limits2 min5 steps

How to export a ChatGPT chat as a file

AI Toolbox adds Export to each ChatGPT chat's three-dot menu. Click it, choose a format in the Select Export Format window, and click Export to download that one chat as a file. Text is free on every plan. Premium adds Markdown, JSON and PDF, and the file includes the chat's title, link and dates.

By Adi Leviim, Co-Founder at Infi Developments Last updated

Also onClaudeGeminiGrok

Step by step

  1. Open the chat's menu

    On the left side of ChatGPT is your list of chats (ChatGPT calls it the sidebar). Move your mouse over the chat you want. Three dots appear on its right. Click them.

    If the chat is already open, you can instead click the three dots at the top of the page, next to Share. A chat in your Pinned Chats list has the same Export item in its own three-dot menu.

    You should see: A menu with AI Toolbox items at the top, including Export.

  2. Click Export

    Click Export in the menu.

    You should see: A window called Select Export Format with four choices: Text, Markdown, JSON and PDF.

  3. Choose a format

    Click the round button next to the format you want. Text is a plain file that opens anywhere and is free.

    Markdown keeps headings and lists and works well in Notion or Google Docs. JSON is for developers. PDF looks like a printed page. These three have a Premium label on the free plan.

    You should see: The format you picked is selected.

  4. Download the file

    Click Export. Wait a moment while AI Toolbox builds the file. Long chats take longer, especially as PDF.

    The file goes to your browser's Downloads folder. Its name is the chat's title.

    You should see: The window closes and your browser shows the download, for example My trip plan.txt.

  5. Set a favorite format (optional)

    Open Settings (click the round button in the bottom-right corner, type settings, and click Settings). Under General, find Default Export Format and click the format you use most.

    From then on, that format is already selected when you export.

    You should see: Your chosen format is highlighted under Default Export Format.

    On the free plan only TXT can be chosen here. The other formats show a lock.

That's it. You have finished every tutorial in this section.

If something doesn't look right

I picked PDF and an upgrade window opened

Markdown, JSON and PDF are Premium. The window is called Export in every format. Click Maybe later, pick Text, and click Export again to save the chat for free.

I don't see Export in the chat's menu

Close the menu and open it again, or refresh the page. Check that you opened the menu of a chat, not a project, which has its own Export project item. Another way: open the chat, click the round AI Toolbox button, type export and click Export This Chat. It opens the same window.

It says the chat is too long to build as a PDF

Very long chats sometimes cannot be turned into a PDF inside your browser. Try again later, or export the chat as Markdown or Text instead.

Where did my file go?

Look in your browser's Downloads folder. In Chrome, Edge or Brave you can also press Ctrl+J on Windows or Cmd+Shift+J on Mac to see your recent downloads.

Free and Premium

Exporting one chat as Text is free with no limit, from its menu or by ticking just that chat in Manage Chats or Search History. Premium adds Markdown, JSON and PDF, and exporting many chats at once.

  • Free: unlimited single-chat exports as Text, from the chat's menu, from Export This Chat in the Command Palette, or by ticking one chat in a list.
  • Premium: Markdown, JSON and PDF, plus exporting many chats, whole folders and projects at once.
  • Only the version of the chat you see is saved. Other versions of regenerated answers are not included, and images are not added to the file.

What ChatGPT does on its own

ChatGPT can export your data from Settings, under Data controls. It emails you a link to a ZIP file with your whole chat history as JSON files. It can take up to 7 days to arrive, and the link stops working 24 hours later.

That export covers your whole account at once. AI Toolbox saves just the one chat you pick, right away, as a readable file.

Source: OpenAI Help Center: Exporting your ChatGPT history and data

Questions people ask

Can you export a single ChatGPT conversation?

Yes. With the free AI Toolbox extension, open the chat's three-dot menu in the ChatGPT sidebar, click Export, choose a format and click Export again. The chat downloads straight away. Text files are free on every plan, and Premium adds Markdown, JSON and PDF.

How do I save a ChatGPT chat as a PDF?

Install AI Toolbox, open the chat's three-dot menu on chatgpt.com, click Export, pick PDF in the Select Export Format window and click Export. PDF export is part of AI Toolbox Premium. The PDF has the chat title, a link back to the chat, dates, and each message with its time.

Is exporting ChatGPT chats free?

Exporting one ChatGPT chat at a time as a plain text file is free in AI Toolbox, with no limit on how many chats you export. Markdown, JSON and PDF files, and exporting many chats or whole folders at once, are part of AI Toolbox Premium.

What is included in an exported ChatGPT chat?

An AI Toolbox export includes the chat title, a link to the chat, when it was created and last updated, its size, and every message in order with who wrote it and when. Only the version of the chat you see is saved, and images are not included.

Can I export a ChatGPT chat to Notion or Google Docs?

Yes. Export the chat from AI Toolbox as Markdown, which keeps headings, lists and code blocks, then import the file into Notion or paste it into Google Docs. Markdown export is part of AI Toolbox Premium. On the free plan, export as Text and copy the text in.

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