Memory

What it is

Memory is the per-user context Claude carries across chats — the things it’s learned about how you work, the tools you use, the corrections you’ve made, the projects you’re in the middle of. It’s meant to make Claude a better collaborator over time without you re-briefing it every conversation.

Memory focuses on work-related context. You can view what Claude has stored, edit individual entries, import a memory dump from another AI service, or export yours as a backup. Imports are marked experimental — they don’t always land cleanly.

Where to find it

On desktop

Settings → Capabilities → Memory. From here: View and edit your memory, Start import, or manage edits.

On the web

claude.ai/settings/capabilities — same section, same controls.

How to use it

Import memory from another AI service

In your other AI service, run the Anthropic-provided export prompt (asks the model to list every memory verbatim in a single code block, with dates where available).
Copy the result.
In Claude, go to Settings → Capabilities → Memory → Start import (or click Get started on the “Import memory to Claude” home-screen card).
Paste into the text box and hit Add to memory.
Claude extracts key items and stores them as individual memory edits. Click Manage edits to review.
Updates land within 24 hours. Click See what Claude learned about you to open a fresh chat seeded with "I updated my memory. What did you learn about me?".

View or export memory

Settings → Capabilities → View and edit your memory — shows your memory exactly as Claude sees it.
Copy the contents into a local file for backup, or take it to another service.
Alternatively, in any chat ask Claude to “Write out your memories of me verbatim, exactly as they appear in your memory.”

Add or edit a memory entry

Open View and edit your memory.
Add a new edit manually — useful for details Claude hasn’t picked up or declined to retain (often non-work personal context).
Save. The entry is live immediately on new chats.

Good to know

Imports are experimental. Claude may not retain every imported item, especially non-work personal context. Add the important ones manually afterwards.
Customise the export prompt before running it in your other service if you want to strip sensitive information — passwords, health, finances.
Plans. Memory imports are available on Free, Pro, and Max, on both web and Desktop.
Memory exclusions. Sensitive data (passwords, financial details, health info) is deliberately excluded from memory, including in Cowork sessions.

What’s changed recently

2026-04-18 — Page created from official help-center article.