ChatGPT backup
Automatic ChatGPT backup to a folder you own
Carry is a Chrome extension that backs up ChatGPT automatically. On by default, it checks about every two hours while your browser is open, and shortly after you leave a ChatGPT tab, and saves each chat as a Markdown file in a folder you choose. Projects save as folders with their chats, instructions and files; uploads and the files ChatGPT makes save as originals. Nothing is uploaded.
14-day trial, no card. Then $59 once, no subscription.
Compared
Ways to back up ChatGPT
| Way | Automatic | Keeps current | Format | Projects and files | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT’s data export | No. Request it in Settings → Data controls; the link arrives by email within 7 days and works for 24 hours. | No. A snapshot of the day you asked. | ZIP: conversations.json plus a chat.html viewer. | Not documented. | Included with your account. |
| One-click exporter extensions | No. You click, per chat, while it’s open. | No. Export the chat again after it changes. | Markdown, PDF or text, depending on the tool. | Usually the chat on screen only. | Varies. |
| Scripts and GitHub tools | No. Run by hand in a console or terminal. | No. Each run is a new snapshot. | Usually one JSON file. | Usually chats only. | No cost, your time. |
| Carry | Yes. About every two hours while Chrome is open, and shortly after you leave a ChatGPT tab. | Yes. When a chat changes, the same note is rewritten. | One Markdown file per chat, with frontmatter. | Yes. A folder per project, uploads and files ChatGPT makes, as originals. | $59 once after a 14-day trial. |
Export details from OpenAI’s help article. One-off copy instead? See export ChatGPT chats.
Set up once
How the backup works
- 01
Add Carry to Chrome
From the Chrome Web Store or Edge Add-ons. No account, no API key.
- 02
Pick a folder
Any folder, including an Obsidian vault. Notes go in carry-backup/chatgpt/.
- 03
Connect ChatGPT
Carry uses your existing ChatGPT login in Chrome and saves your newest 25 chats. Then it runs on its own.
Honest list
What the backup holds, and what it doesn’t
Saved
- Message text and formatting: headings, lists, tables, links and code blocks as written
- Finished Deep Research reports, inside their chat
- Images you upload or generate, as files shown in the note
- Files you upload and files ChatGPT makes, as originals: PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV and more
- Projects, each as a folder with its chats, instructions and files
- Work tasks and their files; custom GPT chats as ordinary chats
- One .md file per chat, named by date and title, rewritten in place
Not saved
- Reasoning and “Worked for” summaries
- The code ChatGPT runs, its output and its web-search steps
- Earlier versions of edited or regenerated replies; only the version on screen
- Memory and custom instructions; Canvas documents (usually); group chats; Business or Enterprise workspaces
- Voice audio.
- Charts ChatGPT draws, which get a [!missing] line in the note.
- Equations stay raw TeX
A file Carry couldn’t save still gets a named line in the note. Full list in the FAQ.
FAQ
ChatGPT backup questions
How do I back up ChatGPT automatically?
Install Carry, pick a folder and connect ChatGPT. Automatic saving is on by default: Carry checks about every two hours while your browser is open, and shortly after you leave a ChatGPT tab, and writes each chat as a Markdown file in that folder.
Does ChatGPT back up my chats?
No. Chats live in your account on OpenAI’s servers. There’s no scheduled backup; the only built-in copy is the data export you request by hand, and losing the account loses the chats.
Is ChatGPT’s data export a backup?
It’s a snapshot. You request it in Settings → Data controls, the link arrives by email within 7 days and works for 24 hours, and the ZIP holds your chats as JSON plus a chat.html viewer. It’s out of date the next day.
Where does the backup go, and is anything uploaded?
Notes go in carry-backup/chatgpt/ inside the folder you chose, with saved files in files/ beside them. Your chats are never uploaded and there’s no Carry account. Carry fetches a signed compatibility file from carry.md and sends usage counts, never your content; the counts can be turned off.
Does it back up my older ChatGPT chats?
The trial saves your newest 25 chats per app, then each new one. A license saves your whole history: Carry walks the list from newest down, in the background, over time. Nothing to press.
Does the $59 license expire?
No. One payment, no subscription, no renewal: a lifetime license for every app Carry supports, updates included. The 14-day trial needs no card, and there’s a 14-day refund.
Can I read the backup in Obsidian?
Yes. Pick your Obsidian vault as the folder and every chat shows up as a note: plain Markdown with frontmatter for the title, dates and a link back. Obsidian isn’t required.
What happens to notes I edit?
When a chat changes, Carry rewrites the same note; if you edited the note’s text, it leaves your version alone. A re-save never makes a duplicate.
Set it up once, then forget about it.
14-day trial, no card. Then $59 once, no subscription.
Carry is not affiliated with OpenAI. ChatGPT is a trademark of OpenAI.