Guides · 15 October 2026 · 2 min read
How to save a ChatGPT conversation (even a long one)
Choose automatic saving for new activity, the popup for one open chat, or an official export to bring in older conversations.
The short version
Chatlog saves new ChatGPT activity as Markdown while Chrome is open and site access is enabled. Save a single open conversation from the popup, or import older chats from ChatGPT's official export.
Save new chats as you go
Choose a folder in Chatlog, connect ChatGPT, allow access to chatgpt.com, and refresh the ChatGPT tab. With automatic saving enabled, new and continued chats are captured while Chrome is open and you are signed in. Chatlog does not scan your account history.
For one conversation, open it and choose Save conversation in the popup. This manual option is available even when automatic saving is paused.
Import older chats from your export
In ChatGPT, open Settings, then Data controls, then Export data.
When ChatGPT provides the export, import its ZIP or JSON file in Chatlog settings and choose the conversations to keep. This is the route for older history; Chatlog does not read past chats from your account automatically.
What Chatlog saves
Chatlog is a Chrome extension that writes one Markdown file per conversation in a folder you choose. After you connect ChatGPT and refresh its tab, automatic saving captures new and continued chats while Chrome is open. Obsidian opens those files with no import step.
Each conversation is one file. The name starts with the date it was created, then a short title, inside a chatgpt folder. When the chat grows, the same file is updated. If you have edited the note, your version is kept and the new text is saved beside it as a copy.
The note includes the messages in order, the title, the dates, code blocks, and source links when enabled. Images need accessible download data or a matching file in an imported export. ChatGPT memory and dedicated Canvas recovery are not supported. If something on the page cannot be read, the note marks it as unavailable so you can see the gap.
The file is written on your computer. The 14-day trial includes 25 unique historical conversations per provider; automatic new-chat saving is separate from that history allowance.
If you also want a copy in Notion, that is optional and separate from the folder. The Markdown file is the one you can keep even if you never connect anything else.