How to Delete Your Data from AI Companies

Want to delete your data from AI companies? Here's exactly how to do it. Each major AI platform has different processes, but they're all required to let you access and delete your data. This guide walks through OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft step by step.

Your Data Rights

Before diving into how-to's, know your rights:

GDPR (European Users)

• Right to access your data
• Right to delete your data
• Right to data portability
• Right to restrict processing

CCPA (California Users)

• Right to know what's collected
• Right to delete personal information
• Right to opt out of data selling
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising rights

Platform Policies (Everyone)

Most AI companies extend similar rights globally:

• Export your data
• Delete your data
• Opt out of training
• Close your account

Deleting Data from ChatGPT (OpenAI)

Delete Specific Conversations

1. Open ChatGPT
2. Hover over the conversation in the sidebar
3. Click the trash icon
4. Confirm deletion

This removes individual conversations from your history.

Delete All Conversations

1. Click your profile icon (bottom left)
2. Select "Settings"
3. Click "Data controls"
4. Click "Delete all chats"
5. Confirm by clicking "Delete all"

All conversation history will be removed.

Export Your Data First

Before deleting, you may want a copy:

1. Settings > Data controls
2. Click "Export data"
3. You'll receive an email with download link
4. Download contains all your conversations

Use our [AI Privacy Checker](/tools/ai-privacy-checker) to review what you've shared.

Stop Training on Your Data

To prevent future conversations from training:

1. Settings > Data controls
2. Toggle off "Chat history & training"
3. New conversations won't be stored or used for training

Note: This disables conversation history as well.

Delete Your Account Entirely

1. Settings > Data controls
2. Click "Delete account"
3. Enter your email to confirm
4. Click "Delete account" button

This permanently removes:

• Your account
• All conversations
• Personal information
• Payment data (if applicable)

Deleting Data from Claude (Anthropic)

Delete Conversations

1. Open Claude
2. Click on a conversation
3. Click the three dots menu
4. Select "Delete conversation"

Clear All History

Claude doesn't currently have a "delete all" button. You must:

• Delete conversations individually, or
• Delete your entire account

Delete Your Account

1. Click your profile icon
2. Select "Settings"
3. Scroll to "Delete account"
4. Follow confirmation steps

Request Data Deletion

For complete data deletion, email: privacy@anthropic.com

Include:

• Your account email
• Request to delete all personal data
• Any specific data you want removed

Anthropic typically responds within 30 days.

Deleting Data from Google (Bard/Gemini)

Turn Off Bard Activity

1. Go to myactivity.google.com
2. Find "Bard Activity" or "Gemini Apps Activity"
3. Click "Turn off"
4. This stops future data collection

Delete Past Activity

1. Go to myactivity.google.com
2. Select "Bard Activity" or "Gemini Apps Activity"
3. Click "Delete" dropdown
4. Choose time range (All time for everything)
5. Confirm deletion

Auto-Delete Settings

Set data to auto-delete:

1. myactivity.google.com
2. Activity controls
3. Choose auto-delete (3, 18, or 36 months)

Full Google Account Implications

Remember: Bard/Gemini is tied to your Google account. Deleting your Google account deletes everything - Gmail, Drive, Photos, etc.

For AI-only deletion, use the activity controls above.

Deleting Data from Microsoft Copilot

Clear Chat History

1. Open Copilot
2. Click the three dots menu
3. Select "New topic" to clear current conversation
4. For history: microsoft.com/account
5. Navigate to Privacy Dashboard
6. Find Copilot activity and delete

Privacy Dashboard

1. Go to account.microsoft.com/privacy
2. Click "Activity history"
3. Find "Copilot" section
4. Select and delete specific interactions
5. Or "Clear all" for everything

Stop Activity Collection

1. account.microsoft.com/privacy
2. Activity history settings
3. Toggle off Copilot activity saving

General Tips for All Platforms

Before You Delete

Export first:

• Download your data before deletion
• You may want records of useful conversations
• Some exports include data you didn't know was stored

Check connected services:

• Some AI tools connect to other accounts
• Deleting may affect integrations
• Review what's connected before deletion

Consider partial deletion:

• You don't have to delete everything
• Remove sensitive conversations only
• Keep account for future use

After Deletion

Verify it worked:

• Log back in to check conversations are gone
• Check email for confirmation
• Request data export to verify deletion

Data may persist in:

• Backups (usually deleted within 90 days)
• Legal compliance records
• Trained models (can't be removed from models)

Use our [AI Data Exposure Checker](/tools/ai-data-exposure-checker) to see what you might have shared.

Ongoing Privacy Habits

After cleaning up:

1. Turn off training on platforms you keep using
2. Regular cleaning - delete conversations monthly
3. Be cautious about what you share going forward
4. Use separate accounts for AI services
5. Check privacy settings when platforms update

What Deletion Doesn't Do

Can't Remove from Trained Models

If your data was used to train an AI model before deletion:

• That training influence remains
• Your specific data isn't retrievable from the model
• But patterns learned from it persist

Can't Remove from Backups Immediately

Companies maintain backups that may include your data:

• Typically purged within 30-90 days
• Legal holds may extend retention
• Security backups may persist longer

Can't Control Third Parties

If you shared AI outputs elsewhere:

• Those copies aren't affected by deletion
• Screenshots, exports, shared links remain
• You'd need to delete those separately

The Bottom Line

Taking control of your AI data is straightforward once you know where to look:

1. Export your data first - always have a backup
2. Delete conversations you don't want stored
3. Turn off training on platforms you keep using
4. Delete accounts you don't need
5. Build better habits going forward

You can't undo past data collection, but you can limit future exposure and remove what's stored. Most platforms make this possible within a few clicks.

Use our [AI Privacy Checker](/tools/ai-privacy-checker) for personalized recommendations on protecting your AI privacy.