Gemini saves your conversations by default, and over months that history can hold a lot: work drafts, health questions, travel plans, photos you uploaded. Deleting it is easy once you know where Google hides the controls.
There are actually several different things to clean up. Single chats, your whole Gemini Apps Activity, what Gemini remembers about you, shared links and Gems all live in different places, and deleting one does not always delete the others.
This guide shows you how to delete Gemini chats on the web, Android and iPhone, delete all your activity at once, set auto-delete, stop saving chats completely, use Temporary Chats, and understand what Google still keeps after you delete.
- One chat: on gemini.google.com, hover the chat in the side panel > More (three dots) > Delete. In the app, long-press the chat > Delete.
- All chats: Settings & help > Activity (or myactivity.google.com/product/gemini) > Delete > All time.
- Auto-delete: default is 18 months; change it to 3 or 36 months or off on the Activity page.
- Stop saving: Activity > click On > Turn off (or Turn off and delete activity). Chats are still kept up to 72 hours.
- Not deleted with chats: human-reviewed chats (kept up to 3 years), Gems, public links, Saved info and memory. Clear those separately.
What Gemini Saves
When Keep Activity is on (the default for users 18 and over), Google’s Gemini Apps Privacy Hub says these go into your Gemini Apps Activity:
- Your chats and Gemini’s replies
- Files, photos and screens you share
- Content Gemini generates, such as images, Canvas docs and apps
- Feedback you give (thumbs up or down)
- Location info used for answers
- Gemini Live transcripts and recordings
By default, saved activity is deleted automatically after 18 months. Here is where each piece is controlled:
| What | Where to delete it | Deleted with chats? |
|---|---|---|
| Chats and Live sessions | Side panel or Gemini Apps Activity | Yes |
| Canvas docs and apps made in a chat | Deleted with that chat | Yes |
| Memory summary / past-chat memory | Settings & help > Personal context or Memory | No |
| Saved info (Instructions for Gemini) | Settings & help > Saved info | No |
| Gems | Gems manager | No |
| Public share links | Settings & help > Your public links | No |
| Human-reviewed chats | Cannot be deleted | No (kept up to 3 years) |
Delete One Gemini Chat (Web)
- Go to gemini.google.com and sign in.
- Open the side panel (the menu icon at the top left) to see your chats.
- Hover over the chat you want to remove.
- Click More (the three dots) > Delete.
- Confirm Delete. The chat disappears from the list and from Gemini Apps Activity, along with any Canvas docs or apps created in it.
Branched chats are separate: deleting a branch keeps the original, and deleting the original keeps the branch. There is no undo, so download anything you need first.
Delete One Chat (Android and iPhone)
- Open the Gemini app.
- Open your chat list with the menu icon at the top left.
- Press and hold the chat you want to remove (or tap the three dots beside it).
- Tap Delete, then confirm.
On Android phones where Gemini replaced Google Assistant, chats you had by voice also show up in Gemini Apps Activity, so you can remove them in the same place.
Delete All Gemini Chats at Once
- On the web, open gemini.google.com > Settings & help (gear icon at the bottom left) > Activity. Or go straight to
myactivity.google.com/product/gemini. - In the app, tap your profile picture > Gemini Apps Activity.
- Click Delete (above your list of activity).
- Choose All time.
- Confirm. Google removes it from view right away, then deletes it from its storage systems.
This clears every saved chat, but not Gems, links, Saved info or memory. See Clear What Gemini Remembers and Delete Gems and Links to finish the job.
Delete by Date, Day or Item
| To delete… | On the Activity page, do this |
|---|---|
| The last hour | Delete > Last hour |
| The last day | Delete > Last day |
| A custom period | Delete > Custom range > pick start and end dates |
| One whole day | Click the delete icon next to that day’s heading (“Delete all activity from…”) |
| One prompt and reply | Click the delete icon (or More > Delete) next to the item |
The “last hour” option is handy right after you share something you regret, such as a document with personal details.
Turn On Auto-Delete
- Open the Activity page (Settings & help > Activity).
- Click the auto-delete option near the top (it usually says “Deleting activity older than 18 months”).
- Choose 3 months, 18 months, 36 months or Don’t auto-delete activity.
- Click Next, then confirm.
Three months is a good middle ground: Gemini keeps recent chats you might want to revisit, and older history cleans itself up.
Stop Gemini Saving Chats (Keep Activity)
- Open the Activity page.
- Click the On button at the top (next to “Keep Activity”).
- Choose Turn off to stop saving new chats, or Turn off and delete activity to also wipe what is saved.
Know the trade-offs before you switch it off:
- 72-hour rule: Google still keeps conversations with your account for up to 72 hours to reply and for safety, even with Keep Activity off. These do not show in your activity.
- No history: you cannot reopen old chats, and chats with Gems are not saved.
- Some features need it: features that build on your past chats, and some connected apps, work best with activity on.
Use Temporary Chats
If you only want privacy for some chats, use a Temporary Chat instead of turning everything off.
- Start a new chat.
- Click the Temporary chat icon next to New chat (web) or at the top of a new chat (app).
- Chat as normal. It will not appear in your history.
Google says Temporary Chats are not used to train its AI models and are kept for up to 72 hours. One catch: if you send feedback (thumbs up or down) in any chat, that conversation may be reviewed and kept for up to three years.
Switching from ChatGPT and want the same privacy habits? Our ChatGPT memory guide covers the equivalent settings there.
Clear What Gemini Remembers
Deleting chats does not erase what Gemini has learned about you. Clear these too:
- Memory from past chats: Settings & help > Personal context (or Memory) > turn off Your past chats with Gemini. Open the memory summary to view, edit or delete what it knows.
- Saved info: Settings & help > Saved info (called Instructions for Gemini in some countries) > delete individual items or Delete all.
- Connected apps: Settings & help > Connected apps > switch off any app (Gmail, Drive, Calendar and so on) you no longer want Gemini to read.
Saved info stays until you delete it, even if you clear every chat. If you connected Gmail or Drive, our Gemini in Google Drive guide explains what it can see.
Delete Gems, Shared Links and Uploads
- Gems: open the Gems manager from the side panel, click the three dots on a Gem > Delete. Deleting a chat with a Gem keeps the Gem.
- Public links: Settings & help > Your public links > delete each link. Deleting the chat does not remove a link you already shared.
- Imported chats: chats imported from another service sit in Activity; delete them one by one or all from one import.
- Notebooks: deleting a notebook also deletes its chats.
- Other Google products: Gemini features inside Gmail, Docs or YouTube keep data in those services. Manage it there.
What Google Keeps After You Delete
| Data | How long Google keeps it |
|---|---|
| Chats with Keep Activity off, Temporary Chats | Up to 72 hours |
| Saved activity (Keep Activity on) | Until you delete it or auto-delete runs (default 18 months) |
| Chats picked for human review | Up to 3 years, disconnected from your account, even after you delete |
| Feedback you submit | Up to 3 years with related context |
| Saved info | Until you delete it |
| Some usage data | Until you delete your Google Account, or longer for legal reasons |
The practical lesson: do not paste passwords, ID numbers or other secrets into any chatbot, whatever your settings.
Work and School Accounts
On a Google Workspace account, your administrator controls Gemini Apps Activity. You may not be able to delete chats yourself or see the retention period. Ask your IT team, and check the Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub for your organisation’s terms.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Deleted chat still shows on another device | Refresh or restart the app; sync can take a minute |
| No Delete option on chats | You may be on a work or school account controlled by an admin |
| Can’t find Gemini Apps Activity | Go directly to myactivity.google.com/product/gemini while signed into the right account |
| Gemini still mentions old details | Clear Saved info and the memory summary; turn off past-chat memory |
| Shared chat still opens for others | Delete it under Your public links |
| Chats deleted but Gems remain | Delete Gems separately in the Gems manager |
| Wrong account’s history showing | Check the profile picture at the top right; switch accounts |
My Take
For most people the best setup is simple: leave Keep Activity on, set auto-delete to 3 months, and use Temporary Chats for anything sensitive. You keep the useful history without building a years-long archive.
If you want a clean slate, do all four: delete all activity, clear Saved info and memory, remove public links, and delete Gems you no longer use. Comparing assistants on privacy? Our ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Grok comparison looks at each one.
FAQ
How do I delete all my Gemini chats at once?
Open Settings & help > Activity (or myactivity.google.com/product/gemini), click Delete and choose All time.
Can I recover a deleted Gemini chat?
No. Google offers no way to restore a deleted chat, so copy or export anything important first.
Does deleting Gemini chats delete my Gems?
No. Gems stay until you delete them in the Gems manager.
If I turn off Keep Activity, is nothing saved?
Chats are still kept with your account for up to 72 hours to provide the service and for safety. They do not appear in your activity.
Are deleted chats still used to train Gemini?
Chats already picked for human review are kept for up to three years, separate from your account, even if you delete them. Temporary Chats are not used to train Google’s models.
How long does Gemini keep my chats by default?
18 months, unless you change auto-delete to 3 or 36 months or turn it off.
Can I delete several chats but not all?
Not by ticking them in the side panel. Use Custom range or delete day by day on the Activity page.
Sources
- Gemini Apps Privacy Hub (what is saved, 72 hours, 3-year review retention, auto-delete)
- Google Help: Manage and delete your Gemini Apps activity
- Google My Activity: Gemini Apps Activity
- AI Toolbox: How to delete Gemini chat history (checked 10 Oct 2026)
- Make Tech Easier: Stop Gemini remembering old chats
