OpenAI Gives Users a Long-Term Storage Option With ChatGPT Library
ChatGPT users can now store, browse and retrieve files they upload and create with the AI tool, OpenAI announced this week.
Any documents you upload in the normal chat window are automatically saved to the library, as long as you are logged in to your account. You can now search and retrieve documents in one central location.
Functionality is limited to Additionally, Pro and business users, so you need to pay at least $20 per month to store files using the ChatGPT library. You must also be online to access your files.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, filed a lawsuit in 2025 against OpenAI, alleging that it violated Ziff Davis’ copyrights in the training and operation of its AI systems.)
If you enable ChatGPT’s Memory feature, the chatbot can also reference files you have saved to display them in future chats.
OpenAI lists documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and images as supported file types. However, images you generate using ChatGPT will remain in the Images tab.
Learn more: OpenAI’s Sora slop machine is dead. We are all better off without it
Save your files in the chatbot
To use the Library feature, log in to your account and click the plus sign on the left side of the window where you enter commands. Select the “Add from Library” option to choose the file you want to view.
The library is visible in a searchable left sidebar. You can filter results by file type and whether you downloaded or created the file.
There are some restrictions on file size. The maximum file size is 512 MB and all documents and chat conversations are limited to 2 million tokens (characters). Spreadsheets and CSV files must be 50 MB or less, and images must be 20 MB or less.
Deleting files is a bit tricky. You can select a file in the Library window and click “Delete” or use the trash can icon next to the file name. Then, OpenAI will delete the file within 30 days, unless the company needs it for security reasons or legal obligations, or if “the chat has already been anonymized and disassociated from you.”
The big recent changes to OpenAI
Lately, OpenAI has been refine your models and expanded services for coders and developers, with faster models suitable for code debugging. OpenAI announced these improved models as the company competes with rivals offering coding-specific tools, such as Anthropic’s Claude Code.
OpenAI executives also spoke about build a “superapp” desktop interface that consolidates its AI tools in one place. The three tools included in the app would be ChatGPT, the Codex coding platform and the Atlas Internet browserwhich uses AI as an assistant.
The company also announced this week that it close your AI Sora video app as it moves away from video generation and toward more coding and productivity tools, like Codex.
