ChatshelfHow to export ChatGPT and Claude conversations
To export everything, use the data export in your account settings. ChatGPT has "Export data" under Data controls, and Claude has an export under Privacy. Both send you a download link by email. To save one chat as a file you can read, an extension is quicker, and Chatshelf does it from the chat page as Markdown or JSON for free.
Exporting everything from the site
- ChatGPT: open Settings, then Data controls, and choose Export data. OpenAI emails you a link to a zip file, which holds your chats in a web page and in a JSON file.
- Claude: open Settings and look for the data export under Privacy. It also sends a download link by email.
- Gemini: this guide does not describe a built-in export for Gemini, because I could not confirm one.
These exports are complete, which is their strength. They are also slow, because you wait for an email, and the result is one large file for the whole account. Finding the one chat you wanted inside it is a job of its own.
Saving one chat with Chatshelf
- Open the chat on chatgpt.com, claude.ai or gemini.google.com.
- Choose "Export…" in the Chatshelf section and pick Markdown or JSON.
- A file downloads named after the chat title, for example
tax-deductions.md.
The Markdown file starts with the chat title as a heading, then the site name and the chat address. Each turn follows under a heading, "You" or "Assistant", with the message text. The JSON file holds the title, site, address, the time it was saved and the list of messages, which suits a script.
Both formats are free. Chatshelf reads the text that the page shows, so it works the same on ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.
What Pro adds
- A print-ready page. Open it, choose Print, and save it as a PDF.
- A zip of a whole folder, or of every saved chat, with one file per chat and an index. Folders with at least 10 chats offer the folder zip.
- All chats as one Markdown file.
Pro costs €49 once or €29 a year, as one-time passes that do not renew. New installs get 7 days of Pro, with no card. In a zip, a chat you have never opened is listed in the index but has no text, because Chatshelf saves a chat's text when you open it.
Limits
- The export contains the message text. Check a long chat with images or files before you delete the original.
- It runs in Microsoft Edge and Firefox on desktop, not in Chrome.
- The account export from the site remains the better tool when you need a complete archive, for legal or backup reasons.
Questions
- How do I export a ChatGPT conversation?
- Open the chat, choose Export in the Chatshelf section and pick Markdown or JSON. Both are free. For the whole account, use Export data under Data controls in ChatGPT settings.
- Can I save a chat as a PDF?
- Yes, with Pro. Choose Export, then Print-ready HTML, and use your browser's Print command to save a PDF. Markdown and JSON are free.
- Does export work for Claude and Gemini?
- Yes. The same Export menu works on chatgpt.com, claude.ai and gemini.google.com.
- Can I export a whole folder?
- Yes, with Pro. A folder, or all saved chats, downloads as a zip with one file per chat and an index.
Folders, search and export for your chats
Chatshelf is free, with no account. Your folders and saved chat text stay in your browser.
Chatshelf runs in Microsoft Edge and Firefox on desktop. Chatshelf is an independent product and is not affiliated with OpenAI, Anthropic or Google.