Guides

How to organize ChatGPT chats into folders

ChatGPT's own answer is Projects, which gather related chats and files under one name, so check the menus in your sidebar first. If you want plain folders next to the chat list, with colours and pins, and the same on Claude and Gemini, an extension has to add them. Chatshelf does that, and keeps the folders in your browser.

What the sites give you

• ChatGPT: Projects group chats and files under one name. Archiving moves a finished chat out of the list without deleting it.
• Claude: Projects work in a similar way, with a shared set of instructions and files for the chats inside.
• Gemini: this guide does not describe a built-in grouping for Gemini chats, because I could not confirm one.

Projects are a good fit when the chats share files or instructions. They are less good when you just want to put a chat in a drawer, or when you use more than one assistant, since each site only knows its own chats.

Folders with Chatshelf

1. Install Chatshelf and open chatgpt.com, claude.ai or gemini.google.com. A Chatshelf section appears above the chat list.
2. Press "+ Folder" and give it a name. Folders have a colour, and you can add one level of subfolders, for example Clients, then one subfolder per client. Subfolders count toward the free limit.
3. File a chat by dragging it from the site's own list onto a folder, or open the chat and choose the folder from the "Move to…" menu.
4. Pin the chats you return to every day. Pinned chats stay in their own list at the top of the section.

The same section works on all three sites, and one search covers them all. ChatGPT project chats and custom GPT chats, and Gemini Gem chats, are listed too.

Free and Pro

Free keeps up to 8 folders, with subfolders counting toward the 8, plus pins, search, Markdown and JSON export, five saved prompts, and backup and restore. Pro removes the folder limit and adds auto-file rules, which sort new chats into folders by a word in the title or by the site they came from. 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.

What to know before you rely on it

• Folders live in your browser. Chatshelf has no account and no server. Your folders are not stored with OpenAI, Anthropic or Google, so they do not appear in the phone app or in another browser. Backup and restore writes your folders, pins, rules and prompts to one JSON file you can move.
• A chat has to be in the sidebar. Chatshelf lists a chat once the site shows it there. Chats that the site has not loaded yet, because you have not scrolled that far down, are not listed until it does.
• Filing is a label, not a move. The chat stays where it is on the site. Chatshelf adds its own folders beside the site's list and does not change the site's list.
• Chatshelf runs in Microsoft Edge and Firefox on desktop. It does not run in Chrome or on a phone.

Which to pick

Use Projects if the chats are really one piece of work with shared files. Use folders if you have hundreds of loose chats and want to sort them by topic or client, or if you switch between ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini and want one tidy list.

Questions

How do I put ChatGPT chats in folders?

Install Chatshelf. A section appears above your chat list on chatgpt.com. Press + Folder to make one, then drag a chat onto it or choose it from the Move to menu. The same works on Claude and Gemini.

How many folders are free?

The free plan keeps up to 8 folders. Pro has no limit and adds auto-file rules.

Are my folders stored by OpenAI?

No. Chatshelf keeps folders, pins and saved chat text in your browser. It has no server and no account.

Do my folders show on my phone?

No. They exist only in the browser where you installed Chatshelf.

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