Claude’s “Memory” Feature Now Available on the Free Plan, Introducing an Import Tool from ChatGPT
On March 2, 2026, Anthropic announced that the “Memory” feature for its conversational AI, Claude, which remembers past interactions and user preferences, has been made available to free plan users.
Previously, the memory feature was restricted to Pro and higher-tier paid plans (starting at $20 per month). With this update, all users with an account can now utilize the context-retention capabilities completely free of charge.
Overview of the Memory Feature and How to Enable It
The Memory feature automatically remembers context such as a user’s profession, preferred programming languages, writing tone, and ongoing projects. It uses this information to tailor responses in subsequent chats, eliminating the need to repeatedly explain prerequisites and ensuring consistent support.
[Setup Instructions and Privacy Management]
This feature is turned off by default, so it must be enabled manually.
- Open “Settings” from the profile icon in the bottom left corner of the Claude interface.
- Select “Memory” within the “Capabilities” section.
- Toggle on “Generate memory from chat history”.
The recorded contents can be viewed at any time under “Memory from your chats” within the same settings menu. Users maintain complete control over what the AI remembers, allowing them to individually delete unnecessary memories or temporarily pause the feature entirely.
Memory Import Feature from ChatGPT and Gemini
Coinciding with the free tier release, an import feature was also launched to directly transfer user context from major competitors like ChatGPT and Gemini.
This is an aggressive strategy designed to eliminate the “switching cost” associated with migrating to a new service, sparing users the effort of having to retrain a new assistant from scratch after spending months curating its knowledge on another platform.
[How to Use the Import Feature]
The migration is not done via an API connection but rather through a text-based process using a specialized prompt.
- Click “Start Import” on Claude’s Memory settings screen and copy the dedicated extraction prompt provided.
- Paste and execute this prompt in the input field of the source AI (ChatGPT or Gemini). (Note: The prompt contains instructions such as, “I am migrating to another service; please output all personal information, instructions, tools, and preferences you remember about me in a single code block.”)
- Copy the Markdown-formatted text output generated by the source AI.
- Return to Claude’s import screen, paste the text into the text box, and click “Add to memory”.
This process instantly integrates the personal data accumulated on the old service directly into Claude’s memory.
Background and Market Impact
As of March 2026, Claude has been rapidly expanding its market share, recently overtaking ChatGPT to claim the #1 spot in the free app rankings on the US App Store.
Anthropic is accelerating its user acquisition and market share capture by rolling out aggressive strategies—namely making the memory feature free and providing a direct data migration tool from competitors—alongside continuous improvements in model quality.
