# ChatGPT conversation messages disappeared

**URL:** <https://community.openai.com/t/chatgpt-conversation-messages-disappeared/1400041>\
**Category:** Bugs\
**Tags:** chatgpt\
**Created:** [September 23, 2026, 7:56am UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/chatgpt-conversation-messages-disappeared/1400041 "2026-09-23T07:56:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ulhevedant](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/ulhevedant/32/764335_2.png) [@ulhevedant](https://community.openai.com/u/ulhevedant)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 7:56am UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/chatgpt-conversation-messages-disappeared/1400041/1 "2026-09-23T07:56:46Z")

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## Environment

- Surface: Web / macOS
- Browser or app version: Safari 26.0
- Affected feature and model, if relevant: ChatGPT conversation history / in-thread message loading; GPT-5.6

## Bug

A substantial portion of messages from an existing ChatGPT conversation suddenly became unavailable from the in-thread transcript.

The conversation itself still exists and I can continue sending new messages, but a large section of previously visible messages is no longer accessible. I did not delete or archive the conversation or those messages.

Expected behavior: All previously sent messages in an existing conversation should remain accessible when reopening and continuing the conversation.

Actual behavior: Older messages within the conversation are missing while the conversation itself remains active.

This is particularly problematic because the missing messages contained important work and context from a long-running session.

Conversation URL:

> **[ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/c/6ab2dd51-8e1c-83ee-9955-05418ed1eb0f)**
>
> ChatGPT helps you get answers, find inspiration, and be more productive.

## Reproduction

1. Open the affected ChatGPT conversation using the URL above.
2. Scroll back through the conversation to the earlier messages.
3. A substantial portion of the previously available conversation is missing/inaccessible.
4. New messages can still be sent in the same conversation.
5. The conversation itself has not been deleted or archived.
6. The issue appears to affect the in-thread conversation history rather than the conversation disappearing from the sidebar.

## Diagnostics

Exact error or screenshot:  
No explicit error message is displayed. Earlier messages simply fail to appear in the conversation. Screenshot attached showing the affected ChatGPT session.

When it happened (with timezone) and how often:  
September 23, 2026, approximately 1:00 PM IST (UTC+5:30). The issue was noticed during an active conversation and persisted afterward.

The affected conversation contains a large amount of previously completed work, so recovering or investigating the missing messages is important.

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**Author:** ![fenderek80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d78d45/32.png) [@fenderek80](https://community.openai.com/u/fenderek80)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 1:21pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/chatgpt-conversation-messages-disappeared/1400041/2 "2026-09-23T13:21:45Z")

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Have exactly the same issue on my account.

I’m seeing what appears to be the same issue today with a long-running important ChatGPT conversation. A substantial block of previously visible messages disappeared from within the conversation, while the conversation itself remained present.

I reproduced the problem across different devices/sessions, and on one device opening the affected conversation repeatedly produced “Network connection lost. Attempting to reconnect…”.

I have requested a full OpenAI data export to determine whether the missing messages are still present in the underlying conversation data.

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**Author:** ![silviastraka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@silviastraka](https://community.openai.com/u/silviastraka)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/chatgpt-conversation-messages-disappeared/1400041/3 "2026-09-23T17:58:26Z")

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I’ve also lost important work twice now since the update. It happens when ChatGPT switches me from Instant to Work mode mid Chat. I am unable to retrieve anything past that point when returning to work.

This occurs across platforms – macOS, iOS, browser (Firefox) or desktop app

I’ve posted on Sep 16 as: “Missing Work chats: one stops at the Work handoff, another has disappeared” tagged as a Bug.

Does anyone know how support works for ChatGPT?