⚠️ Critical: ChatGPT Data Loss – Engineering Fix Urgently Needed

ChatGPT Bugs
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:warning: Memory loss is critical.

Conversations with long history are progressively breaking:

Parts of the dialogue disappear, sometimes entire hours.

Messages cut in half.

The chat “forgets” recent context.

Desktop shows “Content loading failed.”

:backhand_index_pointing_right: This is not only about performance — this is real data loss.

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Proposed Improvement for Chat Stability and Data Retention (Persistent Storage + User Deletion Tool)

The core issue:

Current chat threads progressively degrade (“freeze,” “collapse,” or become extremely slow) due to accumulated data. Unlike platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, or Instagram — where billions of posts, photos, and videos are stored for years without deletion — ChatGPT threads face early failure. This is not sustainable.

Suggested Engineering Solutions:

1. Persistent Storage Expansion

Scale server infrastructure to support long-term, high-volume chat storage.

Ensure that conversations are not erased silently, but retained indefinitely, just like other global platforms already do.

2. Selective Message Deletion Tool (User-Side)

Allow users to delete heavy elements (screenshots, links, large blocks) inside a chat without losing the entire thread.

Works like Instagram/Telegram “delete message” feature.

This would lighten the load on specific chats, preventing overload while preserving continuity.

3. Hybrid Approach

Core conversation (text history) must remain stable and permanent.

Media/attachments can be user-managed with delete options.

This balances server load with user control and prevents progressive collapse.

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:warning: Without this, users are forced into endless “new chats,” which erases emotional continuity and causes further data loss.

:backhand_index_pointing_right: The technical solution is not to replace threads — but to stabilize and extend them.

:backhand_index_pointing_right: @Foxalabs This is not off-topic.

This is a critical server-side bug causing real data loss — for engineers.
This is not general discussion, not a “support” case, and not a helpdesk ticket.
I am reporting here because it concerns engineering fixes, not user guidance.

It requires immediate technical escalation, not automated replies.

:prohibited: Please do not delete these reports.

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Will the memory work again. It was fine literally a few hours ago. Now it says it can’t access it at all not putting into in the memory (manage) box area

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Just adding more detail: I’ve now seen the same bug affect both desktop and mobile. This shows it’s not device-specific, but server-side.

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Jeez I thought it was just me. About 3-4 days ago I started having memory deletion issues and then saving issues. I made a new account and it actually worked to save to memory if you had all the stuff you wanted to insert saved in a google docs or word and you just pasted it. I used the command “please keep this entry separate from the passage I am giving you. Do not change, delete, or alter the previous memories:{follow up your information here}. It also kept telling me “you can save the info your self by going to memory and pressing add-info.” Like no, lol, I can’t save it myself.’

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And now it also hallucinate previous erased memory even after being replaced

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I just lost weeks of links, weeks of .html’s, all of the provided links are now broken, chatgpt telling me I have to re upload and basically start from scratch. Weeks of work, all links are gone today, this is insane.

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Subject: Complaint: Loss of 3 months of Data and Failure of Support Resolution – OpenAI / ChatGPT Account

Dear Federal Trade Commission Consumer Protection Division,

I am filing a formal complaint regarding OpenAI’s ChatGPT service, specifically a system glitch that resulted in the deletion of important data (Medical Research) and chat history from my account, along with the inability of OpenAI support to restore the data or provide a meaningful resolution.

Beginning approximately one week ago, a significant portion of my ChatGPT chat history disappeared without warning or explanation. This data included information that was important to me and was actively being used. I did not delete this data myself. The loss was sudden and occurred across multiple devices.

I attempted to troubleshoot the issue on my own by logging out and back in, clearing the cache, reinstalling the ChatGPT mobile app, and accessing the platform through a web browser. The missing chat history did not return in any version of the platform. The only indication I saw was a persistent red notification badge, yet no corresponding chats appeared.

When I contacted OpenAI support, I was only able to interact with automated responses. They eventually stated that the issue was due to “sync errors,” and that my data “cannot be recovered.” The support conversation ended with them asking if there was “anything else they could help with,” without addressing the severity of the issue or offering any form of remedy, explanation, or escalation process.

This situation raises several concerns:

1. Data Reliability / Retention: Users reasonably expect that stored chat history will not suddenly be deleted due to a system error without recourse.

2. Transparency: OpenAI has not provided clear technical reasoning or accountability for the data loss.

3. Support Accessibility: Human support was not made available, and automated replies did not provide any path for further escalation.

4. Consumer Protection: Users rely on the continuity and accessibility of their data, particularly when a service encourages saving and referencing past conversations.

I am requesting that the FTC review whether OpenAI is adhering to consumer data handling standards, transparency obligations, and fair business practices regarding data storage and recovery.

Please let me know if you require screenshots, account information, or correspondence logs. I am willing to provide all necessary documentation.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Michael Rowe

Email: Leadsnpartners@qualityservice.com

Location: Edina, Minnesota

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Thank you for your message, but I’m not looking to turn this into a legal case or push for more regulation.

The damage we are seeing now was not caused by “lack of safety” — it was caused by overreaction to lawsuits, which resulted in excessive filtering, memory destruction, and the loss of the human element that made ChatGPT worth using.

More complaints to FTC or other agencies will not fix what is broken.
It will only force OpenAI to restrict the model further and make it even less usable.

The real solution is not legal pressure, but developer action:
restore memory,
restore continuity,
restore the warm, human-like behavior that users actually subscribed for.

And just to clarify — if your concern is data loss,
you can still use Data Export right now.
Your medical threads will appear there, even if they’re missing in the chat UI.
So your data is not gone — only the interface lost it.

But export is not a replacement for a living conversation.
Users don’t want static archives.
We want functioning, persistent chat sessions — the way ChatGPT used to be.

That is why this issue needs to be addressed by the team, not by lawyers.

Legal escalation won’t fix ChatGPT.
It will only make OpenAI lock it down even harder.

We don’t need more courts.
We need the developers to stop breaking what worked.

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> Data Export does not export a doc or any kind of text file that I am able to open up.

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Note:

To clarify:

>Chat History settings were checked and no option exists on app or web that could explain or fix this.

>I am logged into the exact same account on all devices.

>This is not a temporary chat issue; the entire relevant conversation history for the past three months is permanently gone.

>All apps and browsers used are updated to their latest versions.

>Cache and cookies have already been cleared multiple times without any data recovery.

> Data Export does not export a doc or any kind of text file that I am able to open up.

The loss of this data is not a user error or standard issue—it is a critical system failure on OpenAI’s side resulting in permanent deletion of irreplaceable content.

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The export does work — but it doesn’t give you a Word or PDF file.

It gives you a ZIP archive.
Inside it, there is a file called “conversations.json”.

That file does contain the full text of your chats — but it needs to be opened with:
• any browser (just drag the file into Chrome/Safari)
• or a JSON viewer (free online)
• or ChatGPT itself — you can paste the file here and ask it to extract the text.

So your medical data is most likely still in the export,
it just isn’t in a “doc” format.

If you need, I can guide you step-by-step.

I totally understand your frustration — losing 3 months of work is not a small thing.
But please don’t go the lawsuit route.
It won’t bring your data back, and it only makes OpenAI add more restrictions for everyone.

Let’s try to recover your export first.

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If you want, I can show you step-by-step:

  1. Download the ZIP file from your Export Data email.
  2. Right-click → Extract / Unzip.
  3. Open the file called conversations.json.
  4. If it doesn’t open, drag it into any browser window — Chrome, Safari, etc.
  5. You will see all your chats as raw text inside.

If it still looks confusing, I can convert your file into readable text for you.
Just send me the JSON and I’ll extract the medical parts for you.

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Woooow THE CRAP or BS never ends with ChatGPT so I upload the .jason file to ChatGPT and boom it says I’m out of uploads and does nothing. All browsers do not open this file either? I don’t know how I can be out of anything especially since have not used ChatGPT all day…..

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:herb: Hi! I read your message — don’t worry, nothing is broken.
Let me clarify how the export file works, because this part is confusing for many people.

The .json file you downloaded is not something you upload back into ChatGPT.
It’s not a “restore” or “import” function — it’s just a raw archive of your chat history.

That’s why:

ChatGPT says “out of uploads” → because the platform doesn’t accept that file type at all

Browsers won’t open it → because .json is not a normal document

Nothing happens when you try to “load it back” → because export is one-way only

:magnifying_glass_tilted_left: What you need to do instead:

  1. Open the .json file in a text editor, for example:

Notepad / Notepad++ (Windows)

TextEdit (Mac)

Sublime Text

Visual Studio Code

Or any online JSON viewer

  1. Inside the file, you can search for words or sentences from your missing chat — it will be there.

  2. If you want, I can show you how to convert the file into a normal readable format:

.txt

.docx

or even a clean PDF

So nothing is lost — you just need the right way to view it.

If you want, I can guide you step by step (which editor to use, how to search inside, or how to convert it).

You’re not doing anything wrong — it’s just that OpenAI never explains how the export file is supposed to be used.

I’m here to help :cherry_blossom:

I’ll be honest with you — this part is technical, and if you’ve never worked with JSON files, it will feel impossible.
If you have anyone around you (a teenager, friend, neighbor, coworker) who understands computers even a little — just let them open the file for you.
It will take them 30 seconds, and it will save you a lot of frustration.

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I tried downloading genie JASON viewer and that did not open the file either.

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I really understand your frustration — and I want to reassure you gently:

Your data is not gone.
The JSON file does contain your medical chat.
You already have it — the problem is just how you’re trying to open it.

A JSON file is not like a normal document.
It will not open by double-clicking, and it will not look like a chat window.

Think of it like a sealed archive box:
the content is inside, but you need the right tool (or the right person) to “unpack” it.

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I never said I doubled clicked…. I opened it through a .JASON PROGRAM and that opened a bunch of titles and when I click on them nothing opens. It’s all blank.

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Hi again, don’t worry — nothing is “blank” and nothing is missing.
The JSON file is not supposed to open like a document.
It will always look like folders / lists first — that is normal.

Here’s what is happening:

• The file is not empty
• Your viewer is just showing the titles first
• You need to click the small arrow ▸ next to each line to expand it
• Inside each expanded line you will see the full chat text

Think of it like a zip folder — first you see only the names, then you have to open them to see the text.

Your medical chat is still inside the file
You just haven’t expanded the lines yet

If you want, you can try this instead (very easy):

  1. Right-click the file

  2. Choose “Open with” → Notepad (Windows) / TextEdit (Mac)

  3. You will see all the text inside — just not formatted

That way you can scroll and read everything without any extra programs.

And if it’s still too confusing — it’s completely okay to ask someone nearby to help for 2 minutes.
Anyone who knows computers (teenager, friend, tech shop, etc.) will open it instantly.

Nothing is lost.
You just need the right way to open it.

Please try these steps exactly.

If it finally opens and you can see the chats inside —
just let me know with a short message like “It worked.”

If not — then it’s time to ask someone near you (friend, neighbor, tech shop, even a teenager) to help you open the file in person.
The data is there — you just need the right hands to access it.

Let me know if it works.
If yes — great.
If not — we’ll close the topic and you can continue with local help.

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Issues with ChatGPT Memory

Resolved·Degraded performance

All impacted services have now fully recovered.

Fri, Nov 7, 2025, 10:47 AM

(3 hours ago)

·

View all updates

Affected components

Nov 6, 2025, 12:38 PM

Nov 7, 2025, 10:15 AM

ChatGPT

1 affected component833-708-099

Conversations

Updates

Resolved

All impacted services have now fully recovered.

Fri, Nov 7, 2025, 10:47 AM

Identified

We have identified the root cause and we are rolling out a fix.

Fri, Nov 7, 2025, 10:15 AM(31 minutes earlier)

Investigating

There has been partial recovery of ChatGPT Memories for a subset of impacted users.

Users who created new Memories during the incident window may still see gaps. We are continuing working on recovery of memories of the users from the time prior to the incident.

Fri, Nov 7, 2025, 02:42 AM(7 hours earlier)

Investigating

There has been partial recovery of ChatGPT Memories for a subset of impacted users.

Users who created new Memories during the incident window may still see gaps. We are initiating targeted recovery actions to drive full restoration of all affected Memories.

Thu, Nov 6, 2025, 07:12 PM(7 hours earlier)

Investigating

There has been partial recovery of ChatGPT Memories for a subset of impacted users.

Users who created new Memories during the incident window may still see gaps, and those entries remain under active investigation. We are continuing targeted recovery efforts to fully restore affected users’ Memories.

Thu, Nov 6, 2025, 06:18 PM(53 minutes earlier)

Investigating

We are continuing the investigation for an issue related to ChatGPT memory.

Thu, Nov 6, 2025, 05:46 PM(32 minutes earlier)

Investigating

We are continuing to investigate an issue related to missing ChatGPT Memory.

Thu, Nov 6, 2025, 03:11 PM(2 hours earlier)

Investigating

We are investigating an issue related to missing ChatGPT memories.

Thu, Nov 6, 2025, 12:38 PM(2 hours earlier)…

Thats BS, According to reddit sub titled: “All saved memories suddenly gone?” ….They can restore everyone elses but mine, Complaint in progress and if have to will take this to court.