How to Turn Off Claude's Memory | Delete and Uninstall Guide

What Is Claude's "Memory Feature"? What You Need to Know Before Trying to Uninstall It

Claude's memory feature automatically summarizes past conversations and accumulates important points across chat history. Anthropic's official help documentation describes it as: "Claude automatically summarizes conversations and integrates important insights across your entire chat history." The more you use Claude, the better it understands your preferences and work context.

The key point here is that memory is not standalone software — it is a feature built into Claude. Therefore, there is no "uninstall" operation. If you want to stop it, you have three options:

1. Pause memory (memories are retained, but Claude won't create new ones or reference existing ones)
2. Permanently delete all memories (reset)
3. Turn off the setting that automatically generates memories

If you searched because you want to delete the app entirely, refer to the "How to Uninstall the Claude App" section later in this article.

Source: Use Claude's chat search and memory to build on previous context (Anthropic Official Help)

How to "Pause" Memory (Keeps Existing Memories)

If you don't want to erase what Claude has already learned but don't want it to learn anything new, "Pause memory" is the right option. Existing memories are retained, but new memories will not be created and existing ones will not be referenced.

First, open Settings. The path to reach it varies by platform:

• Web version: Click your account name (initials) at the bottom left of the screen and select "Settings"
• Desktop app: Open "Settings" from the menu at the bottom left of the screen
• Mobile app: Tap your profile icon and open "Settings"

Once you have opened Settings, follow these steps to turn off memory:

1. Open Capabilities within Settings
2. Toggle memory off
3. Memory enters the "Pause memory" state — Claude will no longer create new memories or reference existing ones

The official help documentation describes this state as: "Claude keeps its existing memory but won't use memory or make new memories." Turning it back on resumes conversations with your saved memories.

How to Permanently Delete All Memories (Reset)

If you are concerned about privacy, handing your account to someone else, or have accumulated incorrect memories, use "Reset memory" to delete everything. This is the closest operation to "uninstalling" memory.

1. Open Settings > Capabilities
2. Select "Reset memory"
3. Confirm and execute

Note that this action cannot be undone. The official help documentation states: "Permanently deletes all memories including project memories." This also erases project-specific memories mentioned later, so make a note of anything you want to keep before proceeding.

How to Delete or Edit Individual Memories

Sometimes you don't want to erase everything but need to correct a specific memory that Claude got wrong. In that case, use individual editing.

1. From Settings > Capabilities, click "View and edit memory"
2. In the Manage memory modal that appears, review what Claude remembers
3. Delete unwanted entries or correct their content

You can also tell Claude directly during a conversation: "Don't remember this" or "Handle it this way from now on." The official help documentation also notes that you can adjust memories by telling Claude "what you'd like it to remember" within the chat.

Turning Off Automatic Memory Generation from Chat History

If you want to stop memories from being created automatically from conversations in the first place, turn off the auto-generation setting. This is a more fundamental off-switch than pausing.

1. Open Settings > Capabilities
2. Find the "Generate memory from chat history" toggle
3. Turn this toggle off

This prevents automatic summaries and memories from being created from past conversations. If you prioritize privacy or handle sensitive information at work, turning this off will give you peace of mind.

Which Plans Include the Memory Feature?

The memory feature is available on all plans. According to the official help documentation, it is supported on Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans, and covers the Web version, Claude desktop app, and Claude mobile app.

In other words, you are not missing out on memory because you are on the free plan — and conversely, you can turn it off or delete it using the steps described here regardless of your plan. The layout of the settings screen may differ slightly by platform, but Settings > Capabilities is the starting point for all of them.

The Difference Between Memory and "Chat Search"

Memory is often confused with "chat search." The two are similar but serve different roles:

• Chat search: A feature that searches and references past conversations for citation. It pulls up past logs when needed.
• Memory: A continuous learning feature that automatically summarizes conversations and builds understanding over time.

Even if you turn off memory, chat search remains as a separate feature. If you find past log lookup useful but want to stop automatic learning, turning off only memory will achieve your goal.

Managing Memory by Project

If you use Claude's Projects feature, memories are independent per project. The official help documentation states: "Each project has its own separate memory space and dedicated project summary."

Therefore, if you are only concerned about a specific project's memories, reviewing and deleting that project's memories will not affect the rest. However, note that executing "Reset memory" (full deletion) as described earlier will erase all memories including project memories.

How to Uninstall the Claude App Itself (by OS)

If you want to remove the Claude app from your device rather than manage the memory feature, uninstall it the same way you would any other app. Steps by OS are as follows:

Android

1. Long-press the Claude app icon on your home screen to display the menu
2. Select "App Info"
3. Select "Uninstall"

iPhone (iOS)

1. Long-press the Claude app icon on your home screen
2. Tap "Remove App" from the menu that appears
3. Tap "Delete App" again in the confirmation dialog to confirm

Mac

1. Open Launchpad and long-press the Claude app icon
2. When the icons start wiggling, click the "×" in the upper left to delete it
3. If no "×" appears, drag Claude from the "Applications" folder in Finder to the Trash

Windows

1. Open "Settings" > "Apps" > "Installed apps"
2. Find Claude in the list
3. Select "Uninstall" from "…" (or right-click)

The most important thing to note is that deleting the app on any OS does not automatically cancel your subscription. The official help documentation clearly states: "if you have an active Claude Pro subscription and would like to uninstall the app, your subscription will not be automatically canceled." If you want to stop being charged, you must separately cancel through the App Store, Google Play, or the subscription management screen for your OS.

Source: How can I uninstall Claude for Android? (Anthropic Official Help)

Checklist Before Deleting Memories or Uninstalling

Finally, here are key points to review so you have no regrets:

1. Full deletion (Reset memory) cannot be undone. Note down anything you want to keep beforehand.
2. Project memories are also included in a full deletion. If you only want to delete a specific project's memories, handle them individually.
3. If you only want to correct part of your memories, use individual editing rather than a full reset.
4. If you want to stop automatic learning entirely, turn off "Generate memory from chat history."
5. Uninstalling the app does not cancel your subscription. Stop billing separately through subscription management.

Memory is convenient, but it can sometimes accumulate information you did not want stored. With the steps covered here, you can choose the right approach — pause, individual deletion, full reset, or disabling auto-generation — depending on your needs.