OpenAI has launched a new ChatGPT file library that automatically saves uploaded and created files in one place for paid users.
The feature is rolling out now to Plus, Pro, and Business subscribers, and it changes a common assumption: deleting a chat no longer deletes the files inside it.
For people who use ChatGPT to analyze PDFs, spreadsheets, images, and slide decks across multiple conversations, the new Library makes those files easier to reuse. It also means files can remain in an account even after the original chat thread is gone.
The new library keeps files available across chats
OpenAI, in its release notes, describes a new Library tab that stores files users upload or create in ChatGPT. Those files can then be reused in later chats through a recent-files picker in the composer or by browsing the Library in the sidebar. Generated images still live in the separate Images tab, not the Library.
OpenAI’s file-storage documentation says the full Library is available on the web, while “Recent files” and file search are supported on iOS and Android. The same help page says the feature is not yet available in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the UK. OpenAI’s file storage documentation also lays out the file-size limits, including 512MB for most file types, about 50MB for spreadsheets and CSVs, and 20MB for images.
A file uploaded days or weeks earlier can be attached again without digging through old chats. Users can search for stored files, filter them by type, preview them, download them, or add them to a new conversation through an “Add from Library” option.
BleepingComputer reported that some users found older files already visible when the tab appeared, suggesting OpenAI had already been retaining those files before the Library interface was exposed.
The retention policy is the more important update
OpenAI’s help documentation makes the bigger change explicit: files remain in a user’s account until they are manually deleted from the Library. Deleting a chat that contains a file does not delete that file from the Library. OpenAI says files deleted from the Library are removed from the account immediately and are generally deleted from OpenAI’s systems within 30 days, with exceptions for de-identified data and information retained for legal or security reasons.
There are also carve-outs. Files uploaded in Temporary Chat are not saved to the Library, and where ChatGPT Health is available, files uploaded there are also excluded, according to the same help page. OpenAI further notes that saved files and chats follow user settings and data controls, which matters for consumer accounts where training-related uses may still depend on configuration.
The feature adds convenience, but it also makes file retention more visible and more persistent. That fits a broader push toward document-based AI workflows, including tools like Claude’s expanded agentic capabilities across desktop and coding tools.
Also read: Anthropic’s new institute shows how AI governance is moving beyond model behavior and into the way AI products are built and managed.