Every message you send Claude is the main thing it collects.
It is the one thing you supply yourself.
Your words.
So it is worth knowing exactly what happens to them after you press send.
Where do my chats actually live?
They are saved to your account.
They stay there until you delete them.
That is convenient, because you can open a thread from four months ago and carry on where you stopped.
It is also a quiet pile of your own writing, sitting in one place.
Both of those things are true at the same time, and it is fine to like the first while remembering the second.
Is my text used to train Claude?
Only if you opt in.
It is off by default unless you switch it on.
Your text is certainly sent to Anthropic's servers, because that is how a reply gets generated at all.
But being processed and being trained on are two different things.
Processing happens every single time; training happens only with your permission.
What exactly counts as "my chat"?
More than the lines you typed.
The whole thread counts: your messages, Claude's replies, and any files you attached along the way.
Your custom styles and preferences are part of it too.
So when you think about clearing something out, think in threads rather than sentences.
The thread is the unit that matters, not the single line you regret.
What happens when I delete a conversation?
It is removed from your history right away.
It is then cleared from back-end systems within about 30 days.
Back-end systems just means the storage sitting behind the app, not the list you see on screen.
So deletion is real, but it is not instant in every place at once.
The practical lesson is about timing.
If you have typed something you would rather not keep, delete it today instead of promising yourself you will tidy up later.
Things to Remember
- Your chats stay saved to your account until you delete them.
- Training is off by default and only happens if you opt in.
- "Your chat" includes replies, files, custom styles and preferences.
- Deleting clears it from your history at once, and from back-end systems in about 30 days.
- Do a clear-out the same day, not next month.