Claude, created by Anthropic, stands as a major rival to AI models such as ChatGPT and Gemini. Although it has rolled out functionalities like web search, comprehensive research assistance, and voice mode, these were previously offered by ChatGPT. Recently, Claude underwent a substantial memory enhancement, enabling it to refer back to earlier chats, akin to a feature found in ChatGPT. This “Search and reference chats” capability is now accessible on web, desktop, and mobile devices.
Anthropic’s support documentation clarifies that Claude’s chat memory is transient and operates on a chat-by-chat basis, unlike ChatGPT’s extensive memory functions. Currently, the feature is being deployed to Claude Max, Team, and Enterprise users, with intentions to extend it to additional users shortly.
To activate this feature, users should head to the “Settings” menu, select “Profile,” and toggle the “Search and reference chats” option in the “Preferences” area. This empowers Claude to search through prior conversations for context, but it does not create a user profile or retain user-specific data.
Claude can search across all chats or narrow down searches to designated projects. Users cannot exclude certain chats from searches unless they are deleted. Turning off the feature stops Claude from referencing previous chats, but it also limits access to earlier conversations. In comparison, ChatGPT necessitates the activation of both “Reference chat history” and “Reference saved memories” to utilize similar functionalities, which are also available to free users.
