How to switch from ChatGPT to Gemini - without starting from scratch

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• You can now transfer memories and chats from another AI to Gemini.
• The process works with such AIs as ChatGPT and Claude.
• This option helps Gemini personalize its responses to you.

Starting fresh with a new generative AI service can be challenging, as the bot knows nothing about you and therefore can't personalize its responses based on your history, preferences, or past conversations. Now Google is offering a way around that barrier.

New to Gemini is a memory import feature that lets you transfer your memories, chat history, and preferences from another AI service, such as ChatGPT or Claude AI. You can try this if you're leaving a different AI for Gemini or just want to add Google's AI to your repertoire.

Also: I tested ChatGPT vs. Claude to see which is better - and if it's worth switching

"Our new memory import feature can easily bring an understanding of your key preferences, relationships, and personal context directly into Gemini," Google said in a blog post. "Once you import these memories, Gemini will understand the same key facts you've shared with other apps, like your interests, your sibling's name, or where you grew up. Instead of starting over from scratch, you can quickly get Gemini up to speed on what matters most to you."

If this sounds familiar, that's because Claude AI recently unveiled the same type of feature, one in which you can import memories and personal details through a simple prompt. With all these services battling for a piece of the AI pie, making new users feel at home is a smart approach. And personalizing the responses based on a knowledge of your background and interests is one way to do that.

The memory import feature is available for both free and paid Gemini accounts, but only with personal ones. You can't sign in with a work, school, or supervised Google account. The option is accessible globally with the exception of the UK, Switzerland, and the European Economic Area. You must be 18 or older and have access to another AI service with stored chats and memory.

How to try it

To try this, browse to Gemini's Memory Import page and click the Get Started button or sign in to the Gemini web page, select Settings at the bottom of the left sidebar, and then choose "Import memory to Gemini." The first step displays the prompt that you need to paste and submit to your other AI service. This reads as follows:

You are helping me import context from one AI assistant to another. Your job is to go through our past conversations and sum up what you know about me.

In the output, please avoid using any first-person pronouns (I, my, me, mine) and any second-person pronouns (you, your, yours). Instead, refer to the individual you have learned about as "the user" or use neutral phrasing.

Preserve the user's words verbatim where possible, especially for instructions and preferences.

Categories (output in this order):

1. Demographics Information: Preferred names, profession, education, and general residence.

2. Interests & Preferences: Sustained, active engagements (not just owning an object or a one-time purchase).

3. Relationships: Confirmed, sustained relationships.

4. Dated Events, Projects & Plans: A log of significant, recent activities.

5. Instructions: Rules I've explicitly asked you to follow going forward, "always do X", "never do Y", and corrections to your behavior. Only include rules from stored memories, not from conversations.

Format:

Divide the content into the labeled section using the categories above. Try to include verbatim quotes from my prompts that justify each entry. Structure each entry using this format:

The user's name is .

• Evidence: User said "call me ". Date: [YYYY-MM-DD].

Output:

• Format the final output summary as a text block.

After you've copied and pasted that prompt into the other AI, that AI will generate a response. Copy that response, return to Gemini, and paste it in the Step 2 window. Click the "Add memory" button, and Gemini will incorporate all the data and details into its own memory. Google's AI should also welcome you to the service with references to some of your personal information.

For example, when I transferred memories from ChatGPT, Gemini noted that I'm a freelance tech journalist with a deep appreciation for the classics -- whether it's the soulful voice of Billie Holiday, the surrealist lens of "The Twilight Zone," or the tactile "click" of a solid ThinkPad keyboard. It also noted one of my trips to London, my ongoing work on my writing portfolio, and even the existence of my legendary cat Mr. Giggles.

Also: I used Gmail's AI tool to do hours of work for me in 10 minutes - with 3 prompts

This first part transfers your memories from another AI to Gemini. You can also transfer your past conversations. That process varies in part based on the other AI.

In ChatGPT, select your username at the bottom left, click Settings, and then select Data controls. Click the Export button next to Export data and then confirm the export.

In Claude AI, click your username at the bottom left, select Settings, and then choose Privacy. Click the Export button next to Export data. Choose whether you want to export all previous chats or only those from the past 30 or 90 days. Click Export again to complete the process.

With either service, you'll receive an email with a button or link to download the exported data. Download the file, which is stored as a ZIP archive.

Go back to the Gemini import page and click the Add button below Import Chats. Select the downloaded export. You'll then see your previous conversations from the other AI appear in Gemini.

Also: Switching to Claude? How to take your ChatGPT memories with you

At this point, you can remove specific conversations that you don't want Gemini to hold. Just hover over the specific chat in the left sidebar, click the three-dot icon, and select Delete. You can also remove certain memories and other info. For that, sign in to your Gemini Apps Activity page. Scroll down the page and click the X next to any item you wish to delete.

To learn more about Gemini's memory import option, check out Google's Help page on the feature and the FAQ at the bottom of the Import Memory page.