ChatGPT: “Context window full” / “Chat memory full”
Quick answer: OpenAI says these notices are about how much information ChatGPT can use in the current conversation. Start a new chat and you can carry on straight away. You don't need to delete your saved memories.
The message you're seeing
Context window fullChat memory full
Is it down right now?
- ChatGPT · checked No problems
Live status, updated every minute. If it says “No problems”, the cause is most likely on your side: follow the steps below.
What to do
- Start a new chatOn the Free tier you can start a new chat right away.
- Bring across only what you needPaste the passage you're working on into the new chat rather than the whole conversation.
- Or upgrade, if offeredIf the notice offers an upgrade, choosing it lets you continue in the same chat.
This isn't about Memory
OpenAI says you don't need to turn off Memory, delete saved memories or clear other chats to fix this. It only concerns the conversation you're in.
Tips for long projects
For long writing or coding projects, keep a short running summary of decisions so far and paste it at the start of each new chat. Projects in ChatGPT can also keep files together, so you don't need to paste everything into one conversation.
Questions
How many messages fit in one ChatGPT chat?
There's no fixed number, according to OpenAI. Long messages and pasted documents fill the chat faster.
I got this on a short message in a new chat. Why?
OpenAI suggests checking its status in that case, since it may be a problem on OpenAI's side. Our live status is at the top of this page.
Is this the same as a usage limit?
No. Usage limits are about how much you use ChatGPT over time; see our ChatGPT usage limits page.
Want to know when ChatGPT has a real outage? Follow our free outage alerts. We only post real outages, and again when they're fixed.
Related error guides
- ChatGPT “Something went wrong”
- ChatGPT “A network error occurred”
- ChatGPT “error generating a response”
- ChatGPT “Unusual activity detected”
Based on official documentation, checked 3 November 2026: OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Free Tier FAQ. Error messages and limits change over time, so the provider's own docs are the final word.