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Turn off remembered preferences in ChatGPT
Open Settings > Personalization > Memory and turn off the Memory control or controls available on your account. OpenAI says Shopping Research continues to work without Memory, but with fewer personalized touches.
If you also want to remove details already saved, review and clear saved memories separately. Turning Memory off does not delete past chats or saved memories; those may require separate review or deletion. Available settings can vary by plan, region, platform, and workspace.
Use an unpersonalized Temporary Chat in ChatGPT
- Start a new chat and select Temporary.
- Before sending the first message, choose Unpersonalized.
- Use that chat for the shopping request. OpenAI says this mode does not use memory, custom instructions, or plugins for personalization, and Temporary Chats do not create or update memories while they remain temporary.
If you save a Temporary Chat, it becomes a regular chat and follows your account’s personalization and model-improvement settings.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
Turn off or pause memory in Claude
Pause memory for the account
Open Claude Settings and find Memory. Choose the pause control if you want Claude to keep existing memory but stop using it and creating new memories. The separate reset option permanently deletes memory, so it is not the equivalent of pausing.
Turn memory off for one new chat
- Start a new chat and open the + menu.
- Select Memory to turn it off for that chat.
- Send the first message only after changing the setting. Anthropic says this per-chat control cannot be changed after the conversation has started.
A chat with memory off still remains in chat history. If you want a conversation not to be saved to memory or chat history, use Incognito where available.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
Which control should you use?
| Service and control | Scope | What happens to existing information | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Memory off | Account setting | Does not by itself delete saved memories or past chats. | Shopping Research still works, with fewer personalized touches. |
| ChatGPT Temporary Chat with Unpersonalized selected | One conversation | Temporary Chats do not create or update memories while temporary; saving one turns it into a regular chat. | Select Unpersonalized before the first message. |
| Claude memory paused | Account setting | Keeps existing memory. | Stops Claude using it and creating new memories while paused. |
| Claude memory off for a chat | One new conversation | The chat remains in chat history. | Set it before sending the first message. |
| Claude Incognito | One conversation | Not saved to memory or chat history. | Different from simply turning memory off for a chat. |
Check other personalization controls if results still feel tailored
ChatGPT ads are separate from shopping recommendations
Ad personalization is a separate setting from Memory and Shopping Research. Turning off ad personalization does not remove ads, and OpenAI does not describe that setting as a way to disable personalized product recommendations. Ad controls are limited to eligible users and regions; OpenAI says personalized ads are not initially available in the EEA or Switzerland.
ChatGPT product results may use broader context
Shopping Research and product results are distinct features. OpenAI’s Shopping Research guidance names Memory as a personalization input. Its separate product-results guidance says the query and context, including Memory or Custom Instructions, can affect which results appear. If you are looking at product results rather than using Shopping Research, review Custom Instructions as well as Memory.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
Claude instructions are separate from memory
Claude’s account-wide Instructions for Claude can shape responses independently of memory. Review them in Settings if Claude continues reflecting preferences after you pause memory or disable it for a chat.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why a setting may be missing
OpenAI says Memory controls vary by plan, region, platform, and workspace. Anthropic’s documented controls also depend on availability: its memory help describes per-chat controls on web, desktop, and recent mobile apps, paid-plan availability for past-chat search, and enterprise owner controls. Labels and rollout can change, so check the current Settings screen and any organization policy if the option is not shown. Neither service’s cited help establishes a shopping-only personalization toggle.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Alexa can show you more - Echo Show 5 includes a 5.5” display so you can see news and weather at a glance, make video calls, view compatible cameras, stream music and shows, and more.
- Small size, bigger sound – Stream your favorite music, shows, podcasts, and more from providers like Amazon Music, Spotify, and Prime Video—now with deeper bass and clearer vocals. Includes a 5.5" display so you can view shows, song titles, and more at a glance.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart devices like lights and thermostats, even while you're away.
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- See your photos on display – When not in use, set the background to a rotating slideshow of your favorite photos. Invite family and friends to share photos to your Echo Show. Prime members also get unlimited cloud photo storage.
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- Meet Echo Dot Max: Experience rich room-filling sound that automatically adapts to your space and fine-tunes playback. Features a built-in smart home hub and Omnisense technology for highly personalized experiences.
- Music to your ears: With nearly 3x the bass versus Echo Dot (2022 release), it fits beautifully in any space, delivering your personal sound stage with deep bass and enhanced clarity. Listen to streaming services, such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and SiriusXM. Encore!
- Do more with device pairing: Connect compatible Echo smart speakers and smart displays in different rooms, or pair with a second Echo Dot Max to enjoy even richer sound. Pair your Echo Dot Max with compatible Fire TV devices to create a home theater system that brings scenes to life.
- Simple smart home control: Set routines, pair and control lights, locks, and thousands of smart home devices that work with Alexa without needing a separate smart home hub. With Omnisense technology, you can activate routines via temperature or presence detection.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot Max doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
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