Free Claude users can now use memory and import context from rivals

Zac Hall | Mar 2 2026 - 2:46 pm PT

Anthropic is taking advantage of Claude’s recent increase in mindshare with a new memory import tool to encourage switching from competing AI chatbot systems.

Claude’s memory feature is also available for free tier users for the first time after launching last summer.

“Memory is now available on the free plan,” Anthropic announced today. “We’ve also made it easier to import saved memories into Claude. You can export them whenever you want.”

The memory import tool is pretty basic. In fact, it’s just a prompt that you copy and paste into another AI chatbot system. Anthropic then instructs you to copy and paste the results from the other chatbot into Claude’s memory settings.

This is the prompt Anthropic provides users:

I’m moving to another service and need to export my data. List every memory you have stored about me, as well as any context you’ve learned about me from past conversations. Output everything in a single code block so I can easily copy it.

Format each entry as: [date saved, if available] – memory content.

Make sure to cover all of the following — preserve my words verbatim where possible:

Instructions I’ve given you about how to respond (tone, format, style, ‘always do X’, ‘never do Y’).

Personal details: name, location, job, family, interests.

Projects, goals, and recurring topics.

Tools, languages, and frameworks I use.

Preferences and corrections I’ve made to your behavior.

Any other stored context not covered above. Do not summarize, group, or omit any entries.

After the code block, confirm whether that is the complete set or if any remain.

This prompt, of course, could be used to switch in any direction between AI chatbot systems with memory. Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini each support custom instructions and memory features.