Saving a Loved One’s Chatbot Records

You do not have to read the chats to keep them. Leave accounts and devices as they are, and a lawyer can help get records. Call or text 988 for support.

Who can I talk to while I do this?

Going through a loved one’s things can be very hard. You can call, text or chat 988 at any hour, for yourself or someone you are worried about. AFSP also lists suicide loss support groups, including online groups.

You do not have to do any of this right away or alone. A friend, a family member or a lawyer can help with the steps below.

Do I have to read the chats?

No. You can keep the records without opening them. A lawyer can review them later, if that is ever needed.

It can help to have one person handle the records while others step back. Do what feels right for you.

What should we avoid doing with the account and devices?

If you can, do not delete the app, the account or any chats. OpenAI says an export cannot bring back chats that were already deleted. Keep phones, tablets and computers somewhere safe.

Ask a lawyer before you sign in to a loved one’s account or change its settings. California’s digital assets law says a person acting for the estate may not use that role to pretend to be the user.

Do not try to reset a locked phone. Apple says it cannot remove a passcode lock without erasing the device.

If police took a phone or other belongings, AFSP says to ask for a list of what they took. It says families have the right to get those things back once the investigation is complete.

What if the account is yours, or your living teen’s?

You can ask the company for a copy. For ChatGPT, OpenAI’s help page lists two ways. You can use Export in Settings, under Data controls, or ask through its Privacy Portal. You may need the email or phone number on the account.

OpenAI says to use the Privacy Portal if you cannot sign in. It says you cannot export by yourself from a ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Healthcare workspace.

Our main guide explains how long an export takes and when the download link expires. Save the file somewhere private.

What about Character.AI or other apps?

Leave the app and account in place, and ask a lawyer to ask for the records. We could not confirm if Character.AI offers a chat export. Its help pages would not load for us on October 5, 2026.

In March 2025, Character.AI said its weekly parent reports showed time spent and the characters used most, but not chat content. So those reports are unlikely to hold the chats.

What if my loved one has died and we cannot get into the account?

There are legal routes, but they take paperwork. In California, the person who handles the estate can ask for a loved one’s messages. The company must share them if your loved one agreed, such as in a will or online tool, or a court orders it.

The request needs to be in writing, with a certified death certificate and proof of the role, such as the court’s letter naming the representative, a small-estate affidavit or a court order. Once the company has every paper the law lists, it has 60 days to act. A court can order it to comply, and a company may also require a court order.

Even without the messages themselves, the representative may be able to ask for a list of who the person messaged and when.

California’s law does not make companies share passwords or unlock protected devices.

Apple says that in the U.S. you can ask for some of the data in a deceased person’s Apple Account with a court order that names you as the rightful heir. Some data is end-to-end encrypted, and Apple cannot unlock it.

If your loved one set up an Apple Legacy Contact, that person can ask for access with the access key and a death certificate.

Google says it may close a deceased person’s account at a family’s request and, in some cases, share content. It says it cannot later turn over the contents of an account it has closed, so ask a lawyer before you close any account.

Which other records can help?

Medical and counseling records may help. After a death, the person in charge of the estate can usually ask for them. Health privacy rules keep those records private for 50 years after death.

A provider may charge reasonable costs for copying and mailing, but not for finding the records. There is no right to a therapist’s separate session notes.

What happens when we share records with a lawyer?

A lawyer can tell you which records matter and how to keep them private. Keep your originals. Get any fee terms in writing.

In California, a contract that pays a lawyer a share of what you recover must be in writing and signed by both of you. It must say the fee is not set by law and can be negotiated.

Support is there whenever you need it: call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org.