> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://elephas.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Manage Your Chat History

> Start new chats, rename or delete old ones, and learn where Elephas keeps your chat history, who can see it, and how it syncs between your own computers.

Every question you ask is saved in a chat, listed in the sidebar while Ask is open. You can start a new chat at any time, rename one, or delete it. Your chats are stored on your computer, in Elephas's encrypted database, and sync only to your own devices if you turn on Personal Sync.

## Before you start

Chats belong to a workspace. You see the chats of the workspace you are in: your Personal workspace, or a Team workspace. Switch workspaces with the workspace switcher at the top of the sidebar.

## Steps

### Start a new chat

Click **New Chat** at the top of the sidebar, press ⌘N on Mac or Ctrl+N on Windows, or choose **Chat › New Chat**. Elephas opens an empty chat with your current Brains chosen.

A chat is saved when you send its first question. Its title is the start of that question.

### Find an old chat

Click **Ask** in the sidebar (⌘2 on Mac, Ctrl+2 on Windows). Your chats are listed newest first under **Today**, **Yesterday**, **Previous 7 days** and **Earlier**. Click one to open it. Home also lists your recent questions under **Last Asked**.

A chat you open keeps the Brains and documents it was asked about, so a follow-up searches the same place.

### Rename a chat

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the chat's menu">
    Do one of these:

    * Click **⋯** next to the chat's title in the bar at the top.
    * Click **⋯** on the selected chat in the sidebar, or right-click any chat in the sidebar.
    * With the chat open, choose **Chat › Rename Chat…**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Type the new title">
    Choose **Rename**, type a title and click **Rename**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Delete a chat

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the chat's menu">
    Use any of the menus above, or choose **Chat › Delete Chat…**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Choose **Delete**. Elephas asks **Delete Chat?** and explains that its messages and citations are removed and that this cannot be undone. Click **Delete**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Deleting a chat removes the questions and answers. It does not touch your documents or Brains.

The steps are the same on Mac and Windows. Only the shortcut keys differ.

## How it works

### Where your chats are stored

Your chats, their answers and their citations are stored on your computer, in the same encrypted database as your Brains and index. They are not kept on an Elephas server. See [Where your data is stored](/docs/privacy-and-security/where-your-data-is-stored).

When you ask a question with Elephas AI or your own API key, the question and a few recent messages from that chat are sent to get the answer. Your other chats are never sent. See [What data is sent to AI](/docs/privacy-and-security/what-data-is-sent-to-ai).

### Whether chats sync

* **Personal workspace, Sync off:** chats stay on this computer only.
* **Personal workspace, Sync on:** finished chats sync to your other devices, end-to-end encrypted. Deleting a chat on one device deletes it on the others. Answers still being written are never synced. See [What syncs](/docs/sync-and-devices/what-syncs).
* **Team workspace:** your chats are private to you. Other members, Admins and the Team Owner can't read them, even when you ask about a shared Team Brain. See [Team Brains](/docs/teams/team-brains).

### Chats are separate per workspace

A chat can only use Brains from its own workspace. You can't mix a Team Brain and a Personal Brain in one chat. That keeps one client's or one company's material from mixing with another's.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="A chat I had is missing">
    Check the workspace switcher. Chats from your Personal workspace don't appear in a Team workspace, and the other way round. If you use Personal Sync, a chat deleted on another device is deleted here too. See [Sync troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting/sync-troubleshooting).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Rename Chat… and Delete Chat… are greyed out">
    They act on the chat that is open. Open a saved chat first. A new chat has nothing to rename until you send its first question.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A chat says A Brain in this question's scope is no longer available">
    A Brain the chat used was deleted, or you lost access to it. Choose other Brains in **Choose Brains & files** to keep asking in this chat.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Ask questions about your documents" href="/docs/ask/ask-questions-about-your-documents" />

  <Card title="What syncs" href="/docs/sync-and-devices/what-syncs" />

  <Card title="Where your data is stored" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/where-your-data-is-stored" />

  <Card title="Keyboard shortcuts" href="/docs/ask/keyboard-shortcuts" />
</CardGroup>


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