ChatGPT: Why Uploaded Files Are expiring quickly ?

Over the past few days, a growing number of users have been reporting a frustrating new issue with ChatGPT: uploaded documents are expiring almost immediately, sometimes within hours, sometimes within minutes, and in certain cases instantly after upload.

ChatGPT: Why Uploaded Files Are No Longer Staying Available 2026

For many, this change has disrupted long-term workflows. Users who rely on ChatGPT to analyse files, extract information, and continue projects over days or weeks are now finding that previously uploaded documents cannot be accessed again, forcing frequent re-uploads.

This blog consolidates user experiences and observations to understand why this is happening, what may have changed, and how some users have temporarily solved it.

How Users Are Experiencing the File Expiry Issue

Until recently, users of ChatGPT on Mac, iPad and iPhone could upload a file, keep it in an ongoing chat, and return to it days or even weeks later without losing access. This made ChatGPT a reliable workspace for long-term projects, writing assistance and document analysis.

Now the experience has changed:

Files expire after a few hours instead of staying available for days.
ChatGPT requests re-uploads even when a project is still active.
Some users are told documents are expired immediately after upload.
Re-uploading works temporarily, but expires again quickly.
Even files containing no private or sensitive information are affected.

For users in the European Union, ChatGPT sometimes indicates that this change is related to privacy and data protection rules.

Why Frequent Document Expiry in ChatGPT ?

Many users report that this behaviour started recently. Previously, ChatGPT retained files for ongoing reference across long sessions. Now, even when a chat is active, the system replies that the document is no longer available due to expiration.

Some users experiencing this problem also noted that their ChatGPT memory capacity was full, which raised the question of whether the two issues are connected.

One user cleared out their stored memories and saw partial improvement. Another found that online discussions remained intact only after opening a new chat session. Although this does not guarantee a permanent fix, the behaviour suggests some relationship between:

Full or overloaded memory storage,
Old conversation threads,
Expiring attachments within ongoing chats.

This is not yet confirmed as a universal solution, but reports indicate that memory management or starting a new chat may help.

Possible Cause: Updated File Retention Policy

ChatGPT has mentioned to some users that uploaded files now expire within a short window, usually for privacy compliance. Document expiration may be tied to security-driven changes where files are not stored beyond a minimal active period, especially in regions with strong data protection regulations.

Whether this is permanent or temporary is unclear, but it marks a shift from how ChatGPT handled attachments previously.

How to fix ChatGPT Uploaded Files Are No Longer Staying Available

At this point, there is no official universal fix, but users have found workarounds that helped reduce file expiration problems:

1. Start a New Chat Thread

Opening a fresh conversation has improved file persistence for multiple users.

2. Clear or Reduce ChatGPT Memory Storage

Deleting stored memories (especially when memory is at 100 percent) seems to help prevent instant expiry.

3. Avoid Stacked Uploads in Old Chats

Older or heavily used threads appear more likely to trigger expiration behaviour.

While not guaranteed, these steps have offered temporary relief for some users.

Conclusion

The sudden expiration of uploaded documents in ChatGPT is affecting users who work on long-term files and projects. While prior uploads could be accessed weeks later, recent behaviour shows that files may now expire within hours or even minutes. The change appears related to privacy and file retention policies, with memory capacity and chat age possibly influencing the issue.

Starting a new chat and managing memory usage has, in some cases, reduced the problem. Until an official update or clarification is released, these remain the most effective user-tested approaches.

If you rely on persistent file uploads, monitoring this behaviour and adapting workflow may be necessary.