Conversation history
Also called chat history, message history.
Conversation history is the record of earlier messages, and in some products tool activity, that an app saves so you can reopen or search it.
Example
You ask which venue was agreed last month. If that exchange is no longer in the active contextContext is the information available to an AI model for a particular response, including instructions, conversation, supplied material, and tool results., the assistant has to retrieve it or you have to paste it again. Storing it is not the same as using it.
- Conversation historyThe saved record of earlier messages.
- MemoryChosen facts or summaries kept for later chats.
- ContextWhat this one response can actually use.
Why it matters
Saving a conversation and using it are separate steps. Only the part of the history that is supplied or retrieved for the current response becomes part of the model's contextContext is the information available to an AI model for a particular response, including instructions, conversation, supplied material, and tool results..
That is why an assistant can miss something you can still scroll back and see. The message is in the record, but it may not be in front of the model right now.
Common confusion
History is a record. Memory is selected facts or summaries saved separately. Deleting a chat and deleting a saved memory can be different controls, and retention rules differ by product.
Sources
Updated October 1, 2026.