Memory across conversations

Test whether consumer Grok carries a harmless working preference into a new conversation, and learn how to recover when it does not. Grok advertises memory across chats, but this guide treats recall as something to verify. It does not describe memory in the separate Grok Bot app.

Before you start

• A signed-in account on grok.com or in an official Grok app. Use the same account for both test conversations.
• One harmless, stable preference to test, such as British spelling and a short checklist at the end of a draft.
• A separate note containing that preference, so you can paste it again if recall fails. Do not use passwords, customer information or changing business facts as test material.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

4 out of 10

Estimated completion time

20–40 minutes

Skills you’ll need: Define a recognizable preference, test recall in a fresh conversation, and keep a reliable brief outside the chat.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

A stable writing preference can help recurring drafts sound more consistent. Testing recall and retaining your own brief keeps important brand instructions available even when cross-chat memory misses them.

1. 1

   Step 1: Choose one preference you can recognise

   Use a preference whose effect you can see in the next answer. For example: when drafting café announcements for me, use British spelling and finish with a three-item review checklist.

   Keep this separate from changing facts such as opening hours, stock or prices. Even if Grok remembers something you once said, you still need to provide current facts when they matter.

2. 2

   Step 2: Introduce it in a first conversation

   Start a Grok chat and send the filled-in prompt below. Ask for a short example so you can check that Grok understood your preference in the current conversation.

   Read the example. If the checklist has the wrong length or the wording does not fit your preference, correct it now. An acknowledgment that something was remembered is not proof it will be available in another chat.

   Tip: This is a recall test, not a claim that any particular wording forces Grok to save a permanent memory.

   Illustrated exampleTurn a preference into something you can check

   1 First chat · set a testable preference

   For café announcements:use British spellingfinish with a 3-item review checklist

   Show me a short sample so I can check.

   ✓ Inspect the result

   DRAFT · CINNAMON BUNS

   Our cinnamon buns are a new weekend favourite. Pop in and try one.

   Review01   Clear announcement02   British spelling03   No unprovided details

   Recognisable effects are easier to verify than “I’ll remember.”

3. 3

   Step 3: Test recall in a genuinely new chat

   Open a new conversation on the same signed-in account. Do not continue the original thread, paste its transcript or repeat the preference in your next request. Those would test the context you just supplied rather than recall across conversations.

   Ask: draft a short announcement that our café is introducing a cinnamon bun this weekend. Use no prices, opening hours or claims about ingredients. Then inspect whether the answer follows the spelling and checklist preference from the first chat.

   You can also ask which writing preferences Grok is using, but judge the actual output. An assistant’s description of its memory is not an independent record of what was stored.

   Illustrated exampleSeparate recall from the context you just supplied

   Original conversation

   PreferenceBritish spelling
   3-item checklist

   Context is present here

   ↗New chatsame account

   Fresh conversation

   Draft a short announcement for our cinnamon bun this weekend. No prices, hours or ingredient claims.

   Check the answer forBritish spelling ?3 checklist items ?

   Preference is not repeated in the request

   ✓ Judge the draft itself; a claim about memory is not proof of recall.

4. 4

   Step 4: Recover without guessing what was saved

   If Grok misses or misstates the preference, paste your separate note and ask it to rewrite the draft using that note. Check the corrected output. This gives you a usable result even when cross-chat recall is absent or inconsistent.

   If you cannot find memory controls in your account, consult current in-product help rather than following an old screenshot. This guide does not assume a universal switch, a particular plan or worldwide availability for memory.

   To replace an outdated preference for the current task, state the new instruction explicitly. For example: for this announcement use American spelling and no checklist. That corrects this task; it does not establish that a stored memory was edited or deleted.

   Illustrated exampleRecover from a miss with your written brief

   New chat resultMissed or misstated?Spelling or checklist does not match the note.

   ≡

   Use your separate noteBritish spelling · three-item checklist

   →

   ✓

   Ask for a rewriteCheck the corrected draft against the brief

   Keep these separateTask instruction≠verified memory edit or deletion

5. 5

   Step 5: Keep a reliable brief outside the chat

   Record whether the new conversation applied the preference unaided, and keep the short preference note with your working brief. Repeat important requirements in future tasks even after a successful test.

   Grok’s memory can help with continuity, but an observed success in one chat does not guarantee future recall. If you want to review or remove stored personal information, use the account’s current data controls and help. Do not treat a reply saying forgotten as confirmation of deletion.

My working preference for [type of writing] is [one harmless, stable preference]. Please use it for the example below, and for future chats if your memory feature supports that. Do not claim that it is permanently saved unless you can substantiate that.

Write a short sample about [a fictional or non-sensitive topic] so I can check whether you understood the preference. Use only these facts: [facts for the sample].