In Claude, open Settings, then Account, then Delete Account, and confirm. Anthropic removes the account and its conversations, with backend deletion completing within 30 days. Request your data export from Privacy settings first, because conversations and Projects cannot be recovered afterwards.
Short answer
In Claude, open Settings, then Account, then Delete Account, and confirm. Anthropic removes the account and its conversations, with backend deletion completing within 30 days. Request your data export from Privacy settings first, because conversations and Projects cannot be recovered afterwards.
Step by step
Export your conversations: Settings, then Privacy, then Export Data. Anthropic emails a download link containing your conversation history as JSON. Wait for it to arrive before going further.
Save your Projects knowledge: Project files and custom instructions are not always fully represented in the export. Download anything you uploaded to a Project directly from that Project.
Cancel your Pro subscription: Settings, then Billing, then Cancel plan. Cancel before deleting so the subscription does not renew during the process.
Delete the account: Settings, then Account, then Delete Account. You confirm in a dialog, and access ends immediately.
Claude account deletion is more straightforward than ChatGPT's, with one shared trap: the export has to happen first.
What goes
Conversations, Projects and their uploaded knowledge files, custom styles, and your profile all go with the account. Anthropic states that deleted conversation data is removed from backend systems within 30 days, with the usual carve outs for legal retention and for conversations flagged in trust and safety reviews, which are retained longer.
What to save before you go
Conversations: the Privacy settings export covers these.
Project files: download the originals from each Project. These are your own documents and are easy to overlook.
Artifacts: code and documents produced in the Artifacts pane are inside conversations, but copying important ones out separately is safer.
The export is JSON, so convert it
Claude's export arrives as structured JSON, which is fine for a machine and useless for reading. Converting it into Word, PDF, or Markdown gives you a folder of readable conversations, one file per chat, searchable with the tools you already use. If you are deleting the account because you are moving to a different assistant, having the archive in Markdown makes it easy to paste relevant history into the new tool and carry your context across.
Deleting versus clearing
If the goal is a clean history rather than leaving Anthropic, you can delete conversations individually from the sidebar, and turn off the setting that allows your chats to be used for model improvement. That gets most of the privacy benefit without losing the account.
Frequently asked questions
Can I recover a deleted Claude account?
No. Deletion is permanent and conversations cannot be restored once confirmed.
Does deleting my Claude account cancel Pro billing?
Cancel the plan first. Deletion does not reliably trigger a refund for the remainder of a paid period.
How long does Anthropic keep my data after deletion?
Backend deletion completes within 30 days, apart from data retained for legal reasons or flagged in safety reviews.
Are Project files included in the export?
Not always in full. Download uploaded knowledge files directly from each Project before deleting.