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Posting this as a backup warning and repro-gathering thread.
This is not just a long-thread issue.
I first noticed this on a long ChatGPT conversation in Chrome, where Ctrl+A / Ctrl+C did not copy the whole transcript.
I then tested a very short chat:
4 messages total
2x2 exchange
first prompt was about 2900 bytes
Ctrl+A / Ctrl+C copied only about the last 1200 bytes
none of the first prompt was included
So the issue may involve message size, paging, mounted content, selection handling, or some mix of those. It is not limited to huge conversations.
My setup:
Chrome 148 on Linux / LMDE 7
Reproduces in Incognito with extensions disabled
Firefox behaves better for me
Observed failures so far:
In a long thread, pasted text began partway through the conversation and included some sidebar/UI text.
In a short 4-message test, it copied only the final part and missed the first prompt entirely.
In one long-thread PDF export, the beginning and later section were present, but the middle of the conversation was missing.
Chrome on Windows 11
Long ChatGPT thread
Ctrl+A / Ctrl+C pasted into Notepad and Google Docs
Result was not usable as a backup
Notepad captured scattered fragments
Google Docs mostly captured UI-like content / a ChatGPT link
Markers from beginning, middle, later, and latest sections were missing
Why this matters:
This can produce a backup that looks successful but is incomplete.
That is the dangerous part.
For project work, writing, coding, research, legal notes, medical notes, or anything important, users may believe they have saved the thread when the saved version is missing key content.
Please test before relying on Chrome copy or Chrome PDF export.
My github is lumixdeee - I will try to keep latest updates on these bugs there.
Suggested test:
Please comment with:
browser and version
OS
short or long thread
approx size of first prompt if relevant
copy target, for example Notepad, text editor, Google Docs
whether first / middle / final markers were present
whether Print / Save as PDF included the whole thread
whether Firefox behaves differently
Phrase for reporting to OpenAI:
Silent partial backup/export failure in ChatGPT conversations on Chrome.
My current advice:
Do not trust Chrome Ctrl+A copy or Chrome PDF export for ChatGPT backups unless you verify first, middle, and final markers.
Shared links are not a private local archive.
Account-wide export is not an immediate per-thread backup.
A first-party per-thread export button for Markdown / JSON would solve this properly.
Posting this as a user-warning and reproduction-gathering thread.
Issue:
Long ChatGPT conversations may not copy or export reliably in Chrome.
This matters because the failure can look successful. You may think you backed up a long project thread, but the pasted/exported artifact may be incomplete.
My setup:
Chrome 148 on Linux / LMDE 7
Long ChatGPT conversation
Reproduces in Incognito with extensions disabled
Does not reproduce in Firefox on my machine
What happens:
In my test, pasted text began partway through the thread instead of at the first message. It also included sidebar/UI text.
The PDF contained the beginning of the conversation and a later section, but the middle was missing.
This means it is not only a keyboard shortcut issue. It affects at least two user-facing backup routes.
Another user reproduced a related failure:
Chrome on Windows 11
Long ChatGPT thread
Ctrl+A / Ctrl+C pasted into Notepad and Google Docs
Result was not usable as a backup
Google Docs mostly captured a ChatGPT link / UI-like content
Notepad captured scattered fragments such as file names, image-generation notices, and recent conversation pieces
Markers from beginning, middle, later, and latest sections were missing
Likely mechanism:
A commenter said ChatGPT recently introduced paging / partial loading for long conversations, where only part of the thread is loaded and more content loads as you scroll.
That may explain the behavior.
But even if paging is intended for performance, silent partial backup is still a bug from the user side.
If Ctrl+A only copies the mounted portion, the app should warn the user.
If Print / Save as PDF only renders loaded portions, the app should warn the user.
If the full thread exists server-side, there should be a first-party per-thread export button.
Why this is serious:
For long-form project work, ChatGPT threads can become working archives: decisions, drafts, code, reasoning, rejected options, research notes, and context.
The worst case is not “no backup.”
The worst case is an incomplete backup that looks complete.
Current workaround:
Do not trust Chrome copy or Chrome PDF export for long ChatGPT threads unless you verify the result.
Test your backup by checking:
first message
middle marker
later marker
final message
Firefox currently works better for me, but still verify every dump.
Shared links are not a private local archive.
Account-wide export is not an immediate per-thread backup.
Please test:
Browser and version
OS
Long or short thread
Copy target, for example Notepad, text editor, Google Docs
Whether Ctrl+A / Ctrl+C gets first, middle, later, and final markers
Whether Print / Save as PDF includes the whole thread
Whether Firefox behaves differently
Suggested phrase for reporting to OpenAI:
Silent partial backup/export failure in long ChatGPT conversations on Chrome.
Reported to OpenAI support already. More repro reports will help show this is not one user’s setup.
My github is lumixdeee - I will try to keep latest updates on these bugs there.
I am posting this as a backup warning for anyone doing serious work in long ChatGPT conversations.
On my setup, long ChatGPT threads in Chrome are not backing up reliably.
Setup:
Chrome 148 on Linux / LMDE 7
Long ChatGPT conversation
Reproduces in Incognito with extensions disabled
Does not reproduce in Firefox
Bug 1:
Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C does not copy the whole conversation.
It may copy only part of the transcript, sometimes starting in the middle, and may also include sidebar UI text.
Bug 2:
Chrome Print / Save as PDF also failed.
The PDF contained the beginning and a later section of the chat, but the middle of the conversation was missing.
Why this matters:
This is worse than no export button. It can make you think you have backed up a long project chat when the backup is incomplete.
Shared links are not a private local archive. Account data export is not an immediate per-chat backup.
Current workaround:
Use Firefox for manual long-chat dumps, then verify the pasted/exported text by checking:
first message
middle marker
final message
Do not assume Chrome copy or Chrome PDF export captured the full thread unless you manually verify it.
I reported this to OpenAI support. The issue was escalated, but I have not yet received a useful response.
If you use ChatGPT for project work, writing, coding, research notes, or anything you cannot afford to lose, test your own backup method now.
My github is lumixdeee - I will try to keep latest updates on these bugs there.
Useful checks for anyone testing this:
Please comment with browser, OS, whether the thread was long, and whether Firefox behaves differently.
The dangerous case is not obvious failure. It is a backup that looks complete but is missing the middle.
Chrome paging may cause incomplete long-chat backups.
Users are not warned.
Copy and PDF can both look successful while missing content.
Even if paging is intended for performance, silent partial export is still a serious bug.
One of the massive first Turkish Delight blooms was sagging so I tore out the center petals, bit off the bitter bases, tore up the rest over the bowl, adds a lovely note to the dish.
12GB is my vram limit
otherwise, I have access to a 192GB 5200mhz ddr5 machine and am prepared to wait for good answers from it, so how slow really is it to run a large 100GB+ model on this slow ram?
I'm lumixdeee on github if you want to laugh along at my attempts to LLM
