You're deep in a ChatGPT conversation, getting the perfect explanation for something technical. It clicks. You get it. Three weeks later you need that exact explanation again and... it's gone. Buried in your chat history somewhere. Or worse, it was in a temporary chat that vanished.

I've re-asked the same questions at least 50 times this year. Debugging patterns I already solved. React hooks I already figured out. API examples I already got perfect responses for.

Here's every method I've tried to save ChatGPT responses, what actually works, and what's a waste of time.

Method 1: Screenshots

This is what everyone does first. See a good response, hit screenshot, save to desktop or photos.

Pros:

• Dead simple. No setup needed
• Captures formatting and code blocks nicely
• Works on phone or desktop

Cons:

• Can't search through images later. You're scrolling through hundreds of screenshots trying to find that one explanation about JWT tokens
• Takes up storage space fast (my screenshots folder hit 2GB before I gave up on this)
• Zero organization unless you're really disciplined with folders

Best for: Casual users who save maybe 5 responses per month max.

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Method 2: Copy-Paste to Notes

Grab the response text, paste into Apple Notes, Notion, Google Docs — wherever you keep stuff.

Pros:

• Searchable. Huge upgrade from screenshots
• Can add your own context or tags
• Works across all your devices if you use cloud notes

Cons:

• Manual every single time. Gets old fast
• Loses formatting. Code blocks become messy text blocks
• You actually have to remember to do it (I forgot 80% of the time)

Best for: People who already live in Notion or Obsidian and have the discipline to copy-paste consistently.

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Method 3: Bookmark Conversations

ChatGPT lets you bookmark chats. Just star the conversation and it stays at the top.

Pros:

• Built into ChatGPT, nothing to install
• Keeps the full conversation context
• Pretty fast to access

Cons:

• You're bookmarking entire chats, not specific responses. That 45-message conversation about React patterns? Good luck finding the exact response you need
• Bookmarks pile up. After a month you have 30 starred chats and you're back to searching
• Doesn't work for temporary chats at all (they disappear forever)

Best for: People who have focused conversations about one topic per chat and don't mind scrolling through long threads.

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Method 4: Chat Export Extensions

There are extensions that let you export entire ChatGPT conversations to text files or Markdown.

Pros:

• Backs up everything. Nothing gets lost
• Some let you export to Notion or other tools
• One-click for the whole chat

Cons:

• You're exporting massive walls of text. That 20-minute productivity chat? It's now a 3000-word document
• Finding specific responses means Ctrl+F through files. Not much better than searching chat history
• Most don't handle temporary chats since those aren't saved in your history

Best for: People who want complete backups and don't mind spending time searching later.

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Method 5: Save Individual Responses (With Context)

Here's what I actually needed: save specific responses I care about, tag them so I can find them later, and keep working without breaking flow.

That's why I built Savelore after losing the same debugging solution for the third time in a month.

How it works:

• Click save on any ChatGPT or Claude response worth keeping
• Add tags ("javascript", "debugging", "react hooks")
• Optionally add a description so you remember why it mattered
• Search through everything later with full-text search
• Jump back to the original conversation if you need more context

What makes it different:

• Works in temporary chats — those responses don't vanish anymore
• Saves responses, not entire chats — your library stays clean and focused
• Actually searchable — by content, tags, or your own descriptions
• Local-first — everything stored on your machine, nothing goes to external servers
• Zero friction — one click to save, 5 seconds to tag

Downsides:

• Requires installing a Chrome extension
• Free version caps at 25 saves (then $6/month for unlimited)
• Chrome/Edge only for now

Over 130 people use it daily to build their personal AI knowledge libraries instead of re-asking the same questions.

Best for: Anyone using ChatGPT or Claude daily who's sick of losing good responses or re-asking the same questions.

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Which Method Should You Use?

If you use ChatGPT casually (few times per week): Screenshots or copy-paste probably work fine.

If you're already organized in Notion/Obsidian: Stick with copy-pasting into your system.

If you want complete conversation archives: Use an export extension.

If you use AI tools daily and keep losing responses you need: Save individual responses with something like Savelore so you can actually find them later.

The worst option is doing nothing and re-asking the same questions forever. Pick a method that matches how you actually work, not how you wish you worked.

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The Real Cost of Not Saving Responses

I tracked this for a month:

• Re-asked the same questions: 12 times
• Time wasted getting answers I already had: ~4 hours
• Responses I remembered existed but couldn't find: 20+

That's just one month. Multiply that across a year and you're losing days of productivity.

The goal isn't to save everything. It's to save the stuff you know you'll need again so you're not starting from zero every time.

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Stop re-asking the same questions. Try Savelore free — 25 saves to start, then $6/month for unlimited.