I easily switched from ChatGPT to Gemini, but going the other way around is a nightmare

20 Sep 2026, 12:30 by Marvin Velasco · Android Police

My ChatGPT subscription recently ended, and I decided to give Gemini a go as my full-time AI assistant.

I have the paid version of Gemini through my Google AI Plus plan. It comes with a higher usage limit and additional productivity features, so the relocation seemed logical.

Migrating my data from ChatGPT to Gemini was seamless. Exporting from the former and importing to the latter took only a few taps.

Out of curiosity, I tried transferring my data the other way around, from Gemini to ChatGPT. The process was a lot more cumbersome.

I used ChatGPT and Gemini side-by-side for a month on Android, and only one behaved like a senior AI tool

30 days later, one feels like an intern

Posts 13
By Parth Shah

ChatGPT to Gemini data migration couldn't be any easier

Anyone could do it

While I could start using Gemini from scratch, carrying over chats from ChatGPT gives the AI bot added context for my prompts and response preferences. It's like sharing notes in class.

ChatGPT's export tool is concealed in the settings, but takes only a few steps to access:

Open the ChatGPT app.
Tap on your profile to open the settings menu.
Select Data Controls.
Choose Export Data.
Wait for ChatGPT to email you the ZIP file.

It can take anywhere from a couple of hours to several days to receive the ZIP file containing your data. In my case, I received the email from ChatGPT after about 30 hours.

There's no need to unzip the file. You can upload it to Gemini through Settings > Import memory to Gemini. Under Import chats, attach your ZIP file and wait for Gemini to add your transcripts to its library.

To import personal data from another AI service, use Gemini's pre-made prompt. Copy the prompt from Import memory to Gemini and submit it to the other AI chatbot. Provide Gemini with this response to include the data in its memory of you.

All of my ChatGPT chats were dumped into Gemini's history. Gemini labels imported chats with an icon to the right of each title, so you can easily identify the origin.

Unfortunately, the chats don't follow a chronological order, so the oldest ChatGPT chat slots above the latest Gemini chat.

To keep things organized, I created a new Gemini Notebook called Chats from ChatGPT and moved my most important chats. This helps contextualize prompts on Gemini that would otherwise have been answered more fluidly by ChatGPT.

Taking the other route takes more work

ChatGPT makes you do most of it

Exporting data from Gemini and importing to ChatGPT is more tedious. I first exported my Gemini data using Google Takeout. I received the ZIP file within an hour, but ChatGPT didn't have an easy way to use it.

Unlike Gemini, ChatGPT can't import chats or memories from a ZIP file. You could unzip the contents and upload them via ChatGPT's chatbot, but it would take several chats and prompts to pull it off.

I asked Gemini and ChatGPT for alternative methods. Sadly, they all involved several steps.

One suggested method is to export important Gemini chats to Google Docs and convert them into PDFs:

Open the Gemini thread.
Select the answer you want to export.
Open the three-dot menu below the answer.
Choose Export to Docs.

From there, you can add more context to the Google Docs file and convert it into a PDF for easier uploading to ChatGPT. This would take a long time to perform if you have a lot of chats.

You could use ChatGPT's Temporary Chat mode to upload files and check how the bot reacts to data importation without affecting other memories.

Select Unpersonalized to clear any memory or custom instruction for a clean slate.

If you're satisfied with prompt-based context transfer, ask Gemini to generate a summary of your chats and projects.

For example, you could tell Gemini to summarize your preferences, ongoing projects, and specific instructions into a prompt that's compatible with ChatGPT's custom instructions.

You can find ChatGPT's prompt box in Settings > Personalization > Custom instructions. Paste Gemini's summary here so it enters ChatGPT's memory.

I tested open source AI alternatives against ChatGPT and Gemini; this local tool proved most reliable

Nothing is more reliable than pure offline use

Posts By Faith Leroux

AI data transfer tools aren't that intelligent

Migrating data from one AI assistant to another isn't a daily or even weekly affair. I'll take my chats to another service only when Gemini no longer fulfills my needs.

Having several AI services to choose from is a blessing. Transferring data from one bot to another, on the other hand, is sometimes unpleasant.

By the time my Gemini plan expires and I'm ready to try something new, I hope Google and its rivals make the migration process more straightforward. It might not be in their best interest, but it certainly is in mine.