Moving your prompts and history between tools

What it is good at

• Solves the real, common frustration of feeling locked into a tool because of accumulated chat history.
• Gives a concrete, low-effort system (a personal prompt library) that pays off regardless of which tools you use later.
• Explains the realistic limits of data export so you do not expect a clean one-click migration that does not exist.
• Covers custom instructions and saved context specifically, which people forget to rebuild after switching.

Where it falls short

• Exported data is usually a raw file (often JSON) meant for backup or review, not a ready-to-import format for another tool.
• Export and deletion options differ between tools and change over time, so check the current menu wording in your account rather than assuming it matches this guide exactly.
• Fine-tuned behaviour a tool has "learned" about you from months of use generally cannot be transferred; only your own saved prompts and instructions can.

How to use it for creative work

1. 01

   Export your data from the tool you are leaving

   Look in Settings for an option usually named Data Controls, Export Data or similar, and request an export before cancelling or downgrading anything. Save the file somewhere outside the tool immediately.

2. 02

   Pull out what is actually reusable

   From the export, extract your custom instructions, saved prompts, and any project or persona setup text. Ignore the bulk of raw chat transcripts unless a specific conversation has content you need to reference later.

3. 03

   Keep a living prompt library outside any single tool

   Maintain your best prompts, instructions and reusable frameworks in a plain document or note system you control, organised by task type. This becomes portable across every future tool switch.

4. 04

   Rebuild your custom instructions in the new tool

   Most tools support some form of persistent custom instructions or system prompt. Paste your saved version in on day one rather than letting the new tool's default generic behaviour run for weeks first.

5. 05

   Delete your data from the old account once you're confident

   After confirming your export is complete and your library is rebuilt, use the tool's deletion option to remove your data from the account you are leaving, particularly if it contains client or personal information.

Ready-to-use prompts

I am pasting an export of my saved custom instructions and frequently used prompts from [tool name]. Organise them into a clean, categorised list by task type (writing, images, research, etc.) so I can reuse them in a different tool: [paste export content].

Here are my custom instructions from [old tool]: [paste instructions]. Rewrite them to work as a system prompt or custom instruction in [new tool name], keeping the same intent but matching that tool's typical instruction style.

I am switching from [old tool] to [new tool] for [type of work]. List the specific settings, saved prompts, custom instructions and integrations I should recreate in the new tool so I do not lose functionality.

I have an export file from [tool] in front of me. Tell me, based on how this type of export is usually structured, what sections are likely to be most useful to keep versus safe to discard.

Design a simple template for a personal prompt library document, with fields for task type, the prompt text, which tool it works best in, and notes on how to adapt it, that I can start filling in today.

Questions people ask

Can I directly import my ChatGPT history into Gemini or Claude, or the reverse?

Not directly, there is no standard cross-tool import for chat history at the time of writing, so plan to export for your own records and rebuild your working instructions manually in the new tool.

What exactly should I export before I cancel a subscription?

At minimum, your custom instructions or saved system prompts, any documents or files you uploaded, and any conversations containing information you might need again, check the export option in account settings before cancelling.

Is keeping a personal prompt library really worth the effort?

For anyone who expects to use AI tools regularly over years, yes, it is a small ongoing habit that removes almost all of the pain of switching tools later, since your instructions and workflows become independent of any one vendor.