Admin guide
Nightschool AI: Gemini app conversation history and retention, for Workspace admins
Record the disagreement, then settle it on Google's page.
A relayed Google Workspace support reply says work account history is saved by default for 18 months, and admins can choose 3, 18 or 36 months or turn history off. Other answers differ on what history off keeps and on deletion, so confirm on Google's Gemini Apps activity page.
Published
Key Takeaways
- An admin found the setting under Generative AI, Gemini app, Gemini conversation history.
- A relayed support reply gives 18 months by default, with 3, 18 or 36 months or off.
- What history off keeps, and whether users can delete chats, is disputed.
- Mark the disputed items NEEDS-LIVE-CHECK until Google's page confirms them.
The full guide
Tap any section to open it.
About this guide
This page is for the admin asked how long the Gemini app keeps staff chats in Google Workspace and whether people can delete them. The saved community answers do not agree on every point, so this page shows the path, the numbers each source gives, and what to confirm before you write a retention policy.
SettingWhere the setting lives
In November 2025 an admin gave this path: "Admin Console > Generative AI > Gemini app > Gemini conversation history > Enable Gemini conversation history (Uncheck to turn Gemini history off)."
In March 2026 an admin relayed a Google Workspace support reply: "When you use the Gemini web app or mobile app with your work or school account, conversation history is saved by default for 18 months. Your admin can change the auto-delete setting to delete activity after 3, 18, or 36 months or turn history off altogether."
DisputedWhat the sources disagree on
History off: a volunteer Product Expert wrote "Conversations are temporarily saved for up to 72 hours for safety and service provision, even with history turned off." An admin who unchecked the setting reported: "As far as I can tell, it makes no difference. Chats are still saved..."
Admin access period: another volunteer wrote "The Google Workspace admin can also access this data for up to 36 months, depending on the retention policy." That sentence is about access, not the default, and it does not match every other answer.
Deletion: the relayed support reply said "When using Gemini Apps with a work or school account, you can’t turn off Keep Activity or delete your chats or activity." Answers from 2024 to 2026 disagree on whether a delete option exists, so treat user deletion as open.
ChecklistChecklist you can copy
Fill this in for your retention record.
1. Path
Write the exact Admin console path you see today.
2. Value
Write the retention you chose, after reading Google's page.
3. History off
Note what turning history off keeps; it is disputed.
4. Deletion
Note whether users can delete chats; it is disputed.
5. Owner
Name who owns the setting, such as the records manager.
6. Google page
Confirm on support.google.com/gemini/answer/14620100 and write the date.
SourcesWhere each fact comes from
Saved Google pages: support.google.com/a/thread/389311631/i-m-a-super-admin-but-still-i-can-t-delete-gemini-history?hl=en; support.google.com/a/thread/418465183/is-there-any-way-to-delete-the-conversations-with-gemini-in-workspace?hl=en; support.google.com/a/thread/370774913/can-an-organization-admin-view-details-of-an-individual-s-gemini-chat?hl=en; support.google.com/a/thread/390850907/super-admin-delete-button-missing-in-gemini-chat-cannot-find-history-settings?hl=en; support.google.com/a/thread/275951251/cannot-turn-off-gemini-apps-activity?hl=en.
Community threads are answered mostly by volunteers. The forum says: "This forum is mostly monitored and managed by Product Experts which are not Google employees."
Each thread also carries Google's note: "Community content may not be verified or up-to-date." Treat them as leads and the Google Help Center page as the judge.
Not in the saved pages and marked NEEDS-LIVE-CHECK: Google's Gemini Apps activity page (support.google.com/gemini/answer/14620100), for the default, the options, history off and deletion.
Train the admins, then the people they support
This page covers one admin question. The Nightschool AI admin and governance course walks the whole setup of Google's Gemini for Google Workspace in order: editions, turning it on by organizational unit, Workspace data, Gemini app history, who can see chats, extensions and agents, work versus personal accounts, and a settings map, with every step checked against Google's own Help Center pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the Gemini app keep chats for Workspace users?
A relayed Google Workspace support reply says 18 months by default, with 3, 18 or 36 months or history off. Other answers differ, so confirm on Google's Gemini Apps activity page.
Where is the setting?
An admin gave: Admin Console, Generative AI, Gemini app, Gemini conversation history, Enable Gemini conversation history.
What happens when history is turned off?
Disputed. A volunteer wrote conversations are kept up to 72 hours for safety and service provision; an admin reported chats still seemed to be saved.
Can staff delete a single Gemini chat?
A relayed support reply said work or school users cannot delete chats or activity. Other answers disagree, so treat it as open.
Is 36 months the default?
No source here says so. One volunteer wrote admins can access data for up to 36 months, depending on the retention policy.
What goes in the retention policy?
The value you chose, the Google page you read it on, the date, and the disputed items marked open.
Keep going
Related Guides and Courses
Set it up once, write it down, then teach it
Write the value, the owner, the Google page and the date, and list what is still disputed.
Nightschool AI is independent and not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Google. Gemini and Google Workspace are Google's products, named here only to describe them. Facts are quoted from saved public Google pages read on 2026-11-08: one Google Workspace blog post and Google Workspace Admin Community threads, which are not Google documentation. Confirm on Google's Help Center before you change a setting.