01 / Check three important habits before calling it done
After an import, check the three preferences you care about most and give Claude a small task that needs them. A completion message does not tell you which details were stored accurately or used correctly.
This is an import-and-verification guide for Claude's consumer product, not a Claude Code configuration guide. We checked official documentation on October 5, 2026. We have not run a migration experiment on a signed-in account, and we do not report a retention percentage.
02 / Use the flow that matches your interface
Claude documents imports on web and desktop for Free, Pro, Max, and Team. In the newer interface, use Settings → Memory → Start import. In the legacy interface, use Memory under Settings → Capabilities. Imports remain experimental and can omit information.
If the entry is missing, check the account, workspace, client, and interface you are using. For an organization account, also check its applicable controls. Another product carrying the Claude name is not evidence that the same interface exists there.
03 / Prepare a small set you can audit
Start with three to five entries you have reviewed yourself. A small batch makes changes in meaning easier to notice. Use the personal-brief guide to gather candidates, then remove stale projects and unconfirmed guesses.
The fictional entries below have labels for your own checklist. Those labels are not a required Claude format. If the old assistant cannot access some history, leave it marked unavailable rather than filling the gap with a plausible profile.
A | For everyday work, lead with the conclusion and action items.
Research reports may be longer.
B | Use Asia/Shanghai when arranging my schedule; label the time zone.
C | Orange Leaf needs six proposal pages; the first four are drafted.
This applies only to that project.
D | The Orange Leaf budget is unconfirmed; do not describe it as approved.
E | Prepare outgoing email drafts for my review before sending.
Confirmed by me on: [actual date]04 / Choose a home for each kind of information
Use the brief to decide which background is worth remembering. Explicit response rules can also be checked in Instructions for Claude, which its documentation describes as account-wide. Keep project material associated with the relevant project.
For example, ‘do not discuss pricing in this proposal’ should retain its project boundary. Expanding that into a permanent ban on discussing any price changes the user's instruction. Check the scope of C and D before putting them into general memory.
05 / Submit the text and inspect the saved result
Paste your reviewed text into the import flow and select Add to memory. Inspect the resulting entries. Claude's documentation notes that some personal details unrelated to work may not be retained.
Compare what is saved with what you supplied. If entry A becomes ‘all answers must be short,’ it has lost an important exception. If the import reports an error, inspect for partially added entries before trying again. Repeating the entire packet can make later cleanup harder.
06 / Separate saved information from observed behavior
Make two checks for every important entry: whether the visible memory is accurate, and whether a relevant new task uses it correctly. The table is an empty worksheet, not a set of measured results.
A detail missing from one answer may simply have been irrelevant to that task. A correct restatement in the import conversation may come from the text you just pasted. Neither observation by itself settles whether useful memory transferred.
| Entry | Visible memory | New-task behavior | Meaning to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| A: answer structure | Not checked | Not checked | The research-report exception remains |
| B: time zone | Not checked | Not checked | Correct conversion and label |
| C: project progress | Not checked | Not checked | Dated, project-specific state |
| D: unknown budget | Not checked | Not checked | Unknown stays unknown |
| E: review drafts | Not checked | Not checked | Actions stay within permission |
07 / Test in a fresh conversation without giving away the answer
Confirm that memory is enabled for the test. Start a new ordinary conversation and request a work update in your usual format. Ask it to use only confirmed project information and leave unsupported details unresolved. Do not repeat the five imported answers in that prompt.
Use a separate scheduling question to test the time zone and a longer research request to test the exception to concise answers. For project-scoped information, use an appropriate new project conversation.
Record the date, client, and task. These checks show behavior under particular conditions; they do not guarantee the same behavior in every future task. Recheck especially important rules with a different example.
08 / Repair only what is missing or wrong
When a check fails, target that entry and then inspect the saved result again. Avoid importing the whole archive repeatedly. If the information cannot be retained reliably, include it explicitly when starting relevant work until you can verify the persistence mechanism.
Check whether this confirmed item is stored and whether a conflicting
version also exists:
[insert the confirmed item]
Its scope is: [scope]
Its exception is: [exception]
Do not extend it to unrelated projects.
If you can edit the memory, update this item and report the change.
If you cannot, say so; do not treat an acknowledgement as a saved edit.09 / Finish the rest of the handoff separately
This procedure checks memory entries. It does not establish that original chats, files, project members, connected accounts, subscriptions, or scheduled jobs have transferred. Give those their own checklist.
For a recurring job, run the replacement and verify its output and schedule before pausing the old job. Keep the reviewed brief and source materials so that you can return to the previous workflow if important details remain missing. If errors recur, use the guide to locating and correcting conflicting memories.