Character.AI Bankruptcy: Is It Shutting Down? How to Save Your Chats
Is Character.AI shutting down? Not yet — but its future depends on a sale. Export your chats now so you keep them either way.
Open your export in the free viewer →
Updated October 14, 2026. Unofficial site, not affiliated with Character.AI.
What Character.AI announced
On October 12, 2026, Character.AI said it has started a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy process to sell the company under court supervision (official announcement).
- The platform is still up and running, and subscriptions stay active for now.
- The sale is expected to finish by the end of November or early December 2026.
- If no workable bid comes in, Character.AI says the platform will be wound down.
- Exporting your data is still available in the app and on the website.
Why back up now
Nobody knows yet who will buy the service or what they will change. The export can take time to arrive, and its download link only lasts 7 days. Requesting it today means you will have a copy of your chats whatever happens.
How to back up your chats
On the website
- Click your avatar (bottom-left).
- Open Profile Settings.
- Go to Account.
- Choose Manage Account & Data.
- Click Export Data.
In the mobile app
- Open your profile.
- Tap the settings icon (top-right).
- Open Legal & Privacy.
- Tap Export Data.
What happens next
- 📧 A download link is emailed to your sign-up address.
- ⏳ Officially 3–4 weeks; sometimes it arrives within hours.
- ⚠️ The link is valid for 7 days only — download promptly.
- 🔎 Not there? Check spam / junk.
- 💡 Tip: scroll important chats to the top first; the export may only include loaded messages.
When the email arrives, download the .zip and drop it into our viewer to read, search and save your chats as TXT or Markdown. It all happens in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
FAQ
Is Character.AI shutting down?
Not yet. On October 12, 2026 Character.AI announced a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy process to sell the company. The platform is still running. It says that if no acceptable buyer is found, the platform will be wound down.
When will we know?
Character.AI expects the court-supervised sale process to be complete by the end of November or early December 2026.
What happens to my chats?
Character.AI says your data is still protected under its Privacy Policy and that you can still export your data. What a buyer would do with the service is not known, so the safest step is to export a copy now.
Is my subscription still active?
Yes. Character.AI says subscriptions remain active and billing is unchanged for now.
How long does the export take?
Character.AI says 3–4 weeks, but it often arrives much sooner. The download link is valid for 7 days, so download it as soon as the email arrives.