Archive option missing from menu for chats without a session ID in Claude Desktop sidebar
Status Open
Maintainer reply None cached
Workaround ✓ Mentioned in thread ↓
Activity 7 comments · opened Sep 21, 2026
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
- [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
- [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code
What's Wrong?
Summary
In the Claude Desktop sidebar, some ungrouped chats have "Archive" in their menu and others don't. The chats without Archive are the ones that have no session ID; the archivable ones do. Nothing in the UI explains why they can't be archived.
Steps to reproduce
- Open Claude Desktop with several ungrouped chats of different types in the sidebar.
- Open the menu on a chat that has a session ID: Archive is present.
- Open the menu on a chat with no session ID: Archive is not present.
Expected
Archive is available for all chats, or the UI explains why it isn't available for a given chat.
Actual
Archive is missing from the menu for chats without a session ID. There is no error or explanation.
Notes
- No Cowork tasks involved, as far as I can tell.
- Chats that CAN be archived: have session IDs. Example IDs: cse_012XiLXRxn59woRmP8KDH1Z3, cse_01PeAB5EhiQMW3J9cdfhs1GN
- Chats that CAN'T be archived: have no session ID (likely standard conversations rather than sessions).
- Related: #63586 (archiving individual conversations), #94724 (archive failures for sessions in archived projects)
Environment
- App: Claude Desktop, version 2.2553.1
- OS: Windows 11
- Plan: Pro
What Should Happen?
I should be able to archive all chats
Error Messages/Logs
N/ASteps to Reproduce
I cannot reproduce this at will.
Claude Model
Sonnet (default)
Is this a regression?
I don't know
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
2.2553.1
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
Other
Additional Information
_No response_
Showing cached comments. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗
5 Comments
i still have Archive option, but the right 3 dots menu its empty for me as well...
Same on claude.ai web (September 2026): The chat list has a "Status" filter with "Active / Archived / All", but regular chats offer no "Archive" action, so the "Archived" view stays empty. The archive infrastructure clearly exists; regular conversations are just excluded from it.
Workaround: Move the chat into a group (e.g. create/rename a group called "Done") — grouped chats retain the Archive option in the menu. This confirms the report above: it's specifically ungrouped chats without a session ID that lose Archive.
Why should I use/rely on workarounds, when the existing infrastructure of Claude can be extended that way to also be able to archive plain chats?A project/group has its own environment and loses the origin environment, it has been created or come from. As I can't see a history of projects movement, that workaround is a real bad one for me.Expecting a solution from Anthropic.
Gesendet: Montag, 28. September 2026 um 11:12
Von: "Thorsten Philipp" @.*>
An: anthropics/claude-code @.*>
CC: Wolfgang @.>,Comment @.>
Betreff: Re: [anthropics/claude-code] Archive option missing from menu for chats without a session ID in Claude Desktop sidebar (Issue #95878)
kyrios left a comment (anthropics/claude-code#95878)
Workaround: Move the chat into a group (e.g. create/rename a group called "Done") — grouped chats retain the Archive option in the menu. This confirms the report above: it's specifically ungrouped chats without a session ID that lose Archive.
— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. Triage notifications, keep track of coding agent tasks and review pull requests on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS and Android. Download it today! You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: @.***>
@itsbrody You shouldn't. I added "a" comment to stay on this issue and maybe create some traction. I'm guessing some AI is watching for activity. Maybe activity helps.