Sometimes you’re halfway through a ChatGPT conversation and think: “Wait… what if I took this in a totally different direction?”
Until now, your only options were to copy/paste into a new chat or derail your current one. Not anymore.

Meet conversation branching — one of ChatGPT’s most underrated features.

So… what is branching, exactly?

It’s simple: branching lets you fork your conversation at any point.

• Hover over a message.
• Click the little three dots (•••).
• Select “Branch conversation” (or “Branch in new chat”).

Boom. A fresh chat opens, starting from that exact point. Your original thread stays safe in your history, untouched.

Think of it as keeping a “save point” you can return to anytime. (But no gaming metaphors here — you get the idea 😉).

Why you’ll actually use this

Branching isn’t just a cute extra button. It solves some very real pain points:

• Brainstorming: Explore a new idea without nuking your current flow.
• Comparisons: Run two or three directions side-by-side, then decide which one to keep building.
• Clean conversations: Keep your main chat tidy while still following every “what if?” moment.

As Tom’s Guide put it:

“conversation branching lets me do that without clutter or confusion and without losing momentum.”

Exactly.

Any downsides?

The only “limitation” is self-inflicted: branch too much and you’ll suddenly have a dozen parallel chats to wrangle. It’s a tool — best used intentionally, not for every passing thought.

Otherwise? Smooth sailing.

Do you have to pay extra for it?

Nope. Branching is available to everyone — free users included. You just need to be logged in on the web.

That means no Plus-only wall, no “coming soon to Enterprise” label. Just click and go.

The bottom line

Conversation branching may not sound flashy, but it’s one of those little upgrades that completely changes how you use ChatGPT. Once you start forking off different directions, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.

So next time you’re deep in a thread and get a new idea?
Don’t overthink it.
Just branch it. 🌱