Claude Resume Command Explained Simply

Claude Resume Command Explained Simply | Generated by AI

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Question: Explain Claude’s resume command

Answer:

The --resume command (or sometimes just /resume) is a special feature built into Claude.ai’s chat interface (web, desktop app, and mobile app) that lets you instantly jump back into any previous conversation by referencing its unique conversation ID.

How it works

Typical syntax:

claude --resume 4cb1fd80-1234-5678-9abc-def012345678

or shorter versions that Claude usually accepts:

--resume 4cb1fd80
/resume 4cb1fd80
claude resume 4cb1fd80

The number (e.g. 4cb1fd80) is the shortened conversation UUID
Claude usually shows only the first 8 characters in the UI when you ask it “what is my current conversation id” or when it appears in share links / debug info.

Main use cases

Revive an old chat that scrolled off your history
→ Very long conversations sometimes disappear from the sidebar. --resume <id> brings it back instantly.
Continue exact thread across devices / browsers
→ Copy the ID from one device, paste --resume <id> on another → same chat loads.
Recover after accidentally starting new chat
→ Instead of copy-pasting 50 messages, just resume the old one.
Share / bookmark specific conversations
→ People sometimes share short IDs in Discord / forums so others can load the exact same thread state (if the conversation is still accessible to their account).

Where to find conversation IDs

Ask Claude directly in any chat:
“What is the short ID of this conversation?”
→ It usually replies with something like Current short ID: 4cb1fd80
In share links:
https://claude.ai/share/4cb1fd80-… → first 8 chars are the short ID
Sometimes visible in browser dev tools or URL parameters when you switch chats

Limitations

Only works inside Claude.ai / Claude apps (not here with Grok, not in Poe, not in third-party clients)
Requires you to be logged into the same Anthropic account that created/opened the conversation
Very old conversations (many months/years) can eventually become inaccessible even with the ID
The short 8-char version usually works, but sometimes you need the full UUID

So in short: --resume <id> is Claude’s built-in “load conversation by ID” teleport command — very useful power-user feature, especially for people who generate dozens of long threads.

References:

None

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