> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lighton.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding the Session history

> The Session History, displayed in the left sidebar, helps you keep track of all your past conversations in the application.

<iframe className="w-full aspect-video rounded-xl" src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hRXhacZwc6QOmm8iVptw9Jg1jYcPD4S5/preview" allow="autoplay" />

## How Sessions Are Created

* Every time you start a new conversation, a **session** is created.
* The **session name** is automatically generated from your first question. It remains fixed and does not change afterward (unless you rename it manually).

## Session Status Icons

Each session is displayed with an icon to show its current state:

1. **White icon** – the session is ready, no task is running.
2. **Loader (spinning)** – a long task is in progress (for example, document analysis).
3. **Red icon** – a long task has failed.

## Searching Sessions

At the top of the session list, a **search bar** allows you to quickly find sessions by their name.

## Managing Sessions

For each session in the list, you have several options:

* **Rename** – give the session a new name.
* **Archive** – hide the session from the sidebar (it remains stored in the database).

## Session Ordering

Sessions are grouped and displayed by time period.

Within each group, the most recently **active** sessions (those with the latest conversation) appear at the top. This means ordering is based on the **last activity date**, not the creation date.

<Tip>
  **Retention Period**

  Sessions are not kept forever. Their retention depends on the configuration set by your administrator:

  * **Default retention period:** 180 days
  * **Custom retention period:** may be shorter or longer if adjusted by your admin

  After this time, sessions are automatically deleted.
</Tip>