# Getting back to a conversation: --continue and /resume

Course: Claude Code: Pro Level — https://zero2vibecode.com/learn/claude-code-pro
Canonical URL: https://zero2vibecode.com/learn/claude-code-pro/0-4-resume-a-conversation
Verified against: Claude Code v2.1.292 (2026-10-15)
Last updated: 2026-10-15

Closed the terminal in the middle of a task? The conversation is not lost. claude --continue opens the most recent conversation in this folder, and /resume lets you pick any earlier one.

You were working on a task, closed the laptop, and opened a new terminal in the morning. You do not have to explain everything to Claude again: conversations are saved, and you can go back to them.

## claude --continue — the most recent conversation

In the project root, type:

```
claude --continue
```

or, shorter:

```
claude -c
```

Claude Code opens **the most recent conversation in this folder** — with the whole history. The word "folder" matters: conversations are tied to the directory you started Claude in. Start it from another folder and you get that folder's most recent conversation, not the one you wanted.

## /resume — pick any of them

If the most recent conversation is not the right one, type this inside a session:

```
/resume
```

A list of past conversations opens — choose one with the arrow keys. This is also how you get back to a conversation you closed with `/clear`: clearing does not delete the old conversation, it just starts a new one.

## The pro rhythm

Put together with the previous lessons, you get a simple cycle:

1. Started a task — new session.
2. The window fills up, same task — `/compact`.
3. Task done — `/clear`.
4. Need to go back to earlier work — `claude --continue` or `/resume`.

**Careful.** 
A resumed conversation remembers what was said, but it does not control the files. If you have rolled something back or changed it by hand since then, the conversation may contain an edit that was already undone. Before continuing, look at git status and, if needed, tell Claude briefly what changed.

**Practice in the terminal.** Go back to the most recent conversation with claude --continue (or claude -c). In the practice terminal this is a simulation; in real Claude Code the whole earlier conversation opens.