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Does ChatGPT use a lot of data?
Short answer
Not much. Text chats with ChatGPT use little mobile data, similar to messaging. Voice chats, uploading photos and generating images or video use more. On energy, OpenAI's chief executive said in June 2025 that an average query uses about 0.34 watt-hours, and Google estimated 0.24 watt-hours for a median Gemini text prompt.
Mobile data
| Activity | Data use |
|---|---|
| Typing and reading text | Low |
| Uploading photos or documents | Depends on file size |
| Voice conversation | Higher, as audio streams both ways |
| Generating or downloading images and video | Highest |
OpenAI doesn't publish data-per-message figures. If you're on a small data plan, use Wi-Fi for voice chats and image work.
Energy and water
| Source | Figure | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Altman, OpenAI (June 2025) | About 0.34 Wh and about one fifteenth of a teaspoon of water per average query | Average ChatGPT query |
| Google (August 2025) | 0.24 Wh and 0.26 ml of water per median prompt | Median Gemini Apps text prompt, May 2025 |
These are company figures, measured in different ways, and they cover text prompts. Image and video generation, long reasoning tasks and agents use much more.
Does AI image generation use lots of data?
It uses more energy and data than text, and downloading the results uses mobile data. Generate images on Wi-Fi if data is tight.
Related questions
Does ChatGPT store my data?
Yes, chat history is stored unless you delete it or use a temporary chat. See are ChatGPT chats private?
Does ChatGPT work offline?
No. It needs an internet connection.
Sources
- Sam Altman: the gentle singularity (June 2025)
- Google Cloud: measuring the environmental impact of AI inference
Checked 17 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the source before you rely on it. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.
More on data, privacy and gdpr
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- Are AI tools secure for business?
- Are ChatGPT chats private? Can OpenAI read them?
- Are Microsoft Copilot chats private?
- Can AI agents be trusted?
- Can AI read my WhatsApp messages?
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