Home › Answers › Data, privacy and GDPR
Does ChatGPT use my data for training, and how do I turn it off?
Short answer
On Free, Go, Plus and Pro, OpenAI may use your conversations to improve its models unless you turn it off. Go to Settings, Data controls and switch off "Improve the model for everyone". Business and Enterprise workspaces aren't used for training by default. Thumbs-up or thumbs-down feedback can still send that conversation for training.
How to turn it off
On the web (signed in): account menu, Settings, Data controls, switch off "Improve the model for everyone", Done.
On iPhone or Android: open the sidebar, tap your profile icon, Settings, Data controls, switch off "Improve the model for everyone".
When you're signed in, the setting follows your account across devices. If you use ChatGPT signed out, the choice is saved in that browser only.
What turning it off does and doesn't do
- New conversations won't be used to train OpenAI's models.
- Your chats still appear in your history. Turning it off doesn't delete anything.
- Archiving a chat doesn't change whether it can be used for training.
- If you give feedback (thumbs up or down), OpenAI says the whole conversation may be used for training.
Temporary chat
For anything sensitive, start a Temporary chat. OpenAI says temporary chats don't appear in history, don't update memory and aren't used to improve models, but may be kept for up to 30 days for safety purposes.
Deleting your data
You can delete individual chats, export your data, or delete your whole account from Settings on personal plans. Business workspaces handle this through the workspace owner.
Related questions
Does this apply to Codex and other OpenAI tools?
OpenAI says the same "Improve the model for everyone" setting applies to Codex tasks on personal plans, with a separate setting for Codex environments.
Do Claude, Gemini and Copilot train on my chats?
Each provider has its own setting and rules. Check the privacy or data settings in each before using it for work.
Sources
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
- Are AI detection tools accurate?
- 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 I put customer data into ChatGPT?
All data, privacy and gdpr answers · All answers · Guides · AI tools directory
Get one useful AI tool in your inbox each weekday
Free, plain English, five minutes to read. Unsubscribe any time.
See our privacy notice.