Privacy guide

How to use ChatGPT privately

Not by default: OpenAI saves your chats to your account until you delete them, and can use them to train its models while a setting called Improve the model for everyone is on. You can make ChatGPT a lot more private in a few minutes by turning that setting off, using Temporary Chat for sensitive questions, and cleaning up memory and old chats.

Checked against the provider’s own help pages. We make Bearly, which this guide also covers.

Make ChatGPT more private, step by step

These four steps use the labels from OpenAI's own help pages. Some controls depend on your plan, your device, and your workspace, so a setting may look slightly different for you.

1. Use Temporary Chat for anything sensitive

A temporary chat stays out of your chat history, isn't used to improve OpenAI's models while it stays temporary, and doesn't create or update memories.

  1. Open a new chat.
  2. Select Temporary.
  3. Choose Unpersonalized before you send your first message.
  4. Type your message.

Pick Unpersonalized on purpose. A Personalized temporary chat can still use your existing memories, custom instructions, and plugins. You can't change this choice once the conversation starts.

Two more things to know. If you save a temporary chat, it becomes a regular chat and follows your normal settings. And if you use a GPT with actions, anything sent to an outside service is covered by that service's own privacy policy. (OpenAI: Temporary chat in ChatGPT)

2. Turn off Improve the model for everyone

This is the setting that decides whether your regular conversations can be used to train OpenAI's models.

On the web:

  1. Open your account menu and select Settings.
  2. Select Data controls.
  3. Select Improve the model for everyone, turn it off, and select Done.

On iPhone or Android, open the sidebar, select your profile icon, then Data controls, and turn off Improve the model for everyone.

Once it's off, your new conversations won't be used for training. One exception: if you rate a response with thumbs up or thumbs down, OpenAI says the whole conversation behind that rating may be used for training. (OpenAI: Data controls in ChatGPT)

3. Check what ChatGPT remembers

Open Settings, select Personalization, then Memory. Depending on your account, you'll see controls such as Memory, Reference saved memories, and Reference chat history, plus a summary of what ChatGPT has picked up about you.

  • Correct or delete anything you don't want it to keep.
  • Turning off Reference chat history schedules what it learned from past chats for deletion within 30 days. Your old chats stay in your history until you delete them.
  • Deleting a chat doesn't automatically delete a saved memory that came from it. Delete both. (OpenAI: Memory in ChatGPT)

4. Delete chats you don't need, and export first if you want a copy

To delete one chat, open your chat history, select the ••• menu next to it, select Delete, and confirm. To clear everything, go to Settings, then Data controls, then Delete all chats. That can't be undone. (OpenAI: Deleting and archiving chats)

Archiving is not deleting. An archived chat is only hidden from the sidebar and stays in your account. Files saved to Library are also separate, so delete those too if you want them gone.

Want a copy first? Go to Settings, then Data controls, then under Export data select Export and Confirm export. OpenAI emails or texts you a download link, which expires 24 hours after you get it. (OpenAI: Exporting your ChatGPT history and data)

What these settings don't change

These settings control what ChatGPT saves and learns from. They don't change who handles your messages.

  • OpenAI still processes everything you send in order to answer it. Every setting above applies after your message reaches OpenAI.
  • Temporary chats may be kept for up to 30 days for safety purposes. (OpenAI)
  • Deleted chats take up to 30 days to be erased from OpenAI's systems, and OpenAI can keep them longer for security or legal obligations. A deleted chat can't be restored. (OpenAI)
  • Safety features still apply. Even with memory and personalization off, ChatGPT may use limited context from past conversations in rare, high-risk situations. (OpenAI)
  • Work accounts follow their workspace's rules. OpenAI says it doesn't use content from ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, or Edu workspaces to train its models by default, and your organization's retention and access policies still apply. (OpenAI)

Use GPT through Bearly with zero data retention

If you want privacy on every chat without remembering to switch modes, there's another option: use GPT models in a different app that runs them with zero data retention. Bearly is one of those apps. We make it, so weigh this section with that in mind.

Bearly gives you Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, and more in one app. With ZDR mode on, every chat model you can pick runs with zero data retention. That means the provider running the model doesn't keep your prompt or the answer once it has finished processing them. Our AI proxy doesn't store your prompts or the answers either. Bearly doesn't train AI models on your chats, has no ads, and doesn't sell your data.

To turn it on:

  1. In Bearly, open your account menu at the bottom of the sidebar and choose App Settings.
  2. Select Privacy & Security.
  3. Turn on Zero Data Retention only.
  4. Start a chat and choose a GPT model from the model picker.

With the setting on, the picker shows only zero-retention models, and automatic fallbacks stay on them too. Each model carries a ZDR badge. The setting belongs to your account, so it follows you to your other devices. (Bearly docs: zero data retention)

What it covers: the models that write chat replies. Web search, image generation, voice, and memory run separately. Web search sends the provider your query, never your name, account, or IP address. Image search runs on a provider that keeps nothing after it answers. Your chats are still saved in your Bearly history so you can come back to them. In the same pane, select Set up end-to-end encryption, and new chats are encrypted on your devices; we store and sync only the locked copies.

Questions people ask

Is ChatGPT Temporary Chat really private?

It's more private than a regular chat. It stays out of your history, isn't used to improve OpenAI's models while it's temporary, and doesn't create memories. But OpenAI may still keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety, and a Personalized temporary chat can use your existing memories. Choose Unpersonalized if you want a clean slate.

Does ChatGPT train on my conversations?

For personal accounts, OpenAI may use your chats to improve its models while Improve the model for everyone is on. Turn it off under Settings and Data controls. Rating a response with thumbs up or down can still send that conversation for training.

Does turning off training delete my chats?

No. Your chats stay in your history. Delete them separately if you want them gone.

If I delete a chat, is it really gone?

It disappears from your account right away and is scheduled for permanent deletion within 30 days, unless it was already de-identified or OpenAI has to keep it for security or legal reasons. Saved memories and Library files are separate, so delete those too.

Is there a private version of ChatGPT?

There's no separate private ChatGPT app. Inside ChatGPT, the most private setup is Temporary Chat set to Unpersonalized, with Improve the model for everyone turned off. Outside ChatGPT, you can use GPT models in an app that runs them with zero data retention, such as Bearly with ZDR mode on.

Related

Sources

All checked October 14, 2026.

Try ZDR mode on your next question.

Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, and more in one app. Turn on Zero Data Retention only in Settings, then pick a model.

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