How to Keep Your Data Private in ChatGPT: Settings and Habits

The short version

Three settings and one habit cover most of it: turn off model training, use Temporary Chat for sensitive one-offs, delete what you don’t need, and don’t paste what you’d never put in an email to a stranger.

Step by step

1. Turn off model training

Open Settings > Data controls and switch off Improve the model for everyone. OpenAI says chats you have after that aren’t used to train its models, and the setting applies to your whole account on every device.

2. Use Temporary Chat for sensitive questions

Start a Temporary Chat from the top of a new chat. OpenAI says temporary chats don’t appear in your history, don’t create memories and aren’t used for training, and that it may keep them for up to 30 days to check for abuse.

3. Check what ChatGPT remembers

If memory is on, open Settings > Personalization > Memory to see and delete what ChatGPT has saved about you.

4. Delete chats you don’t need

Delete single chats from the list on the left, or clear your history in Settings.

5. Build the habit

Before you paste anything, ask: would I be OK if this were seen by someone else? If not, leave it out or replace it with placeholders.

Never paste

• Passwords, PINs, recovery codes or API keys
• Full card or bank account numbers
• Social Security numbers, passport or ID numbers
• Medical, legal or financial details about other people
• Confidential company documents you’re not allowed to share

Prompts to copy

Use placeholders instead of real data:

I've replaced names and numbers with placeholders like [CUSTOMER] and [AMOUNT].
Keep the placeholders in your answer so I can fill them in myself.
[paste text]

Mistakes to avoid

• Assuming “off” means “deleted”. Turning off training doesn’t delete your history.
• Forgetting other people’s privacy. Your customers and colleagues didn’t agree to share their details.
• Using a personal account for work data when your company has its own rules or plan.

Good to know

These settings and their names can change. If a menu isn’t where this page says, search OpenAI’s Help Center for “data controls”. Business and education plans have their own terms; check them with your administrator.

Related: summarize a PDF with ChatGPT.