Does ChatGPT train
on your chats?
Short answer: on the personal plans, yes, unless you turn it off.
Who gets trained on.
Source: OpenAI Help Center, Data Controls.
Three steps. Takes a minute.
- 1
Open Settings
Click your profile picture, then Settings.
- 2
Data Controls
Go to the Data Controls section.
- 3
Switch it off
Turn off “Improve the model for everyone”.
It stops future chats from being used for training. It doesn’t delete what was already used, and your chats are still stored on OpenAI’s servers.
What the switch actually does.
On: your chats can be used to train ChatGPT.
Who can see your chats?
People can read them
OpenAI says authorised staff and outside contractors can access conversations, for example for support, abuse checks and legal reasons.
Deleted isn’t always deleted
In 2025, during the New York Times lawsuit, a court ordered OpenAI to keep chats people had deleted. That mostly ended in October 2025, but chats saved before then can still be kept.
It’s not just OpenAI
Gemini, Claude, Copilot and Meta AI all have their own rules and switches. The shape is the same: if the AI runs on someone else’s computer, your words go there.
Sources: OpenAI privacy policy · the October 2025 order.
No server. Nothing to train on.
The AI is on your PC
Your chats are answered on your own computer, so they never reach a server.
Nothing to switch off
There’s no training setting, because there’s nothing being sent.
Works offline
Turn the Wi-Fi off and it keeps working.
Quick answers.
Does ChatGPT train on my chats?
On Free, Go, Plus and Pro, yes by default, unless you turn off “Improve the model for everyone” in Settings, Data Controls. Business, Enterprise and the API are not trained on by default.
Does Temporary Chat get used for training?
No. Temporary Chats aren’t used for training and don’t appear in your history.
Are deleted ChatGPT chats really deleted?
Usually, yes. But in 2025 a court ordered OpenAI to keep deleted chats; that mostly ended in October 2025, and chats saved before then can still be kept.
How do I keep my chats completely private?
Use an AI that runs on your own computer, like GreenCube. Then there’s no server holding your chats at all.