What Data Does ChatGPT Collect? The Complete 2025 Guide

ChatGPT stores everything you type. Every question, every conversation, every file you upload - it's all saved on OpenAI's servers. Here's exactly what data is collected, how it's used, and what you can do about it.

What ChatGPT Collects

Conversation Data

When you use ChatGPT, OpenAI collects:

• Every message you send - All prompts and questions
• Every response you receive - Full conversation logs
• Files you upload - Documents, images, code files
• Voice conversations - If using voice mode
• Edits and regenerations - Multiple versions of responses

This data is stored on OpenAI's servers, primarily in the United States.

Account Information

Beyond conversations, OpenAI collects:

• Email address and name - Account basics
• Payment information - If you have a paid plan
• Phone number - If provided for verification
• Profile settings - Preferences and customizations

Technical Data

OpenAI also tracks:

• IP address - Your approximate location
• Device information - Browser, operating system
• Usage patterns - When and how you use ChatGPT
• Cookies - Tracking your sessions

Use our [ChatGPT Privacy Checker](/tools/chatgpt-privacy-checker) for a personalized privacy assessment.

How Your Data Is Used

Model Training

By default, your conversations may be used to train future AI models. This means:

• Your questions help improve future ChatGPT versions
• Human reviewers may read your conversations
• Your data becomes part of the training dataset

You can opt out, but it's not the default setting.

Service Improvement

OpenAI uses data to:

• Debug and fix issues
• Develop new features
• Analyze usage patterns
• Improve response quality

Safety and Moderation

Conversations are monitored for:

• Harmful content generation
• Policy violations
• Abuse detection
• Security threats

Privacy Risks to Consider

Data Breaches

In 2025, a privacy leak exposed thousands of ChatGPT conversations to public search engines. Sensitive business discussions, personal questions, and private information became publicly accessible. This wasn't a hack - it was a feature design flaw.

Human Review

OpenAI employees and contractors may read your conversations. While they claim this is for safety and quality, there's no way to know which conversations are reviewed or by whom.

Training Data Exposure

Once your data is used for training, it's baked into the model permanently. There's no way to remove it. Future users might receive responses influenced by your unique inputs.

Third-Party Access

Data may be shared with:

• Cloud service providers (Microsoft Azure)
• Safety contractors and reviewers
• Law enforcement (if legally required)

How to Protect Your Privacy

Change Your Settings

Go to Settings > Data Controls:

1. Turn off chat history - Conversations won't be saved or used for training
2. Opt out of model training - If you want history but not training
3. Delete your data - Request through privacy portal

Note: Turning off history also disables the chat history feature entirely.

Practice Safe Prompting

Never share:

• Passwords or credentials
• Social security numbers
• Credit card or bank details
• Medical records
• Confidential work documents
• Client or customer data
• Proprietary code or trade secrets
• Personal identifying information

Think before typing:

Would you be comfortable if this conversation became public? If not, don't type it.

Use Temporary Chats

ChatGPT offers a "Temporary Chat" mode that:

• Doesn't save to history
• Doesn't train models
• Disappears after the session

Use this for sensitive one-off queries.

Consider Enterprise Options

For work use:

• ChatGPT Enterprise - Data never used for training
• API access - More privacy controls
• Azure OpenAI - Enterprise data protection

Privacy Comparison: ChatGPT vs. Alternatives

| Platform | Default Training | Data Retention | Enterprise Option |

|----------|-----------------|----------------|-------------------|

| ChatGPT | Yes (opt-out) | Indefinite | Yes |

| Claude | Yes (opt-out) | 90 days | Yes |

| Gemini | Yes (opt-out) | 18 months | Yes |

| DeepSeek | Yes | Unclear | No |

| Mistral | No | Varies | Yes |

Based on independent analysis, Mistral's Le Chat and Anthropic's Claude rank higher for privacy than ChatGPT's defaults.

Special Situations

Using ChatGPT for Work

Many companies have banned or restricted ChatGPT. Before using it for work:

• Check your company's AI policy
• Never share confidential information
• Consider using Enterprise or API
• Document your AI usage if required

Children and ChatGPT

ChatGPT is intended for users 13+. Concerns include:

• No effective age verification
• Children may share personal information
• Data retention applies to minors too
• Parental controls are limited

Healthcare and Legal Conversations

Never use ChatGPT for:

• Medical diagnoses or treatment decisions
• Legal advice for real cases
• Mental health crises (use real resources)
• Anything where privacy is legally required

The Bottom Line

ChatGPT is useful, but the default privacy settings aren't user-friendly. Here's your action plan:

Right now (2 minutes):

1. Go to Settings > Data Controls
2. Turn off model training
3. Consider enabling temporary chats for sensitive queries

Going forward:

• Never share confidential information
• Use work accounts for work, personal for personal
• Treat ChatGPT like a public conversation
• Review your data periodically

The key insight: ChatGPT is a tool, not a confidant. Use it wisely, protect what matters, and you can benefit from AI without sacrificing your privacy.

Use our [ChatGPT Privacy Checker](/tools/chatgpt-privacy-checker) for a personalized assessment of your privacy settings and habits.