What are ChatGPT data controls?
Quick answer
ChatGPT data controls are the privacy settings at Settings > Data controls (click your name, then Settings). They decide whether your chats help train OpenAI's models. Switch off Improve the model for everyone to keep new chats out of training. The same page has Shared links, Archived chats, Delete all chats and Export data.
Last updated
Take the free module →Module 3 of the free AI at Work: Start Here course, about 10 minutes. No account needed.
Updated · By Robert Breen
Why it matters for a small business
Before anyone at your firm pastes a client email into ChatGPT, open this page. On personal plans the training switch is on until you turn it off; OpenAI says it does not train on Business or Enterprise content by default. Every chat still goes to OpenAI to get a reply, so what people paste matters as much as any switch.
ChatGPT data control settings and what each one does
| Setting in Data controls | What it does |
|---|---|
| Improve the model for everyone | On: new chats can be used to train OpenAI's models. Off: they are not. |
| Shared links | Lists links you have shared. Deleting a link stops others viewing it but keeps your chat. |
| Archived chats | Shows chats you archived, so you can open, unarchive or delete them. |
| Archive all chats / Delete all chats | Clears your chat list in one step. Deleting cannot be undone. |
| Export data | Emails you a download link with your chat history and account data. |
The options on the web app. Admin-managed work accounts can show fewer of them.
In a real lesson: ChatGPT: Keep Client Data Safe, Set Up Your Team's Data Controls in 10 Minutes
In the ChatGPT data controls lesson you are the office manager at Hartwell Bookkeeping, a made-up six-person firm, after a client asks in writing whether its payroll files ever go into ChatGPT. You open Settings, Data controls and switch off Improve the model for everyone.
Then you review Shared links, where deleting a link stops others viewing it but keeps your chat, and agree a rule for the rest of the page: export before you delete.
Try this lesson free or read the step-by-step guide.
How AI helps
Once the settings are right, ChatGPT can draft the answer your client asked for. Give it your real plan and settings and ask for a short reply, or a one-page team policy as the data controls lesson does at the end. Check every line before it goes out: the AI should describe your controls, not invent them.
Common confusions
Data controls vs Temporary Chat
Data controls set defaults for your whole account. Temporary Chat is a per-conversation mode that skips history and memory.
"Training off means private"
Turning off training keeps chats out of model training. They are still processed and stored, so remove names, account numbers and other PII first.
Related terms
More AI assistants terms
Where you use it: free lessons
- ChatGPT: Keep Client Data Safe, Set Up Your Team's Data Controls in 10 Minutes (ChatGPT, 10 min)
- Use AI at Work Without Leaking Client Data using ChatGPT (ChatGPT, 7 min)
- Clear Client Data Out of ChatGPT Before It Becomes a Problem: Delete Chats, Clear Memory and Use Temporary Chat (ChatGPT, 10 min)
- Never Miss a Contract Renewal Deadline using ChatGPT (ChatGPT, 10 min)
Watch it in a free lesson: ChatGPT: Keep Client Data Safe, Set Up Your Team's Data Controls in 10 Minutes
3:05ChatGPT: Keep Client Data Safe, Set Up Your Team’s Data Controls in 10 Minutes: video walkthrough
A client asks if their files go into ChatGPT. Answer with confidence: set the data controls, memory, Temporary Chat and shared links, then hand your team a one-page AI policy. The whole lesson narrated step by step, recorded in Stepthrough’s simulated practice environment.
More free tutorials
Prompt templates that use it
Visual guides
ChatGPT data controls in a few slides, with the same guide written out as text.
ChatGPT Data Controls for Client Data in 5 StepsA step-ladder guide: turn off training, review shared links, decide on memory, use Temporary Chat and write the one-page rule, in 5 steps.
Step-by-step guide 7 slides
Myth: Turning Off Training Makes ChatGPT PrivateMyth vs fact: turning off training stops chats being used to improve models, but they are still processed and stored. Remove details you don't need.
Myth vs fact One graphic
Frequently asked questions
- Where is data control in ChatGPT?
- On the web: your name at the bottom left, Settings, Data controls. On iPhone or Android: open the sidebar, tap your profile, then Data controls. Admin-managed work accounts can show fewer options.
- What do the ChatGPT data control settings do?
- They set whether your chats train OpenAI's models, list and delete your shared links, show archived chats, archive or delete all chats, and export a copy of your data.
- How do I turn off training in ChatGPT?
- In Data controls, switch off Improve the model for everyone. It covers the account on every device. OpenAI's help center notes that a thumbs up or down on an answer can still send that chat for training.
- Does turning off training delete my chats?
- No. Your chats stay. Delete all chats and Export data are separate options on the same page, so export first if you might need a record.
- Is Temporary Chat the same as turning off data controls?
- No. Temporary Chat covers one conversation: it doesn't appear in your history, doesn't use or update memory and isn't used to train models, though OpenAI may keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety. Data controls set the default for every chat on your account.