How to opt out of ChatGPT data training?
Go to your profile > Settings > Data Controls, and turn off 'Improve the model for everyone.' New chats will no longer be used to train OpenAI's models, while your history stays intact. The setting applies to your whole account across devices. Opting out is not retroactive to data already used.
Why — the first-principles explanation
Opting out is a single toggle because OpenAI separated two different things: whether your chats are saved for you and whether they help train the AI. The training switch is called 'Improve the model for everyone,' and it lives in Data Controls. Turning it off tells OpenAI not to sample your future conversations for model improvement, without touching your saved history.
The reason this matters is control over your own words. Everything you type is data, and by default consumer chats can feed the next model's training. The opt-out puts that decision in your hands. Once off, it applies account-wide, so it doesn't matter which phone or computer you use; the preference follows your account.
Two limits are worth understanding. First, opting out is forward-looking, not retroactive: any data already incorporated into models trained before you opted out can't be pulled back. Second, if you want a stronger guarantee for a specific conversation, use a Temporary Chat, which is never used for training and isn't saved to history. For businesses, ChatGPT Business, Team, and Enterprise already exclude your data from training by default, so there's usually nothing to switch off.
An example that makes it click
Think of it like a suggestion box at work. Normally, anything you drop in might get read aloud to improve the company handbook (training). Opting out is flipping a sign on the box that says 'keep mine private', from now on your notes stay yours and don't shape the handbook, even though you can still keep copies in your own drawer (your history). But notes you already contributed to last year's handbook are already printed; the sign can't un-print them.
How to do it
- Open ChatGPT and click your profile picture or name.
- Choose Settings, then Data Controls.
- Find 'Improve the model for everyone' and toggle it OFF.
- Confirm the toggle is off; the change applies to your entire account on all devices.
- For extra-sensitive conversations, use Temporary Chat, which is never used for training.
- Business/Enterprise users: your data is already excluded from training by default.
Key facts
- Opt out under Settings > Data Controls by turning off 'Improve the model for everyone.'
- Opting out stops new chats from being used for training while keeping your chat history.
- The setting applies to your whole account and syncs across all your devices.
- Opting out is not retroactive; data already used in earlier training may remain in those models.
- Temporary Chats are never used for training, and Business/Enterprise data is excluded by default.
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Want to stop ChatGPT from training on your conversations? It's one toggle. Open ChatGPT, click your profile, go to Settings, then Data Controls. Find the setting called 'Improve the model for everyone' and switch it off. That's it. From now on, your new chats won't be used to train OpenAI's models, and your history stays right where it is, because saving your chats and training on them are two separate things. The setting applies to your whole account, so it works across every device you use. Two things to know. It's not retroactive: anything already used in models trained before you opted out can't be pulled back. And if you want an even stronger guarantee for a specific conversation, use a Temporary Chat, which is never used for training. If you're on a Business or Enterprise plan, good news: your data is already excluded from training by default, so there's usually nothing to switch off.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Where exactly is the opt-out setting?
In ChatGPT, go to your profile > Settings > Data Controls, and turn off 'Improve the model for everyone.'
Does opting out delete my chat history?
No. Your history stays. Opting out only stops future chats from being used for training.
Is the opt-out retroactive?
No. Data already used to train earlier models can't be removed. Opting out only affects new conversations.
Do I need to opt out on a business plan?
Usually not. ChatGPT Business, Team, and Enterprise exclude your data from training by default.