Is ChatGPT encrypted?
No. OpenAI can read your ChatGPT chats, files and voice chats, and authorized staff can look at them. You can stop training on your chats or use a temporary chat, but neither seals anything.
Checked on 25 October 2026 against 11 sources.
Made by Secria. We grade every app by the same rules. How we check
- Your chatsOpenAI can read itChats are encrypted on the way and on OpenAI's servers, but OpenAI can open them, and authorized staff can look at them.1, 2
- Files you uploadOpenAI can read itFiles are handled like chats and can be used for training unless you turn that off.1, 6
- Voice chatsOpenAI can read itAudio clips are kept with the chat for 30 days; transcripts are treated like typed chats, but the audio is used for training only if you choose to share it.7
- Who holds the keys
- OpenAI holds the keys.
- What OpenAI can still see
- Everything you send, including chats, files, voice clips and memories, plus your account details, though OpenAI says it doesn't sell your data or share your chats with advertisers.
On business plans, OpenAI says it doesn't use workspace chats to train its models by default.
Stop ChatGPT training on your chats
- Open your account menu and select Settings.
- Select Data controls.
- Turn off Improve the model for everyone, then select Done.
This doesn't seal anything. OpenAI still stores your chats, and authorized staff can look at them to check for abuse, give support or handle legal matters. For a one-off chat that stays out of your history, select Temporary when you start a new chat. OpenAI may still keep a copy for up to 30 days.
Email is worth checking next: Gmail, Outlook and iCloud Mail can all read your mailbox. See which email services can.
Can OpenAI read my ChatGPT chats?
Yes. OpenAI says your content is encrypted on the way and on its servers2, but that doesn't keep it from OpenAI. A limited number of authorized staff and contractors can look at your chats to investigate abuse, give support, handle legal matters, or improve its models unless you've opted out1.
In November 2025, OpenAI said client-side encryption for chats is on its long-term plans10. It hadn't launched as of 25 October 2026. Locked chats, now rolling out, hide chats behind a PIN, but OpenAI says they don't add end-to-end encryption8.
Does ChatGPT train on my chats?
By default, yes, on Free, Plus and Pro3. Turn off Improve the model for everyone in Settings › Data controls, and your new chats won't be used for training3.
One catch: if you rate an answer with a thumbs up or down, OpenAI may use that whole chat for training even after you opt out4. Transcripts of voice chats follow the same setting, but the recordings themselves are used only if you choose to share them7.
Are ChatGPT temporary and deleted chats really deleted?
Temporary chats stay out of your history and aren't used for training, but OpenAI may keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety5. Deleted chats are removed from OpenAI's systems within 30 days, unless it must keep them for security or legal reasons6.
That exception has been used. In 2025, a court order in The New York Times' lawsuit made OpenAI keep consumer chats, including deleted and temporary ones9. The order ended on 26 September 2025, but OpenAI still holds some chats from April to September 2025 under a legal hold9.
Did OpenAI have to hand ChatGPT chats to The New York Times?
In November 2025, OpenAI said the Times was demanding 20 million chats, picked at random from December 2022 to November 2024, and that it was removing personal details from them10. In January 2026, a judge upheld the order to hand over that de-identified sample11.
OpenAI said chats from Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces were not included10.
How ChatGPT compares
Sorted by how many parts are sealed by default, then by how many can be. Ties go A to Z.
Sources
- How OpenAI handles data in consumer services, OpenAI. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Security and privacy at OpenAI, OpenAI. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Data controls in ChatGPT, OpenAI. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- How your data is used to improve model performance, OpenAI. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Temporary chat in ChatGPT, OpenAI. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Chat and file retention in ChatGPT, OpenAI. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- ChatGPT Voice, OpenAI. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Using locked chats in ChatGPT, OpenAI. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- How we're responding to The New York Times' data demands in order to protect user privacy, OpenAI. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Fighting the New York Times' invasion of user privacy, OpenAI. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI Must Turn Over 20 Million ChatGPT Logs, Judge Affirms, Bloomberg Law. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Changes to this answer
- First published.