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Turning off Improve the model for everyone stops new conversations on an eligible personal ChatGPT account from being used to train OpenAI models. It does not delete or hide saved chats, and it is not a general privacy or data-deletion switch. Temporary Chat, Memory, feedback, deletion, and workspaces each have separate rules.
What does turning off model training actually do?
For a signed-in personal account, the setting applies to new conversations after you turn it off: OpenAI says those conversations will not be used to train its models. The control is available at Settings → Data controls → Improve the model for everyone. When the option is off, the change applies across devices where you are signed in.
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OpenAI’s Data Controls guidance also says turning the setting off “does not delete or hide saved chats.” Regular chats remain in chat history, archived chats remain archived, and project chats remain in their projects unless you separately delete them or a workspace policy affects them. Menus and the ability to change the setting can vary with account and workspace restrictions.
Does turning off training delete chats or remove past data?
No. Opting out is not deletion. It governs whether new conversations are used for model training; the cited guidance does not say that it retroactively removes prior data from training or from models.
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To remove a saved conversation, delete it separately. OpenAI says a deleted chat disappears from your account view immediately and is scheduled for permanent deletion within 30 days. Exceptions include data already de-identified and disassociated from your account, or data OpenAI must retain for security or legal obligations. If a file from the conversation is stored separately in Library, you may need to delete that file there as well.
How is Temporary Chat different?
Temporary Chat is a separate conversation mode, not another name for the training toggle. While a chat remains temporary, it does not appear in history, does not create or update memories, and is not used to improve models. OpenAI may retain a copy for up to 30 days for safety purposes.
A Temporary Chat can still be personalized if you allow it to use existing memories, custom instructions, or plugins before starting the conversation. It will not create or update memories while temporary. If a GPT action sends information to an outside service, that service’s privacy policy applies to the information it receives. Saving a Temporary Chat turns it into a regular chat, subject to the account’s personalization and model-improvement settings.
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- Memory and personalization: These affect how ChatGPT uses information to personalize responses. Turning them off does not turn off model training. They also do not disable every safety feature that may use limited context in rare high-risk situations.
- Feedback: OpenAI says that if you submit thumbs-up or thumbs-down feedback after opting out, the entire conversation associated with that feedback may be used to train models. The training opt-out should therefore not be read as overriding this stated feedback exception.
- Chat deletion: Delete a saved chat to remove it from your account view and initiate the deletion process; changing the training preference alone leaves it saved.
What if this is a work or school account?
Do not assume that personal-account settings describe an organization-managed workspace. OpenAI says it does not use content from ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, Edu, or ChatGPT for Healthcare workspaces to train models by default; its consumer-data guidance also names the API Platform. Workspace administrators may set retention and access controls, and those policies can affect what controls are available and how information is handled. Ask the workspace owner or administrator about the configuration that applies to your account.
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Choose the control that matches your goal
| Goal | Use this control or action | What it changes | What it does not change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep history but stop new personal conversations being used for training | Settings → Data controls → Improve the model for everyone off | New conversations on an eligible signed-in personal account are not used to train OpenAI models; the setting applies across signed-in devices | Does not hide or delete saved chats |
| Keep a conversation out of history and model improvement while temporary | Start a Temporary Chat | No history entry or memory creation/update while temporary; not used for model improvement | Does not promise zero retention; a safety copy may be retained for up to 30 days |
| Remove a saved chat | Delete the chat | Removes it from account view immediately and schedules permanent deletion within 30 days, subject to stated exceptions | May not delete a file saved separately in Library |
| Change Memory-based personalization | Use Memory or personalization controls, or start an unpersonalized Temporary Chat | Changes personalization behavior | Does not itself control model training or disable all safety processing |
| Manage an organization account | Consult workspace settings and the organization owner or administrator | Organization policies may determine available controls, retention, and review | Personal-account assumptions may not apply |
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