Can others see my ChatGPT history?

Generally, no. However, if someone else uses your computer or phone and you are still logged in, they can see your list. Also, if you use a "Team" or "Enterprise" account at work, your boss or IT administrator might have permission to see your workspace data.

How long does ChatGPT store my history?

If you do not delete it, ChatGPT stores your history indefinitely (forever). It stays there so you can read it later. If you use "Temporary Chat," the data is retained for 30 days for safety reasons before being permanently deleted.

Does ChatGPT keep your data private?

Your data is not public, but it is not 100% private either. By default, OpenAI can use your chats to train its AI models. Additionally, a small number of human employees may review chats to ensure safety. If you want more privacy, enable "Temporary Chat" or go to Settings and turn off "Improve the model for everyone."

How to Delete ChatGPT Search History: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction:

ChatGPT has become like a digital best friend for many of us. We ask it for help with everything, such as using ChatGPT to extract data from PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. However, there are always some search records that you don't want others to see. No worries! This guide will show you how to delete ChatGPT search history.

Method 1. How to Delete ChatGPT Search History One by One

Sometimes, you want to delete just one or two specific search histories. Maybe you asked a silly question, and you don't want to see it anymore. Check to learn how to delete chats one by one.

On a Computer:

1. On the left side of your screen, you will see a list of all your past conversations.

2. Scroll down until you see the specific conversation you want to remove.

3. Hover your mouse over the title of that chat. You will see a small icon that looks like three dots (...). Click on it.

4. A small menu will pop up. Click the Delete icon.

5. Click Delete again on the pop-up window to confirm. It is now gone forever.

On an iPhone/Android phone:

1. Open the ChatGPT app on your iPhone or Android.

2. Tap the two lines in the top corner to see your history list.

3. Find the chat you want to remove.

4. Now, tap the Delete icon to delete that chat.

iPhone Users: Swipe left on the chat name. Tap the red Delete button.
Android Users: Press and hold the chat name until a menu appears. Tap Delete.

Method 2. How to Delete All ChatGPT Search History

If you have hundreds of old chats and you don't want to delete them one by one, there is a faster way. You can delete everything at once.

However, please be careful with this button. Once you do this, you cannot retrieve your conversations. If needed, you can save ChatGPT conversation in PDF format as a backup.

Steps to clear all ChatGPT history:

1. First, you should go to the Settings:

On your computer, look for your name or profile icon at the bottom left of the screen. Click it, then click Settings.
On a phone, open the sidebar menu, tap your name at the bottom, and look for Data Controls or Settings.

2. In the settings menu, go to Data controls.

3. You will see an option that says Delete all chats, please click the Delete all button next to it.

4. ChatGPT will ask you to confirm because this is a big action. If you are sure, click Confirm deletion.

In this way, when you go back to your main screen, your history sidebar will be completely empty. It will look like a brand-new account. Note that this does not delete your account; it only deletes the text of your past conversations.

How to Avoid Search History in the Future

Deleting history is good, but preventing it is even better. You can use ChatGPT in a special "Incognito" mode so you don't have to worry about deleting things later. It is called Temporary Chat. When you turn it on, two things happen:

Your chats will not appear in your sidebar list.
OpenAI will not use these chats to train its advanced machine learning models.

Here is how to turn on Temporary Chat:

1. At the very top of the chat window, you will see a circle composed of dotted lines.

2. Click on this Turn on temporary chat button.

3. Click Continue to make it.

You will know it is working because the screen may turn dark grey or display a "Temporary Chat" label. Now, you can ask anything you want. When you close the window or refresh the page, that conversation will disappear from your view.

Note: Even in Temporary Chat, OpenAI keeps a hidden copy of the conversation on their secure servers for 30 days. They do this for safety, to ensure no one is using the tool for illegal activities. After 30 days, it is permanently deleted.

Bonus Tip: Unlock Next-Level PDF Efficiency with SwifDoo AI

With ChatGPT, we can process PDFs much faster than before. However, we need to first upload the PDF to PDF. If you think this is a bit troublesome, try SwifDoo PDF, a PDF reader and editor that integrates with ChatGPT.

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With SwifDoo PDF, you can open a PDF document, go to SwifDoo AI, and ask anything.

In the chat box, you can enter your question, and SwifDoo AI will give you the answer immediately. It can be your AI PDF summarizer, analyzer, rewriter, and translator.

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Conclusion

That’s all about how to delete ChatGPT search history. Whether you want to remove just one silly question or wipe your entire history clean, the steps are simple. However, if you want to chat without leaving a trace, just turn on Temporary Chat. It is the easiest way to protect your privacy moving forward. Hope this guide is helpful!