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Heroes of Might and Magic 3Temporary Chat
Temporary Chat is ChatGPT's incognito mode: the chat stays out of your history, does not create memories and is not used to train OpenAI's models, though OpenAI may keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety.
To start a Temporary Chat in ChatGPT, open a new chat, select Temporary, and choose Personalized or Unpersonalized before you send the first message (Temporary chat in ChatGPT). The chat then stays out of your chat history, creates no memories, and is not used to improve OpenAI's models while it stays temporary. It is not invisible to OpenAI: a copy may be kept for up to 30 days for safety, as of Nov 6, 2026.
Quick facts
| Start | New chat > Temporary > Personalized or Unpersonalized |
| Chat history | Not shown unless you save the chat |
| Model training | Not used while the chat stays temporary |
| Memory | Never created or updated |
| Kept by OpenAI | Up to 30 days for safety, as of Nov 6, 2026 |
| Personalization choice | Since Aug 27, 2026; off by default at launch |
| Works with GPTs | Yes |
What does Temporary Chat skip?
A temporary chat leaves out three things a normal chat does (Temporary chat in ChatGPT):
- History. It never appears in your sidebar or in search, and once you leave an unsaved one it cannot be reopened.
- Training. It is not used to improve OpenAI's models while it remains temporary, whatever your "Improve the model for everyone" setting says.
- Memory. It does not create or update memories, in either mode.
What it does not skip: OpenAI may keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety purposes, and on eligible ChatGPT Enterprise workspaces the Compliance API can read temporary chats for those 30 days even where the workspace has a different retention period. In rare high-risk situations, safety systems may still use limited context from earlier conversations even with memory and personalization off (Temporary chat in ChatGPT).
Personalized or Unpersonalized
Since Aug 27, 2026 you choose before the first message (ChatGPT release notes):
| Mode | Uses your memories, custom instructions and plugins | Creates memories |
|---|---|---|
| Personalized | Yes | No |
| Unpersonalized | No | No |
The choice cannot change once the conversation starts. When the option arrived, temporary chats were unpersonalized by default (ChatGPT release notes, Aug 27, 2026). Unpersonalized is the closer match to a browser's incognito window: ChatGPT answers as if it knows nothing about you. Workspace or account restrictions override either choice.
Saving a temporary chat
A temporary chat you want to keep can be saved to your history, which turns it into a regular chat, even if it started unpersonalized. From then on it follows your normal settings: it can be used for training if "Improve the model for everyone" is on, it may inform future answers if Memory is on, and it is kept like any saved chat. Eligible uploaded files may then be saved to Library or Space (Temporary chat in ChatGPT). Files uploaded in a temporary chat that is not saved do not go to the Library (ChatGPT release notes, Mar 23, 2026). See File Uploads and Library.
GPTs and third parties
Temporary Chat works with GPTs. If a GPT sends data to an outside service through an action, that service's own privacy policy applies, and it may keep the data longer than 30 days and use it for other purposes (Temporary chat in ChatGPT). The same caution goes for Plugins in a personalized temporary chat: what a third-party app receives is governed by its maker. Custom GPTs are being retired on Dec 11, 2026.
Temporary Chat or another privacy setting?
Temporary Chat is per conversation. For a standing choice, use the settings described in Privacy and Data Controls: turning off "Improve the model for everyone" keeps your history but stops training on all your chats. To hide a chat you want to keep, use Locked Chats. To remove one already saved, delete it (see How to Delete ChatGPT History).
History
Chat history could first be turned off on May 3, 2023, and a new interface for Temporary Chats arrived on the web on Mar 18, 2025, with an incognito keyboard on Android (ChatGPT release notes). The date Temporary Chat itself first launched is not among the release notes read on Nov 6, 2026. The Personalized and Unpersonalized choice and the option to save a temporary chat came on Aug 27, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does ChatGPT have an incognito mode? Yes: Temporary Chat. Open a new chat and select Temporary; the chat stays out of your history, makes no memories and is not used for training while it stays temporary.
Are ChatGPT temporary chats really deleted? They disappear from your view when you leave, but OpenAI may keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety purposes before deleting it, as of Nov 6, 2026.
Does Temporary Chat use my memory? Only if you choose Personalized before the first message; Unpersonalized uses no memories, custom instructions or plugins, and neither mode creates new memories.
Can I save a ChatGPT temporary chat? Yes. Saving it moves it into your chat history as a regular chat, which then follows your normal training and memory settings.
Is Temporary Chat used to train ChatGPT? No, not while it remains temporary; a temporary chat you save becomes subject to your "Improve the model for everyone" setting.
Can I get back a temporary chat I closed? No. An unsaved temporary chat cannot be reopened from history once you leave it.
Sources
- Temporary chat in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
- ChatGPT release notes, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026 (entries May 3, 2023, Mar 18, 2025, Mar 23 and Aug 27, 2026)
Related
- Account SecuritySecure a ChatGPT account in Settings > Security: turn on multi-factor authentication or passkeys, review active sessions and security history, and for the strongest protection enroll in Advanced Account Security, which requires passkeys or security keys plus recovery keys.
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ChatGPT Browser ExtensionThe ChatGPT browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi lets the ChatGPT desktop app read and act in your own browser, mention open tabs in a chat, and, in every browser but Opera, open a side chat next to a page; it needs the desktop app and replaced the retired Atlas browser.
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- ChatGPT in Other AppsChatGPT also answers outside its own app: on WhatsApp and by phone at 1-800-CHATGPT (+1-800-242-8478), on Kakao in South Korea and Viber, in Apple CarPlay, Slack, Apple Messages on the Mac and the Office add-ins.
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- ChatGPT SearchChatGPT search looks up the web and answers with linked sources, on every plan and even without signing in. It launched on Oct 31, 2024 after the SearchGPT prototype; ChatGPT searches on its own when a question needs it, or you choose Search from the tools menu.
See also
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- Chat History and SearchChatGPT keeps every saved chat in the sidebar until you delete it; Search (Ctrl+K or Cmd+K on the web) finds chats, projects, images and documents, archived chats stay searchable, and deleted chats are erased within 30 days.
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MemoryChatGPT memory lets ChatGPT remember your preferences and details from past chats, saved memories and other sources. You can view, edit or delete what it remembers, or turn it off, in Settings > Personalization > Memory.
- File Uploads and LibraryChatGPT accepts up to 20 files per message on the web, documents up to 512 MB each, and up to 80 files every 3 hours, while Free accounts get 3 uploads a day; everything uploaded is kept in Library, which holds 500 MB on Free up to 100 GB on Pro.
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Custom GPTsCustom GPTs, launched Nov 6, 2023 with the GPT Store following on Jan 10, 2024, retire across ChatGPT on Dec 11, 2026 (Feb 11, 2027 for FedRAMP and approved Enterprise deferrals). Owners can move each GPT into a plugin with Migrate to plugin; old conversations stay readable.