ChatGPT's sharing feature has privacy risks — here's how to use it safely
Retain some control over the conversations you share

ChatGPT can be a gold mine of useful information, and there may be times when you want others to benefit from your conversations. OpenAI, ChatGPT’s creator, makes this possible by allowing you to share your chats via a public link.
It’s certainly a handy feature. You may want to share your research or an explanation to a shared problem, for example — and it’s a very easy one to use. At the same time, however, it’s important to know exactly what sharing means: you’re granting full access to both sides of your conversation.
At the very least, you should ensure that you’re not giving away any private information or allowing people to see something that is potentially embarrassing. You should also bear in mind that you’re creating a public link, anyone with access to it can view your conversation.
Still, the situation has improved since August 2025, when public chat links were briefly indexed by Google before OpenAI pulled this particular feature. Let’s take a look at how you can share and manage a ChatGPT conversation.
1. Share a chat
If you’ve been in a conversation with ChatGPT and you feel someone else could benefit from the knowledge you’ve gleaned, you can share it with others.
In a browser, select the Share button in the top-right corner of the browser window.
In the ChatGPT app, tap the three-dot icon in the top-right corner and select Share.
2. Create a link
A link is automatically created, so you don’t actually need to do anything else. That may sound odd, especially when you’re now confronted with an option called Create Link or Share Link depending on the method.
It’s important to remember this because, if you decide you don’t want to share a chat after all, the link still exists.
3. Use the link
In the app, tap Share Link and select a share method — you could tap Copy and have a URL ready to paste elsewhere but you can also, for example, tap a message app, email app and so on.
4. Manage your links
The link is a public one. It won’t be indexed by a search engine any more so it won’t be discoverable in Google but it can be passed from person-to-person.
You can, however, sever the public link to a chat but you will need to use the browser version of ChatGPT to do so.
Click your account name which you will find at the bottom of the left sidebar then select Data Controls.
Now click Manage next to Shared Links.
5. Remove a link
To delete a link, click the trash can icon next to it. It will be removed from the list and using the shared link will result in a “404 Not Found” error.
A word of warning, though. If someone has imported the conversation into their own chat history, they’ll still be able to view the content. Again, be careful about including sensitive information.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
More from Tom's Guide
- ChatGPT is sharing your secrets — how to keep your chats private
- I told ChatGPT something that I regret — 7 things you should never share
- OpenAI lets you archive conversations in ChatGPT — here's how












Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.

David Crookes is a freelance writer, reporter, editor and author. He has written for technology and gaming magazines including Retro Gamer, Web User, Micro Mart, MagPi, Android, iCreate, Total PC Gaming, T3 and Macworld. He has also covered crime, history, politics, education, health, sport, film, music and more, and been a producer for BBC Radio 5 Live.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.