How do OpenAI's data retention and deletion policies work for user chats?
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Executive summary
OpenAI’s retention and deletion rules depend on product type and user settings: consumer ChatGPT historically deleted user-initiated deletions from view immediately and from systems within about 30 days unless legal holds apply, while enterprise and Zero Data Retention (ZDR) customers get stronger guarantees of non‑retention and non‑training use (e.g., enterprise data not used to train models) [1] [2] [3]. A 2025 U.S. court preservation order forced OpenAI to keep deleted consumer chats and some API logs under legal hold for litigation—but that order’s scope changed over 2025, with OpenAI later saying it could stop preserving new data after September 26, 2025 for many users [4] [5] [6].
1. How the rules differ by product: “Consumer vs. Enterprise vs. ZDR”
OpenAI’s published materials and platform docs draw a clear line: consumer ChatGPT conversations are retained by default to enable features and, unless settings are changed, can be used for model training; by contrast, ChatGPT Enterprise and business APIs are presented as excluded from model‑training and offer administrative retention controls, while Zero Data Retention endpoints offer non‑retention of inputs and outputs for approved customers [2] [3] [6].
2. The user controls you actually have: history, temporary chats, and deletion
Users can toggle Chat History and opt into Temporary Chats; Temporary Chats are deleted from OpenAI systems after 30 days automatically, while deleting a chat from the UI removes it from your view immediately and schedules it for permanent deletion from OpenAI systems within 30 days unless legal or security exceptions apply [7] [1] [8].
3. What “deleted” means in practice: visible removal vs. backend artifacts
OpenAI’s help pages state a deleted chat is removed from the UI immediately but may remain in internal systems for up to about 30 days before permanent deletion, and backups or legal exceptions can extend retention; platform docs also warn that different system layers can create artifacts that might be preserved under exceptional circumstances [1] [7] [9].
4. Legal exceptions and the 2025 court preservation order
A federal preservation order tied to litigation (notably the New York Times case) required OpenAI to segregate and retain output log data that would otherwise have been deleted, covering many consumer accounts and some API logs; OpenAI appealed and later said the obligation that forced indefinite retention was lifted for many users on September 26, 2025, though historical April–September 2025 data remained preserved and some flagged domains continued to be monitored [6] [4] [5].
5. Abuse monitoring and short default retain windows
Multiple sources describe retention windows used for safety and abuse monitoring: OpenAI and its partners have described a roughly 30‑day window used to monitor for abuse even when users disable history; Azure/OpenAI documentation historically referenced a 30‑day prompt retention for abuse detection, and public help pages reiterate the 30‑day practice for temporary/deleted chats [10] [1] [7] [11].
6. Claims about “zero retention” and limits on that promise
Zero Data Retention or similar settings are available but require approval and are primarily for business customers; reporting emphasizes ZDR endpoints are not affected by the court preservation order, but ZDR is not the consumer default and may carry extra obligations for customers to manage safe use and moderation [3] [6] [12].
7. How to make deletion requests and what actually removes data
OpenAI’s Help Center and privacy pages provide account deletion and privacy forms: deleting your OpenAI account via the Privacy Portal or in‑app is the path most outlets identify as the closest to full removal, and OpenAI’s DPA instructs returning or deleting Customer Data on request, subject to legal obligations [13] [14] [15].
8. Conflicting narratives and where reporting diverges
News and analysis vary: some sources frame the court order as an indefinite retention mandate for all users, while OpenAI’s own posts and later court filings describe phased changes and exceptions—so the practical impact depends on account type and the specific time window (April–September 2025) that many articles single out [6] [4] [16].
Limitations and takeaways: available sources make clear that retention depends on product tier and settings, with a roughly 30‑day practical deletion window for many user actions but legal holds and litigation altered that behavior in 2025 for some accounts [1] [7] [4]. If you need a definitive statement for a particular account (consumer free, paid consumer, enterprise, or API with ZDR), consult OpenAI’s product docs and your service agreement because the sources show substantive differences by account type and time period [3] [14].