ChatGPT incognito mode: how to turn on Temporary Chat
To use incognito mode in ChatGPT, open a new chat, click the model name at the top, and select Temporary Chat. The conversation is then kept out of your chat history, does not read or write memory, and is not used for training. OpenAI still keeps a copy for up to 30 days for safety review, and Temporary Chat is not the same as a private browser window, which hides nothing from your account.
Short answer
To use incognito mode in ChatGPT, open a new chat, click the model name at the top, and select Temporary Chat. The conversation is then kept out of your chat history, does not read or write memory, and is not used for training. OpenAI still keeps a copy for up to 30 days for safety review, and Temporary Chat is not the same as a private browser window, which hides nothing from your account.
Step by step
Start a new chat: Temporary Chat is set per conversation, not account wide, so open a fresh chat before you type anything.
Open the model picker: On web and the Windows or macOS desktop app, click the model name at the top of the screen. On iOS and Android, tap the model name or the menu at the top of the conversation.
Choose Temporary Chat: A banner confirms the chat will not appear in history, will not read or write memory, and will not be used for training.
Copy anything you want to keep: Temporary chats are unrecoverable once closed, so save the output before you leave the window.
Two different things get called incognito here, and only one of them affects what OpenAI stores.
Browser incognito versus Temporary Chat
| | Private browser window | Temporary Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Hides chat from your history in ChatGPT | No | Yes |
| Prevents memory updates | No | Yes |
| Excluded from training | No | Yes |
| Hides activity from your network or employer | No | No |
| Requires signing in | Yes, to use ChatGPT | Already signed in |
A private browser window only stops your own browser recording the visit. You still sign into your account, so the conversation is saved to that account exactly as normal. It is the wrong tool for this job.
How to turn on Temporary Chat on every ChatGPT client
Temporary Chat is set per conversation, not as an account-wide setting, so you switch it on before you start typing.
Web (chatgpt.com): open a new chat, click the model name at the top of the screen, and choose Temporary Chat. A banner confirms the chat will not appear in history.
iOS and Android app: open a new chat, tap the model name or the menu at the top of the conversation, then tap Temporary Chat.
Windows and macOS desktop app: same as the web app. Start a new chat, click the model selector in the header, and pick Temporary Chat.
Keyboard shortcut on web: after starting a new chat you can also toggle it from the same menu; there is no separate incognito URL to bookmark.
Work or school accounts: if your workspace admin has disabled it, the option does not appear. That is a policy setting, not a bug on your device.
You will know it is active because the sidebar shows no entry for the conversation and the header reads Temporary Chat. Switching models mid-conversation keeps it temporary; opening a new normal chat does not.
What Temporary Chat does
Start it from the model picker at the top of a new chat. The conversation is marked temporary, does not appear in the sidebar, does not read or write memory, and is excluded from training. When you close it, it is gone from your side.
What it does not do
It is not anonymous. You are signed in and the request is associated with your account for abuse handling.
OpenAI retains temporary conversations for up to 30 days for safety monitoring.
It does nothing about network monitoring, endpoint software, or a managed device.
It does not help retroactively. Existing history and memories are untouched.
The trade off nobody mentions
Temporary Chat means no record at all, including for you. People use it for something genuinely useful, then find there is nothing to go back to. If the conversation might matter later, copy the output somewhere before closing the window, or run it as a normal chat and delete it afterwards, which gives you the same end state with a window in which to save the good parts.
A sensible setup
Normal chats for anything you might want again, with training turned off in Data Controls.
Temporary Chat for genuinely sensitive one offs.
A periodic export, converted into documents, so your real history lives somewhere you control.
Memory reviewed occasionally, because it accumulates quietly.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on incognito mode in the ChatGPT app?
Open a new chat, tap the model name at the top, and choose Temporary Chat. It applies to that conversation only, so repeat it each time.
Is Temporary Chat completely private?
It keeps the conversation out of your history, memory, and training data, but OpenAI retains it for up to 30 days for safety monitoring.
Does browser incognito hide my ChatGPT chats?
No. You are still signed in, so the conversation is saved to your account normally.
Can I recover a Temporary Chat?
No. It is not saved anywhere you can reach, so copy anything you need before closing it.
Does Temporary Chat use my saved memories?
No. It neither reads existing memories nor creates new ones.