Are ChatGPT group chats private? Who keeps access now that they're retired

The Morse teamPublished November 12, 20267 min read

ChatGPT group chats are private from new people as of November 12, 2026, but not from anyone who was already in the group. Since July 9, 2026, no one can join a group chat, even through an old invite link (OpenAI). Everyone who already had access keeps it (OpenAI). Once a chat turns read-only, members can still open the messages, files, and images shared in it (OpenAI). OpenAI's privacy policy counts messages you send other users as your Content, which it may use to train its models, subject to your controls (OpenAI).

We read OpenAI's article on retiring group chats, its ChatGPT and Enterprise release notes, its US privacy policy, and its help pages on data controls, deleting chats, retention, export, locked chats, and account deletion on November 12, 2026. OpenAI deserves credit for how it is winding the feature down. It kept everyone's history instead of deleting it, said so in writing, and pointed people to an export.

ChatGPT group chats at a glance

Who can see a ChatGPT group chat now?

Everyone who was in it before July 9, 2026. OpenAI's retirement article says "People who already have access can continue using the group chat where messaging is still enabled" (OpenAI). The same article says a read-only chat still lets you "review the messages, files, and images already shared there." A photo or document someone posted months ago is still open to every member today.

OpenAI can see it too. Its privacy policy says "Some of our Services allow you to interact with other users, such as post, comment, or send messages, and we treat those interactions as Content, too." Group messages fall under the same Content rules as your own chats, which let OpenAI use Content to run its services, check for misuse, and train its models.

Can someone join a ChatGPT group chat with an old invite link?

No. OpenAI's FAQ answers it directly: "New participants cannot join, including through an existing invite link" (OpenAI). The July 9, 2026 entry in the release notes adds that you can't create a group chat or turn an existing conversation into one. An invite link you posted somewhere public no longer lets a stranger in. It doesn't remove anyone who joined before.

Are ChatGPT group chats read-only?

In the UK, yes. OpenAI's article says "In the UK, group chats are read-only," and elsewhere "you can keep sending messages while messaging is enabled" (OpenAI). It tells groups that are still talking to "decide where to continue the conversation before it becomes read-only," without giving a date. As of November 12, 2026, no OpenAI page we read says when chats outside the UK switch over.

Does deleting a ChatGPT group chat delete it for everyone?

OpenAI doesn't say. The general rule on its deletion page, written for any chat in your account, is that a deleted chat leaves your account view at once and is scheduled for permanent deletion "within 30 days," unless it was already de-identified or OpenAI must keep it for security or legal reasons. That page, the retention page, and the account deletion page don't mention group chats. Plan as if the other members keep their copy after you delete yours. Our guide to deleting ChatGPT history covers the rest of the deletion steps.

Are ChatGPT group chats used to train OpenAI's models?

They can be. The privacy policy treats messages with other users as Content, and lists "using your Content to train our models (subject to your control)" among its uses (OpenAI). The account-wide switch that controls this is on unless you change it: on personal Free, Plus, and Pro accounts, "data sharing is enabled by default" (OpenAI). To turn it off, open Settings, then Data controls, and switch off Improve the model for everyone.

As of November 12, 2026, no OpenAI page we read says whose setting covers a group chat: yours, the sender's, or each member's. OpenAI does answer that question for shared pages, which we cover in is ChatGPT Space private. How training works on your own chats is in does ChatGPT train on your data.

Does ChatGPT memory work in group chats?

OpenAI's current pages don't say. Many guides that rank for this question quote launch-era promises that your personal memory stayed out of group chats. As of November 12, 2026, the group chat help article holds only the retirement notice, and OpenAI's November 2025 launch post returned a server error each time we tried it. OpenAI's memory FAQ doesn't mention group chats. To switch memory off for your own account, see how to turn off ChatGPT memory.

What OpenAI's pages answer about group chats today

We built this table from the OpenAI pages we read on November 12, 2026.

The dates behind it, from OpenAI's own notes:

• November 13, 2025: group chats start as a pilot on the web, iOS, and Android in New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan (OpenAI).
• July 9, 2026: the retirement begins, posted in both the consumer and the Enterprise and Edu release notes.
• About October 27, 2026: the retirement article read "Updated: 16 days ago" when we opened it on November 12 (OpenAI).

How do I save a copy of a ChatGPT group chat?

Request a data export. OpenAI says "No action is required to preserve your history," and that for "a separate copy, you can request an export through ChatGPT or the OpenAI Privacy Portal" (OpenAI). In ChatGPT, open Settings, then Data controls, and choose Export under Export data (OpenAI). The export page says it "can take up to 7 days to arrive," and the download link "expires 24 hours after you receive it." Self-service export isn't offered in Business, Enterprise, or ChatGPT for Healthcare workspaces. Keep the ZIP somewhere safe, since it holds the other members' messages as well as yours.

How Morse keeps your conversations out of other people's accounts

Every gap above comes from one design. A group chat is a single copy on OpenAI's servers that several accounts can open, under rules OpenAI's current pages don't spell out. You can't delete the other members' access, and you can't see whose training setting covers your words.

On Morse, your chat history is stored only in your browser, encrypted, and locked when you sign out. Our servers don't keep messages or log what you write, so there's no shared copy on our servers for an old member to open. Morse doesn't train AI on your content, sell your data, or show ads.

• Anonymous, for asking GPT what you'd have asked it in the group. Our proxy removes your account, email, and IP address and sends the message under Morse's own account. OpenAI sees the message without knowing it's you, and may keep it for a limited time to check for abuse, under its own policy, so leave out names of the people you're planning with.
• Private, the default, for plans and drafts you'd rather no host keep. Open-weight models like DeepSeek, Kimi, and GLM, plus xAI's Grok, answer without your account, email, or IP address attached. Morse has zero data retention agreements with its inference, search, and other providers, so they keep nothing.
• E2EE, for anything meant for no one else. Your browser checks the secure enclave's proof that it's genuine before a word leaves your device, and encrypts the message so only that enclave can read it. Our servers relay text they can't read. It runs open-weight models without web search, and depends on the enclave hardware and attestation working as designed. The enclaves are run by third-party providers, not by Morse.

Because we don't store chats, we usually have very little to give authorities. Your device holds the only copy, so clearing your browser, losing the device, or deleting your account deletes your chats for good, and we can't recover them. Keep a copy of anything you need.

Before you leave a ChatGPT group chat behind

• Old members: assume everyone who was in the group can still read it.
• Files and photos: treat anything shared in the group as seen. Export the chat if you need your own record.
• Training: turn off Improve the model for everyone in Data controls.
• Deleting: deleting your copy may leave the others' in place.

You can send a first message from the Morse home page without an account, or start free with no card. End-to-end encrypted chats come with Pro, at $19 a month.