Glossary
Temporary chat
A temporary chat is a conversation mode where the AI doesn't save the chat to your history or use it for training. It's the chatbot equivalent of a browser's private window, good for one-off questions you'd rather not keep on record.
Some questions don’t need to live in your chat history forever. A temporary chat (ChatGPT calls it exactly that) is a mode you switch on before you start typing: the conversation never appears in your sidebar, isn’t used to train models, and isn’t remembered by features like AI memory.
Imagine a nonna who wants to understand what a medicine on her prescription is for. She can ask in a temporary chat, get a plain explanation to discuss with her doctor, and leave no trace in her account afterwards.
One honest caveat: temporary doesn’t mean invisible. Providers may still keep a copy briefly. OpenAI, for instance, says temporary chats can be retained for a limited period for safety purposes. So it’s privacy from your own history and from training, not total anonymity.
If you’re not sure which conversations deserve this mode, the setup wizard helps you sort your settings once and for all.
Where you’ll meet this
- ChatGPT → the “Temporary chat” toggle in the model/menu bar at the top
- Gemini → managing or pausing Gemini Apps Activity achieves a similar effect
- Claude → no identical mode; deleting a chat after use is the nearest equivalent
Related terms
Put it to work
- Free Get More From AI Already using AI but feel you're scratching the surface? Answer a few questions and get a personal plan to level up: the right assistant for what you do, the plan that's actually worth it, and the settings and prompts that unlock more.
- Free Skuto Paste Checker Check before you paste: pick what you're about to share and which AI you use, and see in seconds if it's safe — with the vendor's actual terms and a safer alternative.