ChatGPT chats won’t show up on Google anymore — here’s how to remove your shared links

Your conversations with ChatGPT can no longer be indexed or become searchable through Google and other search engines. OpenAI recently removed the feature that allowed users to opt in to having chats be discoverable.

The feature always required users to check a box to "Make this chat discoverable," but it appears many users either misunderstood the implications of that option or clicked it accidentally.

According to a report by Fast Company, almost 4,500 ChatGPT conversations appeared in Google search results. Those conversations included personal details, such as discussions of mental health challenges, relationships, and other sensitive topics.

The feature in question appeared when a person used the share function within ChatGPT. Using that option created a public link that could be shared with friends, family, or colleagues.

Within the window that included the share link, an option to make the chat discoverable also appeared. The prompt stated that enabling the option "Allows [chats] to be shown in web searches."

Some people may have gotten used to checking boxes without reading the accompanying text.

Following Fast Company's report, OpenAI removed the option to make chats discoverable.

"We just removed a feature from [ChatGPT] that allowed users to make their conversations discoverable by search engines, such as Google. This was a short-lived experiment to help people discover useful conversations," said OpenAI's Chief Information Security Officer Dane Stuckey.

"This feature required users to opt-in, first by picking a chat to share, then by clicking a checkbox for it to be shared with search engines (see below)."

Stuckey went on to say that the feature introduced opportunities to enable it accidentally.

ChatGPT is working to remove the indexed content from search engines, though that process will take time.

How long were ChatGPT conversations discoverable?

The X post discussing the removal of the discoverability feature mentions that the feature was a "short-lived experiment." X user @ns123abc asked for clarification regarding text on OpenAI's website.

It appears that at one point the website stated that "shared links are not designed to show up in public search results on the internet."

OpenAI's page related to shared links no longer has that text. Below are excerpts from archived versions of a help page from ChatGPT.

The version from April 26, 2025 states:

"Should we expect shared links to show up in public search results on the Internet?

No, shared links are not designed to show up in public search results on the internet. They are intended for direct sharing between individuals and are not indexed by search engines. However, anyone with the link can view the shared content."

The version from April 28, 2025 differs in relation to search engines (emphasis added):

"No, shared links are not enabled to show up in public search results on the internet by default. You can manually enable the link to be indexed by search engines when sharing. However, anyone with the link can view the shared content."

The current help page from OpenAI still mentions the option to have chats indexed. Presumably, it needs to be updated to reflect the change that's being rolled out.

How do I delete ChatGPT shared links?

It's possible to delete ChatGPT shared links with only a few clicks, though it's important to note that doing so may not remove the conversations from Google or other search engines right away.

Here's how to delete saved shared links in ChatGPT:

1. Navigate to https://chat.openai.com/chat through your browser.
2. Click your name in the lower-left-hand corner of the page.
3. Click "Settings."
4. Click "Data controls."
5. Click the "Manage" button that appears next to "Shared links."

You’ll then see the tools needed to delete any shared links.