- Who can use it, and where
- How to switch ChatGPT search on yourself
- Reading the answer and checking citations
- What leaves your account when it searches
- Location and getting local results right
- Booking a table from the chat
- The Chrome extension
- If you run a website: the setting you control
- How I'd use it
- Frequently asked questions
ChatGPT search lets ChatGPT look things up on the web and answer with links to its sources; it often kicks in on its own, and you can force it by choosing Search from the tools menu or typing / in the message box. There's also a separate ChatGPT search extension for Chrome that makes ChatGPT your browser's default search engine.
As of October 2026, web search is on every ChatGPT plan, Free included, and it even works when you're not signed in. Everything below comes from OpenAI's Help Center page on searching the web, so you get what OpenAI says it does, not guesswork.
Who can use it, and where
Web search is available on ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, on chatgpt.com and in the desktop and mobile apps. Each search counts against your plan's usage limits. Some extras, like restaurant reservations, have their own rules, which I cover further down.
Don't mix it up with the search box in the sidebar. That one only finds your own chats, projects and files. Web search goes out to the internet. And if you're wondering which engine sits behind it, I've covered that separately in whether ChatGPT uses Google or Bing.
How to switch ChatGPT search on yourself
ChatGPT may search automatically when your question would benefit from current information. When you want to make sure it does:
- Open a conversation in ChatGPT.
- Select View all tools.
- Select Search.
- Type your question and send it.
Two shortcuts do the same job. Type / in the message box and pick Search, or, on an answer you've already had, select the refresh control and choose Search the web, when it's offered. You can also ask ChatGPT to search during a voice conversation, within your plan's limits.
If Search has gone missing, OpenAI suggests starting a new conversation and checking the tools menu, updating the app or trying chatgpt.com in a browser, and checking you're in the right account or workspace and haven't hit your usage limit. In a company workspace, ask your admin whether web search is switched on for your role.
Reading the answer and checking citations
Answers that used the web may include citations. Select one to open the source, or on desktop web, hover over it for a preview. Select Sources, when it appears, to see every cited link plus other relevant ones. Images link back to their source too, and on iOS and Android you may get a map.
Here's the honest bit. OpenAI says plainly that search results and citations can be incomplete, outdated or incorrect. Its advice is to open the cited page and check it supports the answer, look at when it was published or updated, and use an authoritative source when accuracy matters. If something looks wrong, ask ChatGPT to search again with a specific source, date or location.
What leaves your account when it searches
This is the part few people read, and it's where the useful detail is. ChatGPT sometimes works with outside search providers, and OpenAI's page points to the privacy statements of Microsoft and Shopify. Here's what happens to each piece of information:
| Your information | What ChatGPT search does with it |
|---|---|
| Your question | Usually rewritten into one or more shorter, targeted queries sent to search partners, sometimes followed by more specific ones |
| Your IP address | Used to estimate a general location such as your country, state or city; the IP address itself isn't shared with search providers |
| Your account details | Not shared with search providers to run the search |
| Saved memories | If memory is on, relevant memories can shape the rewritten query |
| Precise device location | Off by default and optional; if you share it, it can sharpen nearby results and may go to trusted providers of local listings or weather |
| Name and email when booking | Shared with a reservation provider only if you allow it |
The memory row is the one that surprises people. OpenAI's own example: if you've told ChatGPT you're vegan and live in San Francisco, asking for nearby restaurants may become a search for good vegan restaurants in San Francisco. Handy, but worth knowing. You can review what it remembers in ChatGPT memory settings.
Location and getting local results right
ChatGPT can use an approximate location from your IP address for things like local news, weather and restaurants. Sharing your device's precise location is up to you. To manage it, open Settings, then Data controls, then Location. If your browser denied access earlier, open its site settings for chatgpt.com, set Location to Allow and refresh.
Results showing the wrong town? A VPN can throw off the location guessed from your IP, and saved memories can nudge it too. The simplest fix is to put your city, neighbourhood or postal code in the question. Maps in a reply stay in your chat history, but OpenAI says your precise location is removed from them. Parents who've set up parental controls can also turn location sharing off for their teen.
Booking a table from the chat
ChatGPT can find restaurants and open slots based on your location, date, time, party size and preferences, pulling availability from OpenTable, Resy or Yelp. OpenTable works globally, Resy in the United States, and Yelp in the United States and Canada.
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The catch: reservation search is for eligible consumer plans only, and only when you're using GPT-5.6 Sol or GPT-5.6 Luna. It isn't in ChatGPT Work, on Business, Enterprise or Edu, or in voice conversations, so a work account may never show a Reserve button. ChatGPT also can't save, change, cancel or show a booking once it's made; use the provider's confirmation email for that. If a booking needs a credit card, you're sent to OpenTable to finish.
Before booking, ChatGPT may ask to share your name and email with the provider. You can allow it once, allow it for future bookings, or decline and type the details yourself; Resy uses its own sign-in either way. Review those permissions under Settings, Data controls, Information shared with apps.
The Chrome extension
If you'd like ChatGPT to replace Google in your browser, install the ChatGPT search extension for Chrome. Anything you type in the address bar then starts a ChatGPT conversation. When you want Google after all, type !g before your search terms and it goes there instead.
If you run a website: the setting you control
OpenAI says ChatGPT ranks results using multiple factors and that placement isn't guaranteed. What you can control is eligibility. Allow OAI-Searchbot to crawl your site, and make sure your host or content delivery network lets through traffic from OpenAI's published searchbot IP addresses. A security setting at the CDN can quietly block it. Being eligible is only the start; getting cited by ChatGPT is the next job.
How I'd use it
I'd let it search automatically and open the cited page for anything that matters, whether that's a price, a date or a claim you're about to repeat to a client. Skip sharing your precise location unless you want nearby results; adding a city to the question does most of the work and keeps your settings tidy.
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Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT search free?
Yes. As of October 2026 web search is available on ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, and people who aren't signed in can use it too. Searches count towards your plan's usage limits.
How do I make ChatGPT search the web?
Open a conversation, select View all tools, then Search, or type / in the message box and pick Search. You can also regenerate a reply and choose Search the web, when it's offered.
Does ChatGPT search share my IP address?
No. ChatGPT uses your IP address to estimate a general location, but it doesn't share the IP address itself, or your account information, with third-party search providers.
Can ChatGPT book a restaurant?
On eligible consumer plans it can show availability from OpenTable, Resy or Yelp and help you book. It can't save, change or cancel a reservation, and it isn't available on Business, Enterprise or Edu.
How do I get my website into ChatGPT search?
Allow OAI-Searchbot to crawl your site and make sure your host or CDN allows OpenAI's published searchbot IP addresses. That makes the site eligible; placement isn't guaranteed.
