It’s easier than ever to use ChatGPT Search — sign-in no longer needed

By Trevor Mogg Published February 5, 2025

The ChatGPT Search icon on the prompt window — OpenAI

You no longer need to sign in to use ChatGPT Search.

“ChatGPT search is now available to everyone on chatgpt.com,” OpenAI said in a post on X announcing the change, adding, “No sign up required.”

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The move makes it easier than ever to use ChatGPT Search, and increases the pressure on Google, which has dominated online search for decades. Other search-focused AI chatbots like Perplexity may also feel the impact of ChatGPT Search becoming more accessible.

OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search in October 2024, about two years after it released its regular AI-powered chatbot, which quickly garnered worldwide attention for the way it responded to online queries in a conversational way, saving users from having to trawl through endless search results to find what they’re looking for.

What’s the difference between ChatGPT and ChatGPT Search?

The regular ChatGPT chatbot is trained on a huge dataset up to a specific cutoff date and doesn’t access real-time information, whereas ChatGPT Search accesses dynamic, real-time information.

The AI chatbot is considered ideal for tasks like creative writing, brainstorming, and general knowledge inquiries that don’t require access to recent data, whereas ChatGPT Search is useful for obtaining the latest news, weather updates, stock prices, and other time-sensitive information.

Another key difference is that ChatGPT Search lists its sources, including links, so you can click through to particular pages to find out more, if you wish. This makes it very similar to one of its popular rivals, Perplexity.

How can I use ChatGPT Search?

On the web interface, you simply head to ChatGPT.com and click on the “Search” button inside the prompt box. Once you’ve selected it, you’re good to enter your prompt. As part of the response, you’ll see small boxes showing the origins of the sources. Click on one to visit the page from which ChatGPT pulled its information. Additionally, you can hit the “Sources” button at the end of the response, which brings up a column showing the sources in list form.

OpenAI is having a busy start to the year, recently launching an AI agent called Operator, which autonomously performs web-based tasks, and also Deep Research, an AI system that autonomously conducts multi-step research tasks, with both features designed to enhance user productivity.

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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