In short. ChatGPT search can use IP-based estimates, optional device location and location supplied in a prompt or remembered context to tailor local results.
Definition: ChatGPT search can use an approximate location inferred from an IP address, device location shared with permission, and location supplied in a question or remembered context. As of 17 October 2026, OpenAI documents these inputs for finding relevant local results.
Key facts
- OpenAI's Europe privacy policy describes estimating the general area from which a device accesses its services using information such as its IP address.
- The ChatGPT search help page states that device location sharing is optional and disabled by default.
- Memory in ChatGPT explains that remembered details, including location, can refine a web search query when memory is enabled. Memory is information retained across conversations to personalize responses.
How do IP and device location affect results?
OpenAI's search documentation describes an IP-based estimate at country, state or city level. The network's location can affect that estimate.
Device location sharing supplies more specific information for nearby businesses, local news and weather. On iOS and Android, an available permission may allow approximate device location while precise location is switched off. Device location sharing therefore has its own permission controls alongside the IP-based estimate.
The documentation also explains that ChatGPT may send general location information to search providers. The IP address itself and ChatGPT account information are excluded from the information sent to those providers to run a search.
How can a question or remembered context supply a place?
OpenAI's search help page recommends including a city, neighborhood or postal code when local results show the wrong area. A place written into the question supplies geographic context directly.
The same page illustrates query rewriting: ChatGPT may turn a request for nearby restaurants into a search for restaurants in San Francisco. Its memory example combines a remembered San Francisco location with a vegan dietary preference to refine the restaurant search.
The memory documentation places the available controls under Settings, Personalization, then Memory. It explains that controls vary by plan, region, platform and workspace settings. Remembered information can be corrected through a message or edited through the memory summary or saved-memory controls when available.
Where are location permissions checked?
OpenAI's documented location settings path is:
Settings > Data controls > Location
Browser or device permissions also govern access. After a browser has denied access, the documented remedy is to open the site settings for chatgpt.com, set Location to Allow and refresh the page. OpenAI recommends asking the question again after changing a location permission.
For an agency comparing local results, these documented inputs provide a recording checklist: the place named in the prompt, the network used, device location permissions and relevant memory settings. Recording them makes the conditions of a comparison explicit.
Related terms
- ChatGPT search
- Does ChatGPT search use Bing results?
- ChatGPT country availability
- Where can I see the sources behind a ChatGPT search answer?
FAQ
Must I share precise device location to search?
No. OpenAI's search FAQ says you can search without sharing precise device location, although local results may be less specific.
How can I correct an outdated remembered location?
The memory help page says you can tell ChatGPT that remembered information is outdated. You can also edit a memory summary or saved memory where those controls are available.
Sources
- OpenAI, "Searching the web with ChatGPT", accessed 17 October 2026
- OpenAI, "Europe privacy policy", accessed 17 October 2026
- OpenAI, "Memory in ChatGPT", accessed 17 October 2026
Check how a page reads to answer engines. Open the GEO score analyzer