How to sign up for ChatGPT

by Sarah MacPherson, a product manager, ai enthusiast trying to find the best and most interesting ways to work with this new frontier

What you need to sign up

Signing up for ChatGPT is free and takes just a few minutes. You'll need:

An email address (or you can sign up with a Google, Microsoft, or Apple account)
A phone number for verification (required for security)
A web browser or the ChatGPT mobile app

That's it. No credit card required unless you decide to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus later.

Step-by-step signup process

Go to the ChatGPT website: Open your browser and visit chat.openai.com. You'll see a "Sign up" button.

Choose how to sign up: You can create an account with your email address or use an existing Google, Microsoft, or Apple account. Using an existing account is faster and means one less password to remember.

AI prompt: "What are the benefits of using Google sign-in vs. creating a new account?"

Enter your information: If you're signing up with email, you'll create a password and provide your name. If you're using Google or another service, you'll just authorize the connection.

Verify your email: OpenAI will send a verification email. Click the link in the email to confirm your account.

Add your phone number: For security, ChatGPT requires a phone number. You'll receive a text with a verification code. Enter that code to complete the process.

Start using ChatGPT: Once verified, you're ready to go. You'll land on the main chat interface where you can start typing questions or prompts.

Signing up on mobile

If you prefer using ChatGPT on your phone:

Download the official ChatGPT app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android)
Open the app and tap "Sign up"
Follow the same steps as above: choose your signup method, verify email, add phone number
You're ready to chat

The mobile app syncs with the web version, so conversations you start on your phone will appear on your computer and vice versa.

Troubleshooting common signup issues

Not receiving the verification email: Check your spam folder. If it's not there, try requesting a new verification email. Make sure you're checking the correct email account.

Phone number already in use: Each phone number can only be associated with one ChatGPT account. If you get this error, you may have already created an account. Try logging in instead, or use the "Forgot password" option.

Sign up button not working: Try a different browser or clear your browser cache. Make sure JavaScript is enabled.

What happens after signup?

Once you're signed up, you'll see the ChatGPT interface with a text box at the bottom. Just start typing. ChatGPT will remember your conversations (you can see past chats in the sidebar), but you can delete them anytime if you prefer.

Your free account gives you access to GPT-3.5. If you want to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus for GPT-4 and premium features, you can do that anytime from your account settings.

AI prompt: "Show me 5 example questions I can ask ChatGPT to test it out"

Privacy and data

OpenAI uses your conversations to improve ChatGPT unless you opt out in settings. If you're concerned about privacy, avoid sharing sensitive personal information in your chats. You can also disable chat history in settings if you don't want OpenAI to store your conversations.

Related resources

Now that you're signed up, learn more about what ChatGPT can do in What is ChatGPT and what's it good at?. Want to know if you should upgrade? See ChatGPT free vs paid: What do you get?. For detailed usage tips, visit ChatGPT tips and limitations.