How To Use ChatGPT Search?

ChatGPT Search is ChatGPT’s tool that allows it to find and incorporate up-to-date information from the web directly into your conversation. Rather than switching to a separate search engine, you can get timely answers—complete with sources and links—right within ChatGPT.

In this article, we'll cover how to access ChatGPT Search, its benefits, main features and their applications.

How to Access ChatGPT Search

1. From ChatGPT website and Apps:
   Visit ChatGPT website, or use ChatGPT’s desktop and mobile apps. If ChatGPT decides your query might benefit from web results, it will automatically perform a search.

2. Manually Trigger a Search:
   Click on the web search icon in the text input box. You can also type “/” to bring up the shortcuts menu and select “Search.”

3. Chrome Extension and Default Browser Search:
   Download the ChatGPT search Chrome extension (opens in a new window) and even set it as your default search engine. Type your query directly into the browser’s URL bar, and ChatGPT will respond with web-based results.

4. Platform and Availability:

   • ChatGPT search is available to ChatGPT Plus, Team, Edu, and Enterprise users, with Free users gradually getting access.
   • Search results are accessible on the web, desktop apps, and mobile apps. Some regions may have limited availability.
   • ChatGPT Search is powered by GPT-4o. If you reach your GPT-4o usage limit, you’ll need to wait until it resets to continue using search capabilities.

Feature 1: Fast, Timely Answers with Sources

What it is:
ChatGPT search can provide up-to-date answers enriched with direct links to web sources. Instead of a standalone response, you’ll see citations you can hover over (on desktop) or click, as well as a “Sources” button to explore references in a sidebar.

How to use it:

• Ask ChatGPT a current-events or factual question (“Show me today’s top headlines”).
• ChatGPT will search and display sourced results. Hover on a citation or click “Sources” to review original articles, blog posts, or reference pages.

Feature 2: Source Exploration

What it is:
ChatGPT search responses include inline citations that point you to the exact webpages or articles used. Clicking “Sources” at the bottom of the response reveals a sidebar with a full list of references.

How to use it:

• When ChatGPT’s answer includes superscript citations, hover over them (desktop only) to see the source link.
• Click on the “Sources” button for a detailed view of all references.
• Explore these links to learn more, verify information, or continue your research independently.

Feature 3: Integrated Images, Maps, and Visual Data

What it is:
For certain queries—like weather, stocks, sports schedules, or even local businesses—ChatGPT search can present visual data. This may include weather forecasts, stock charts, sports team schedules, news headlines, and even maps on mobile.

How to use it:

• Ask a location-based question (“What’s a good bakery near me?”) and ChatGPT may return a map or image.
• Click or tap on images for source information.
• On mobile, location-based queries can produce embedded maps with relevant data and directions.

Feature 4: Voice Search Integration

What it is:
Voice-enabled chats can also use ChatGPT search. If you have voice interactions enabled, you can ask ChatGPT verbally to find information, and it will perform a web search in the background.

How to use it:

• Start a voice chat with ChatGPT (available on supported platforms).
• Ask a question that requires up-to-date info.
• ChatGPT will speak back with sourced answers, just like text-based searches.

Feature 5: Browser Integration with Chrome Extension

What it is:
By installing the ChatGPT Chrome extension, you can perform ChatGPT searches directly from your browser’s URL bar.

How to use it:

• Install the ChatGPT search extension for Chrome.
• Set ChatGPT as your default search in your browser settings if desired.
• Type queries directly in the URL bar. If you need Google results, type “!g” followed by your query to bypass ChatGPT search.

Conclusion

ChatGPT search transforms how you access up-to-date information by integrating web data directly into your ChatGPT conversations. Instead of juggling multiple tabs, you can stay in one place—ask follow-up questions, refine your request, and source-verify all within ChatGPT’s environment. By understanding who benefits most and how to leverage each feature, you can enjoy a more seamless, informed, and interactive search experience.

Valeriia Kuka

Valeriia Kuka, Head of Content at Learn Prompting, is passionate about making AI and ML accessible. Valeriia previously grew a 60K+ follower AI-focused social media account, earning reposts from Stanford NLP, Amazon Research, Hugging Face, and AI researchers. She has also worked with AI/ML newsletters and global communities with 100K+ members and authored clear and concise explainers and historical articles.