Meet ChatGPT Search!

ChatGPT now offers a faster, more reliable web search option, delivering up-to-date answers with links to relevant sources like sports scores, news, and stock prices—all in a natural language format. You’ll get responses to questions you’d usually turn to a search engine for, making it easier than ever to get the info you need.

ChatGPT decides when to search the web based on what you’re asking or lets you manually start a search using the web search icon.

At the moment it seems the search button stays inactive, it's if you open specifically the page https://chatgpt.com/?hints=search that the search button is highlighted and active. Likely a temporary bug.

ChatGPT search can be accessed at chatgpt.com and in OpenAI's desktop and mobile apps.

Advanced Search Model Behind the Scenes

This search feature is powered by a specially tuned GPT-4 model, built with advanced synthetic data techniques, including distilled outputs from OpenAI’s preview models. ChatGPT combines third-party search providers and direct partnerships to find what you need. OpenAI even has plans to improve search for specific areas, like travel and shopping, and to add this search capability to advanced features like Voice and canvas modes. Eventually, OpenAI hopes to bring the new search to Free and logged-out users, expanding access to all.

How It Works

Finding good answers on the web often means lots of searches and sorting through multiple links. ChatGPT simplifies this, deciding when to search the web based on your query and pulling directly from partnered news and data sources. Just ask a question, and ChatGPT considers the context of your chat to get you the best answer.

Click on the “Sources” button to see any references, including news articles, blogs, and even YouTube videos.

ChatGPT as Your Default Search Engine on Chrome

OpenAI says you can make ChatGPT your default search engine in Chrome by downloading and installing the ChatGPT Chrome Extension.

Once it’s set as your default search, you can type your search directly into Chrome’s URL bar. This will automatically open a ChatGPT conversation with your search query and response.

And it stays flexible too, because when you’d rather search on Google for a specific query, you can just type “!g [your query]” (e.g., “!g foobar”) in the URL bar to redirect to the good old Google results.

But I've tried that and upon installing the extension ChatGPT as default search doesn't just work automatically (actually, not sure this extension does anything yet).

But I've figured it out.

So here's how you can make ChatGPT your default search engine: 

1. Go to Chrome's settings and open Search settings. It's here chrome://settings/searchEngines

2. There's a list of search engines there you probably never thought you had. Click the Add button located next to 'Site search' and fill out the new search engine form. Enter any shortcut, any name you want, but the URL that works is this one: https://chatgpt.com/?hints=search&q=%s

   

3. Then click the three vertical dots icon next to your ChatGPT entry in the list and select 'make default'.

   

   This will pop it right up into the the first list and your address/search bar will now send your search query to ChatGPT's website.

However, note that search queries in ChatGPT are subject to your ChatGPT plan’s 4o usage limit. Learn more about GPT 4o usage limits on ChatGPT.

Rollout Schedule

• Now Available: All ChatGPT Plus and Team users, along with those from the SearchGPT waitlist, have immediate access.
• Upcoming Weeks: Enterprise and Edu users will gain access.
• Within Months: The rollout will reach all Free users.

ChatGPT has also introduced widget-like features, such as live weather, stock updates, sports news, and maps, making it even more versatile for many queries.

Personal Experience with ChatGPT’s Web Search

As a daily user, I’m excited about this update—it makes ChatGPT a more complete tool. I love having sources like news articles just a click away, adding depth to the information.

It’s comparable to new AI search engines like Perplexity, with options to include relevant YouTube videos. With more visitors coming from these advanced AI search engines, I’m hopeful that people will also start arriving from SearchGPT.

Stocks, weather and maps are a great addition, personally I'm interested in all three.

Redditors Reaction

In this fresh Reddit thread, users are debating if ChatGPT’s new search capabilities could genuinely compete with Google, with many excited about the possibilities, while others point out its limitations.

• Many Redditors think SearchGPT could finally bring a fresh alternative to Google. One commenter highlights how SearchGPT makes finding information easier: “I can type full sentences and get answers without all the clutter.” Another user adds that SearchGPT’s conversational approach makes it feel more “personal and direct” compared to sifting through Google’s search results.

• On Perplexity subreddit, Google's closest competitor at the moment, Redditors see the competition between Perplexity and SearchGPT as a win for users, giving them more choice in search tools.

• Even though SearchGPT is promising, many still prefer Perplexity, mainly because it has more advanced features, lets users organize research better, and feels more reliable for detailed searches. People love how Perplexity delivers nuanced answers and allows them to use different AI models, which gives it an edge over SearchGPT, especially for complex research.

• Opinions on speed differ, with some finding Perplexity faster, while others think SearchGPT feels more efficient for quick tasks. There’s also a bit of concern about Perplexity’s future, as some think it could struggle to compete against larger, well-funded companies like OpenAI.

• For now, Perplexity remains the preferred choice for those who need deeper, more organized search capabilities.

In Summary

This enhanced search option transforms the ChatGPT experience, giving users a powerful, intuitive tool. If you’ve tried the feature, share your feedback in the comments below. Are you going to be switching to ChatGPT Web Search as your new default search engine?