Quick answer
OpenAI now lets eligible ChatGPT Site owners invite named people outside their workspace without making the Site public. An external viewer must sign in with the invited account and receives view-only access: they cannot edit or publish the Site and do not become a workspace member. Business workspaces include external invitations within their Sites permissions, while Enterprise and Edu workspaces require the inviter to have a separate external-viewer permission. Owners should still review the Site's other audience settings because removing a direct invitation does not cancel access granted through a public or workspace-wide setting.
Named external sharing is private and view-only
The September 3 update adds a middle ground between workspace-only access and publishing a ChatGPT Site to the open internet. An eligible owner can add a specific email address, and the recipient opens the Site while signed in with the account that received access. The invitation gives view-only access: the visitor cannot edit or publish the Site, does not join the owner's workspace, and does not gain access to other workspace content.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, OpenAI Help Center, OpenAI Help Center
Invite an external viewer from the Site sharing controls
Open the Site, choose Share, enter the recipient's email in the available people control, confirm view-only access, and save the change. Check that the person appears in the access list, then ask them to open the Site while signed in with the invited account. If the external-email option is missing or the invitation is rejected, the owner should check the current workspace, rollout, product surface, and administrator permissions before assuming the Site itself is broken.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, OpenAI Help Center
Enterprise and Edu require a separate invitation permission
Business workspaces have external-viewer invitations as part of the broader Sites permissions. In Enterprise and Edu, an owner or admin must enable Sites for the relevant role and turn on the permission that allows members to invite external visitors. That permission is separate from public publishing, which remains off by default in Enterprise. A member may therefore be allowed to invite named viewers without being allowed to make a Site public.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, OpenAI Help Center
Removing one invitation may not remove every route to the Site
To revoke direct access, remove the person from the Site's sharing controls and save the change. Then review the full audience configuration from the intended visitor experience. A former invitee could still reach the Site if another setting makes it available to the whole workspace or anyone on the internet. The same check matters before the first invitation: limited sharing does not make confidential content safe if the Site already has a broader audience.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, OpenAI Help Center
Review content, forms, files, and sign-in behavior before sharing
OpenAI recommends checking the Site as the intended visitor would see it. Review generated text and images, uploaded files, links, forms, interactive features, and any sign-in flow. A Site's audience setting and an authentication feature built into the Site are separate controls. Sites also does not support data or inference residency at launch, and OpenAI says it must not process protected health information, payment-card data outside a third-party processor, or other prohibited sensitive uses.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, OpenAI Help Center
The update applies to ChatGPT Sites, not Chat AI
External viewer sharing is a feature of ChatGPT Sites on eligible OpenAI accounts and workspaces. It does not announce a website-publishing or external-sharing feature in Chat AI, and it does not change Chat AI's model catalog. Chat AI availability is therefore marked not applicable for this article.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, OpenAI Help Center
Frequently asked questions
What readers usually ask
Can I share a ChatGPT Site outside my workspace without making it public?
Yes, if external-viewer sharing is available for your account and workspace. Add the person's email in the Site's sharing controls; they must sign in with the invited account.
Can an external viewer edit or publish the Site?
No. OpenAI says named external viewers receive view-only access, do not become workspace members, and cannot edit or publish the Site.
Why is the external email option missing?
Availability can depend on rollout, plan, workspace, product surface, and role permissions. In Enterprise and Edu, an administrator must enable the separate permission for inviting external visitors.
Does removing an external viewer guarantee they can no longer open the Site?
Not by itself. Remove the direct invitation, then check whether another audience setting still grants access, such as workspace-wide or public availability.
Is external-viewer access the same as public publishing?
No. A named external invitation is view-only and requires the invited account to sign in. Public publishing makes the Site available under the public audience setting and is controlled separately.
Is ChatGPT Sites external sharing available in Chat AI?
No Chat AI feature is announced or verified by these sources. This update applies to ChatGPT Sites on eligible OpenAI accounts and workspaces.
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