# Web search (ChatGPT)

> ChatGPT looking things up on the internet so it can answer with current information, with links to the sources it used.

**Category:** ChatGPT

**Web search lets ChatGPT check the live web instead of relying only on what it learned in training.** It searches when your question needs current information, or when you ask it to, and shows **sources** you can click.

Those links are the point: open the ones the answer leans on and check they say what ChatGPT says. For a bigger question that needs many sources and a written report, use [deep research](/glossary#deep-research) instead.

## At work

Asking about a competitor's latest pricing? Make sure the answer shows sources, then open at least one to confirm the number and the date.

## Often confused with

Deep research. Web search answers one question with a few sources in seconds; deep research plans a whole investigation and writes a cited report.

## Related terms

- Deep research
- Thinking level
- Prompt

## See it in a lesson

[Models, thinking, and web search](/en/learn/chatgpt/getting-started/models-thinking-and-web-search)

## Further reading

- [Searching the web with ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9237897-searching-the-web-with-chatgpt): How search works and how sources are shown.
- [Deep research in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10500283-deep-research-in-chatgpt): The heavier option for big questions.
- [Prompting (ChatGPT Learn)](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/prompting): How to ask for sources and dates.

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Last updated: 14/10/2026  
Source: Rollo Academy glossary