Hi all,
I’m posting this here because the issue doesn’t fit into any existing categories, but it’s something that will affect a large number of OpenAI users.
I’ve seen a few threads about this, including one from January titled “Help Needed: Recovering Data and Transferring OpenAI Account Linked to a Deactivated Email” (posted by user sergio11), and I wanted to add my experience to highlight how serious this issue is.
I signed up for ChatGPT Plus using my work email address (standard email + password login) because that was simply the email I had used for years and felt most comfortable with. Unfortunately, due to a restructuring, my position was recently eliminated. I had 30 days to transition out — during which I focused on completing projects, supporting colleagues, and ensuring a smooth handoff.
At no point during that time did it occur to me that I needed to export my ChatGPT data before losing access to my company email address. It never even crossed my mind, because every other major platform I’ve ever used allows users to change their email or set a backup. Why would I expect anything different?
One week later, I’m stuck: I’m still logged in on one device, but I can’t log in anywhere else, export my data, or change my account settings.
- I can’t log in on other devices
- I can’t export my data (the export link only goes to the now-inaccessible email)
- I can’t change my email address
- I can’t transfer my subscription
- I can’t verify my identity using my verified phone number or billing information
OpenAI support told me they “understand how stressful this is,” but then offered only one solution: to export the data… to the email I can’t access.
What’s worse? The OpenAI Developer Community platform itself allows you to add a second email address — but the actual ChatGPT platform, where users pay and store valuable content, does not.
I cannot possibly be the only person affected by this. Anyone who’s ever used a work email to sign up — or has changed jobs — is vulnerable to the same outcome. This is not user error. This is a structural failure in account design.
OpenAI needs to:
- Allow users to change their email via identity verification
- Enable alternate export destinations when still logged in
- Use existing phone number or billing verification for recovery access
- Proactively warn users that accounts tied to inaccessible emails may result in data loss
This isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s a data loss risk built into the core of the system.
If anyone else has gone through this or found a workaround, I’d love to hear how you handled it. And if someone at OpenAI sees this: you need to fix this. It’s not 1998 anymore. We shouldn’t lose everything just because an email address changed.
— Liana Clark