How to Find ChatGPT: Here’s Exactly Where to Go

If you’ve been trying to figure out how to find ChatGPT and you keep ending up on Google search results, news articles, or weird websites asking you to pay for something, I need you to know something. You’re not doing it wrong. The problem is that nobody explains this part.

AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are not inside Google.

They’re completely separate websites with their own addresses. And there are a few things about finding them that will save you real confusion once you know them.

You might think you’re already using AI (you’re probably not)

Here’s something that trips people up. Google recently started putting what they call “AI Overviews” at the top of search results. It’s a block of text that summarizes information from different websites, and it has the word “AI” right on it.

So you might see that and think, “I’m using AI now.”

But that’s not the same thing.

An AI Overview is Google giving you a summary. Using AI means having a back-and-forth conversation, where you ask something, get a response, ask a follow-up, and the tool remembers what you talked about.

Search result versus conversation. That’s the distinction nobody makes.

Where you type the address matters

This is the thing that silently trips up more people than anything else. Your browser has two places where you can type: the address bar at the very top, and the search box in the middle of the page.

If you type a web address in the address bar, you go straight to that website. If you type it in the Google search box, Google searches for it instead of taking you there. Same words, completely different result.

So when I give you these addresses, type them in the address bar at the top of your browser.

Not the search box.

The three real addresses you need to know

Here’s how to find ChatGPT and the other major AI tools. Type these directly into your address bar.

ChatGPT lives at chatgpt.com. It’s made by a company called OpenAI. When you get there, you’ll see a clean screen with a text box at the bottom. That’s where your conversation happens.

Claude lives at claude.ai. It’s made by a company called Anthropic, and it’s the one I personally use most. Similar layout, text box at the bottom, conversation above.

Gemini lives at gemini.google.com. This is Google’s conversational AI, and it’s separate from regular Google search. Same company, two completely different tools. Think of it like two rooms in the same building. Google search is the library. Gemini is an office where you sit down and talk with someone.

All three are free to start using.

Why you should type the address instead of Googling it

If you Google “ChatGPT,” the first results you see are often ads. And some of those ads lead to websites that look like ChatGPT but aren’t.

They’re other sites that connect to ChatGPT behind the scenes and charge you money for something that’s actually free.

This is exactly the kind of thing that makes people cautious, and that caution is smart. The simple fix?

Type the address yourself. chatgpt.com, claude.ai, or gemini.google.com. Now you know you’re in the real place.

You probably don’t need a new password

All three tools let you sign in with your Google account.

If you have Gmail, look for the “Continue with Google” or “Sign in with Google” button on the signup screen.

Click it, pick your Gmail address, and you’re in. No new username, no new password.

And no, this doesn’t give these tools access to your email. You’re just using your Google account as your ID.

These tools are on your phone too

If you’re more comfortable on your phone than your computer, every one of these tools has a free app.

Go to the App Store on iPhone or Google Play on Android and search for ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.

Download, sign in, and you’ve got AI in your pocket.

There’s no wrong way to do this. Browser or app, phone or computer, whatever feels comfortable.

Your Next Step

Pick one. Just one. Go to the website or download the app, sign in, and type this: “Hi, I’m new here. Can you tell me what you do?”

You can’t break anything. You can’t mess it up. Just say hello.

And if you want help figuring out which tool fits your style, take the AI Tool Navigator Quiz.

It takes about two minutes.

You’re not behind. You’re right on time.
 
Alright, my friends. Take care. Bye bye.

About Kris Voelker: Kris is the founder of Second Act with AI and the creator of the RECIPE Framework for AI prompt writing. She teaches AI tools and digital literacy to people over 60 at secondactwithai.com.