How to block the ChatGPT app with MDM
Blocking the app is the easy part. ChatGPT also lives in browsers, on desktops and inside Apple Intelligence, and copycat chatbot apps imitate it. This guide covers all four doors and the copycats.
The mobile app
iPhone, iPad, Android and Chromebook. Blocked with your MDM.
The website
chatgpt.com in any browser. Blocked with browser policy and filtering.
Desktop apps
macOS and Windows. Blocked with app control rules.
Built into the OS
The ChatGPT extension in Siri and Writing Tools. Its own restriction.
ChatGPT bundle ID and package name
These are the identifiers of the official app from OpenAI. Paste them exactly, and do not block by keyword, because other developers use "chatgpt" in their own IDs.
"chatgpt" in an ID does not mean OpenAI
These real bundle IDs belong to other developers' apps. A keyword rule would block some and miss the many copycats without the word.
- com.chatgpt.ai.chat.openai
Arvin: AI Product Photo Maker, by IdeaLabs - com.eleven.chatgpt
Chat AI: Ask Anything, by ElevenThirteen LLC - evolly.app.chatgpt
AI Chatbot: Ask Me Anything, by EVOLLY.APP
Check any app before you add it to a list with the bundle ID lookup. It shows the developer, so you can tell the official app from a look-alike.
Should ChatGPT be allowed in schools?
There is no single answer, and most districts do not pick one rule for everyone. ChatGPT's terms require users to be at least 13, with a parent's consent under 18, which already sets a floor.
| Group | Common choice | How IT applies it |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary students | Block | Block the app, the website and the AI apps category on all student devices. |
| Middle school students | Block or teacher-led | Block on student devices. Teachers demonstrate from staff devices when a lesson uses AI. |
| High school students | Allow approved tools | Allow one school-approved AI service and block the rest of the category, including copycat apps. |
| Teachers and staff | Allow with policy | Allow approved accounts and keep student data out of prompts, as your privacy policy sets. |
| Exam and testing devices | Block all AI | A separate device group with the whole AI category blocked, plus the Apple Intelligence restriction. |
Put the decision in writing. Our pages on AI apps on student devices and the student device acceptable use policy help you word it.
How to block the ChatGPT app with MDM
On iPhone and iPad, hiding an app needs supervised devices. On Android and Chromebooks, company and school devices only install what you allow, so the work is mostly checking that ChatGPT is not allowed.
Microsoft Intune: iPhone and iPad
- Go to Devices, Configuration, Create, New policy. Choose iOS/iPadOS and Settings catalog.
- Add settings, open Restrictions and add Blocked App Bundle IDs. Enter com.openai.chat.
- Assign to supervised devices and sync a test device.
The Restricted apps list in the device restrictions template only reports ChatGPT. To hide it with the template, use Show or hide apps, Hidden apps. Our Intune guide walks through both.
Microsoft Intune: Android Enterprise
- Corporate-owned devices use a block strategy by default: only assigned apps install. Confirm ChatGPT is not assigned as Required or Available.
- If the device restrictions setting Allow access to all apps in Google Play store is on, add ChatGPT as a Managed Google Play app and sync.
- Assign it under Uninstall so existing copies are removed.
On personal phones with a work profile, you control the work side only. Block copy and paste and data sharing between profiles so work content cannot reach AI apps on the personal side.
Jamf Pro and Jamf School
- Jamf Pro: Devices, Configuration profiles, New, Restrictions, Apps. Filter iOS and Supervised, set App Usage to Some apps not allowed and add ChatGPT.
- Jamf School on OS 26 and earlier: a Device Enrollment profile with the Safelist and Blocklist payload in blocklist mode.
- Jamf School on OS 27 and later: a blueprint with App Settings, Denied apps, com.openai.chat.
Details and scoping tips are in the Jamf guide.
Google Admin: Android and Chromebooks
- Android: keep ChatGPT off Menu, Apps, Web and mobile apps, and use the Available apps setting so only listed apps install.
- Chromebooks: Devices, Chrome, Apps & extensions, Users & browsers. Select the ChatGPT Android app and set Installation policy to Block.
- Then block the website, as shown further down. Education domains run Android apps in allowlist mode only.
See the Google Admin guide for organizational unit tips.
Apple Configurator, Mosyle and Iru
- Apple Configurator: Restrictions payload, Apps, Restrict App Usage (supervised only) in the mode that disallows listed apps. Add com.openai.chat, stored as blockedAppBundleIDs.
- Mosyle: Restrictions profile for supervised devices, app blocking by bundle ID.
- Iru, formerly Kandji: Restrictions Library Item, Manage App Block List.
On iOS and iPadOS 27, Apple moved app deny lists to a declarative App Settings configuration and deprecated the old keys. Check what your MDM version offers.
The ChatGPT extension in Apple Intelligence
Since iOS 18.2 in December 2024, Siri and Writing Tools can hand requests to ChatGPT, even with no ChatGPT app installed and without signing in. Hiding the app does not touch this.
Allow external intelligence integrations
- Payload key
- allowExternalIntelligenceIntegrations
- Set to
- False, to turn off cloud-based external services such as ChatGPT
- From
- iOS and iPadOS 18.2
- Supervision
- Not required today. Apple says a future release will require it, so deploy on supervised devices.
Allow signing in to external intelligence integrations
- Payload key
- allowExternalIntelligenceIntegrationsSignIn
- Set to
- False, to keep the extension in anonymous mode if you allow it
- From
- iOS and iPadOS 18.2
- Supervision
- Supervised only on 18.2 and 18.3, not from 18.4
Newer OS versions add declarative settings for intelligence features, and MDMs label these keys in their own words. Search your console for "external intelligence" and check the current setting names.
How to block the ChatGPT website
On computers, most ChatGPT use happens in the browser. Block it in every browser people can open, and back that up with a filter on the network or device.
chatgpt.com openai.com
chatgpt.com is the ChatGPT site and openai.com is the company site that older links point to. ChatGPT also loads files and images from further domains, and those lists change, so an AI tools category in your filter is easier to keep current.
- Microsoft Edge: add chatgpt.com to the URLBlocklist policy from the Intune settings catalog or Group Policy.
- Google Chrome: the same URLBlocklist policy, deployed from Intune, Group Policy or the Google Admin console.
- Chromebooks: Devices, Chrome, Settings, Content, URL Blocking, then Blocked URLs. Use Blocked URL exceptions for approved staff groups.
- Safari on Mac and iPad: a web content filter profile from your MDM.
- Other browsers: block their installation, as in our guide to blocking other browsers.
Staff need it? Requests to "unblock ChatGPT on Edge" or on a school computer are easier to handle with an exception group than by removing the block for everyone.
How to block ChatGPT on a firewall
Firewall menus differ by vendor, but the building blocks are the same. Use two or more together.
Application control
Many firewalls have an application signature for ChatGPT or for AI chat. Check the current signature list in your console.
Web category
A category for AI tools blocks ChatGPT and the copycat sites in one rule.
DNS filter
Blocks the domains for every device on the network, managed or not.
VPN and proxy rules
Without them, one VPN app skips every rule. Pair with blocking VPN apps on devices.
How to block ChatGPT on your computer
ChatGPT has desktop apps for macOS and Windows. A web block does not stop them, so add an app rule too.
| Computer | Block the desktop app | Block the website |
|---|---|---|
| Mac with Jamf Pro | Computers, Restricted Software, New. Enter the exact process name, found with ps -acx while the app runs, and select Kill Process. | Browser URL policy and a Safari content filter. |
| Windows with Intune | App Control for Business or AppLocker rules that deny the app, covering user profile folders as well as Program Files. | URLBlocklist for Edge and Chrome. |
| Chromebook | Block the Android app in Apps & extensions. | URL Blocking in Devices, Chrome, Settings. |
| Unmanaged computer | Not possible from your MDM. | Your network filter, while the computer is on your network. |
List of AI apps like ChatGPT
When ChatGPT disappears, students and staff open the next assistant. These are real apps from our checked data, in three groups. Our full AI apps list goes much further.
Major AI assistants
Bundle IDs| Google Gemini | com.google.gemini |
| Claude | com.anthropic.claude |
| Perplexity | ai.perplexity.app |
| Grok | ai.x.GrokApp |
| Meta AI | com.facebook.stellaapp |
| Poe | com.quora.app.Experts |
| DeepSeek | com.deepseek.chat |
| Character AI | ai.character.app |
Chatbot copycat apps
Bundle IDs| ChatOn AI | com.aiby.chat |
| Chat AI: Ask Agent Anything | com.codeway.chatapp |
| Genie Chatbot AI Assistant | co.appnation.geniechat |
| Chat Smith | co.vulcanlabs.moodtracker |
| ChatBox | genius.chat |
| ChatNow | com.tappz.aichat |
| AI Chatbot: Nova | com.scaleup.chatai |
| AI Chat 6.0: Genius | com.alloy.genius |
Android packages
Google Play| ChatGPT | com.openai.chatgpt |
| Google Gemini | com.google.android.apps.bard |
| Claude | com.anthropic.claude |
| Perplexity | ai.perplexity.app.android |
| DeepSeek | com.deepseek.chat |
| Gauth | com.education.android.h.intelligence |
| Photomath | com.microblink.photomath |
| Brainly | co.brainly |
Gauth, Photomath and Brainly are homework helpers that answer from a photo. On iOS they use com.gauthmath.intelligence, com.microblink.PhotoMath and com.brainly.us.
DeepSeek has its own policy questions for government and business devices. See how to block DeepSeek.
Allowing ChatGPT at work, without losing control
Many businesses block ChatGPT by default and then open it for teams that need it. The block stays useful only if the exception is narrow and written down.
Before you allow it
- Pick one approved account type, signed in with work credentials, not personal accounts.
- Write down which data may never go into prompts: customer records, health data, source code, passwords.
- Name an owner who approves new teams and reviews the group every quarter.
How IT sets it up
- Create an exception group and exclude it from the ChatGPT app and website blocks.
- Keep the AI category blocked for that group, so copycat apps stay out.
- On personal phones with a work profile, keep data sharing between profiles blocked.
Can schools tell when you use ChatGPT?
Students and staff ask this, and the honest answer depends on how the school configured its tools. From the IT side, these are the usual sources on a managed device.
MDM app inventory
Intune keeps the full app inventory on devices enrolled through automated device enrollment. Other MDMs report installed apps too, which shows whether ChatGPT or a copycat is on a device.
Web filter logs
A network or on-device filter logs blocked and allowed sites, including AI tools. What is kept, and for how long, is set by the school.
Written policy
The acceptable use policy should say what is monitored. Our page on shadow IT mobile apps covers the same question for businesses.
What blocking the ChatGPT app does not cover
Use this table as a sign-off sheet. Every row needs an answer before you call ChatGPT blocked.
| Route | Blocked by the app rule? | What closes it |
|---|---|---|
| chatgpt.com in a browser | No | URLBlocklist in each browser, Chromebook URL Blocking and a filter. |
| ChatGPT in Siri and Writing Tools | No | Allow external intelligence integrations set to false. |
| Desktop apps on Mac and Windows | No | Restricted Software in Jamf Pro, app control rules in Intune. |
| Copycat chatbot apps | No | The AI / LLM Tools category, updated monthly as new apps appear. |
| Other assistants and homework apps | No | The same category, plus your list of approved exceptions. |
| VPN and proxy apps | No | VPN category blocklist and the Add VPN configurations restriction. |
| The official app on supervised devices | Yes | Already covered once the profile is installed. |
How to test the ChatGPT block
Run the checks on a device in the target group, and keep one device out of scope so you can see the difference.
- After a sync, the ChatGPT icon is gone from the iPhone or iPad.
- The App Store and Play Store do not allow an install.
- Writing Tools and Siri no longer offer ChatGPT on supervised devices.
- chatgpt.com shows the blocked page in each browser.
- The desktop app closes on a Mac and will not start on Windows.
- A copycat app from the table cannot be installed.
- The website stays blocked on a phone hotspot.
- A staff exception group can still reach approved AI tools.
ChatGPT blocking FAQ
What is the ChatGPT bundle ID?
com.openai.chat on iPhone and iPad, App Store ID 6448311069. On Android, the package name is com.openai.chatgpt.
Which ChatGPT URLs should I block?
Start with chatgpt.com and openai.com. Further domains serve files and images and change over time, so an AI category in your filter keeps up more easily.
How do I block ChatGPT on Microsoft Edge?
Add chatgpt.com to the Edge URLBlocklist policy through the Intune settings catalog or Group Policy, and repeat for every other browser on the device.
How do I block ChatGPT on my computer?
Block the website in each browser, block the desktop app with Restricted Software on Mac or app control rules on Windows, and add a network filter.
Does blocking the app block ChatGPT in Apple Intelligence?
No. Set Allow external intelligence integrations to false. It is available from iOS 18.2, and Apple says it will require supervision in a future release.
Can schools tell when you use ChatGPT?
On managed devices, IT can see app inventory in the MDM and site visits in filter logs, depending on how they are configured. The acceptable use policy should explain what is monitored.
Will an App Store age limit block ChatGPT?
ChatGPT was rated 12+ at our last check, so a lower cap hides it on supervised iPhones and iPads. Some copycat apps are rated 4+ or 9+ and slip through, which is why schools add the AI category.
Why does ChatGPT not work on my school computer?
Your school has likely blocked the website, the app or both under its AI policy. If you need it for a class, ask your teacher or IT team about the approved tool.
Should we block other AI apps too?
If the goal is no AI chat on student devices, yes. Blocking one brand moves students to the next assistant within a day, so most schools block the AI / LLM Tools category and allow approved exceptions.
How should we let staff use ChatGPT at work?
Approve one account type, write down what data may go into prompts, and put staff in an exception group. Keep the block in place for everyone else.
Is there a ChatGPT plan for students?
OpenAI sets its own plans and offers, and they change, so check with OpenAI. For school use, ask whether your district has approved an education account.
Block ChatGPT and every AI app like it
The AI apps blocklist covers official assistants, copycat chatbots and homework helpers, delivered as files your MDM imports and refreshed monthly.
ChatGPT and OpenAI are trademarks of OpenAI. Apple, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Safari, Siri, Apple Intelligence, App Store and Apple Configurator are trademarks of Apple Inc. Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Edge and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Google, Android, Chrome, Chromebook, Google Play and Gemini are trademarks of Google LLC. Jamf, Mosyle, Iru, Claude, Perplexity, Grok, Meta AI, Poe, DeepSeek, Character AI and the other names shown belong to their respective owners.
Names are used only to identify the products discussed. AppBlockList is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by these companies.