How to Use Chatgpt API

Updated on:

May 12, 2026

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Use this interactive demo to learn how to generate and copy a ChatGPT API secret key.

Quick summary

The ChatGPT API lets developers connect OpenAI's language models to their own applications by authenticating with a secret API key. This walkthrough shows exactly how to create and copy an API key from the OpenAI platform dashboard.

Steps

Log in or sign up for an account at the OpenAI platform.
Click the gear icon in the top-right corner to open the Settings menu.
Navigate to the API Keys section in the left-hand menu.
On the API Keys page, select Create new secret key.
Enter a Name and assign a Project for the new secret key.
Click Create secret key to generate your key.
Click Copy Key to save it to your clipboard, ready for integration.

📌 Why this matters

Accessing the ChatGPT API requires a valid secret API key, which authenticates every request your application sends to OpenAI's models. Without a correctly generated and stored key, developers cannot integrate GPT-4 or other OpenAI models into their products. Understanding how to create and manage API keys on the OpenAI platform is the essential first step for any developer building AI-powered applications. This demo removes guesswork by walking you through each click, from the Settings menu to copying your key to the clipboard.

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