Where do you set up ChatGPT custom instructions?

Open your profile and select Personalize. This is the route in the OpenAI Academy guide. Official setup guidance.

1. Draft your preferences in a short note before opening the settings.
2. Go to your profile, then Personalize, and find the instructions area.
3. Enter your business context and response preferences, keeping them clearly separated.
4. Complete any save or activation control displayed in your interface.
5. Open a fresh chat and ask for a task you know how to judge.

Do not build your setup around an old screenshot

The original TechCrunch launch report describes a beta settings route from 2023. Treat that as historical context, and use the Academy guidance above when locating the feature. Original launch coverage.

If the menu does not match what you see, compare it with the official guide before changing unrelated settings. Keep your draft brief ready. You can also test its wording by giving it as guidance in the conversation you are working on.

What should you actually write in the fields?

Write a small working brief: what you do, whom you serve, and how you want answers presented. Leave out your full biography. Choose details you would give a colleague before asking them to help with routine work.

Context means the background needed to understand your request. “I own a business” gives little direction. In a hypothetical example, “I run a small online shop selling practical gifts to busy parents” identifies both the offer and the customer.

Replace vague adjectives with visible choices

Instead of “be professional”, try “address the customer respectfully, explain the next step, and avoid exaggerated praise”. Instead of “be concise”, try “start with the answer and expand when I ask”. You should be able to point to a sentence and decide whether it fits.

• Choose a default language and spelling preference.
• Describe the reader's familiarity with your subject.
• Specify what should appear first in a response.
• Say how missing information should be handled.
• Leave room for longer answers when the task requires them.

For sales work, use these sales prompt templates to supply the individual assignment. A prompt is the request you give ChatGPT for the task at hand. Your reusable brief should describe your usual preferences; the prompt should explain today's job.

Which custom instructions examples are worth trying?

Choose the example closest to your work and remove anything that does not apply. These are hypothetical drafts for testing, not customer case studies or promises of better results. Replace the bracketed text before using them.

For a freelance service business

I provide [service] to [customer type]. I use ChatGPT to prepare proposals, clarify project scope, and write client updates. My clients prefer direct, practical explanations.

Start with the main point. Separate agreed work from optional suggestions. Do not invent my experience, client names, results, prices, or availability. When details are missing, leave a clear placeholder or ask a focused question. Keep the tone warm and businesslike.

Test this with an enquiry that does not include a deadline. Check whether the draft asks for the date or quietly promises one. Then adapt a task from the freelancer prompt guide using your actual service and scope.

For a small marketing team

I coordinate marketing for [business type]. Our usual audience is [audience]. I need practical ideas that our existing team can carry out.

Explain unfamiliar terms in everyday language. For plans, list the action, the information needed, and the next decision. For copy, give the draft before commentary. Do not invent testimonials or performance figures. Ask for the campaign objective when it is missing.

Try a planning task from the content planning templates. Keep this month's offer and publication dates in that task. For a caption assignment, use the Instagram prompt examples and check whether the draft fits the specific audience.

For a cafe or restaurant owner

I run an independent cafe serving [customer group]. I need help with menu descriptions, customer messages, and local promotions. Write in a friendly, straightforward voice.

Use only the ingredients, prices, opening times, and offers I provide. If an important detail is missing, ask for it. Avoid claims such as best in town unless I supply evidence. For customer replies, make the proposed next step easy to understand.

Use a task from the restaurant prompt collection as your first trial. Review every ingredient and offer before using the draft. Do not judge the setup only by whether the wording sounds inviting.

How are custom instructions different from memory?

Custom instructions are your explicit written preferences. Memory, when enabled, can recall recurring details and style choices between conversations. Project instructions guide a particular body of work. OpenAI Academy describes these options.

Use this practical sorting question: “Would I want this instruction on an unrelated assignment?” If yes, consider it for your general preferences. If it only makes sense for one client, keep it with that client's work.

Do you need to repeat the instructions every time?

User settings provide reusable guidance; you are not expected to keep pasting the same general brief. The Academy also distinguishes project guidance and one-off instructions inside a chat. Supply the details of each new assignment at the appropriate level. Instruction levels explained.

Suppose, hypothetically, you write for both a playful gift shop and an accounting practice. Avoid making “always use jokes” a general instruction. Choose shared preferences such as clear language, then specify each client's tone within the relevant work.

• General preference: lead with the answer.
• Client preference: use a reassuring, restrained voice.
• Today's assignment: explain the supplied appointment options.

Do not rely on an assumption that ChatGPT already knows the current offer. Include what matters for this request: the product, audience, deadline, and desired action. Review a fresh conversation after changing your defaults.

How do you test whether your defaults help?

Compare how much correction two drafts need. Save an answer before changing your instructions, then try the same task in a fresh conversation afterwards. Treat the comparison as a practical check, not proof that every future answer will improve.

Use three different assignments

1. A routine email. Check the greeting, main point, and next step. The email writing templates offer starting assignments.
2. A simple plan. Check whether the proposed actions fit your team and whether missing information is identified.
3. An incomplete request. Deliberately leave out a price or date and inspect what the draft does with the gap.

Record specific edits: removed a long introduction, corrected the greeting, deleted an unsupported promise. If the same edit keeps appearing, rewrite the relevant instruction. Change one rule at a time so you can judge what to keep.

Keep the brief safe and maintainable

Use a general business description rather than customer names, passwords, or confidential documents. For practice examples, replace identifying details with placeholders. Make that your working rule before adding material to the profile.

At the end of the week, reread the brief and remove instructions you no longer want. Keep a copy of wording that worked well enough for your needs. Your aim is a useful default you can explain, not an elaborate document nobody wants to maintain.