The answer in 30 seconds
ChatGPT custom instructions are best for stable preferences you want applied across many chats—such as tone, answer length, formatting, units, and how uncertainty should be handled. Keep deadlines, files, exact word counts, and other one-time requirements in the current prompt.
The ChatGPT custom instructions examples below use the SCOPE framework to help you save useful defaults without creating a long, conflicting rulebook.
Custom instructions can improve consistency, but they cannot replace a clear request. Use this broader guide to learn how to use ChatGPT effectively for individual tasks.
What are ChatGPT custom instructions?
Custom instructions are persistent guidance about what ChatGPT should consider and how you generally want responses delivered. OpenAI currently lists the feature as available on all plans across web, desktop, iOS, and Android. Changes influence future responses, including responses in existing conversations, but they do not rewrite earlier messages.
A useful instruction stays relevant. “Use US spelling and put the direct answer first” can help across many chats. “Write a 750-word article due Friday using the attached research” belongs in the current prompt because it applies to one task.
Where to find custom instructions
Web and desktop
- Open Settings.
- Select Personalization.
- Turn on Enable customization.
- Open Custom Instructions.
- Add your instructions, save, and test them.
iPhone and Android
- Open Settings.
- Select Customize ChatGPT.
- Turn on Enable customization.
- Enter your instructions.
- Save and run the three-part test below.
Menu labels can change during updates. Check OpenAI’s official Custom Instructions guide if your screen differs.
Current ChatGPT custom instructions limits
As of August 2026, the limit depends on your plan. More space is available on paid and managed-workspace plans, but a shorter, non-conflicting setup is usually easier to follow.
| Plan | Current limit | Practical guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1,500 characters | Keep only the defaults that improve most chats. |
| Go | 1,500 characters | Avoid task-specific detail. |
| Plus | 5,000 characters | Organize rules instead of filling the available space. |
| Pro | 5,000 characters | Separate global preferences from Project rules. |
| Business | 5,000 characters | Do not add confidential company or customer data. |
| Enterprise | 5,000 characters | Follow workspace and organization policies. |
| Education | 5,000 characters | Avoid student-identifying or protected information. |
OpenAI increased the Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education limit from 1,500 to 5,000 characters on July 15, 2026. Recheck the official documentation if you read this later.
What to put in custom instructions: the SCOPE framework
The Designs24hr SCOPE framework is an editorial decision tool for this guide, not an official OpenAI method.
Stable context
Background that remains useful across many chats, without unnecessary identifying detail.
Communication style
Your tone, reading level, language variant, and preferred amount of explanation.
Output defaults
Helpful normal formats such as short sections, tables, or numbered steps.
Proof and uncertainty
How sources, changing facts, assumptions, and uncertainty should be handled.
Exclusions
Behaviors to avoid, such as filler, repetition, or unsupported claims.
Choose one or two rules from each relevant SCOPE category. Do not combine all 12 templates below into one giant instruction set.
Custom instructions vs. prompt, memory, Projects, personality, and GPTs
| Feature | Best use | Example | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom instructions | Explicit preferences across many chats | “Use US spelling and put the answer first.” | A prompt or Project instruction may conflict with it. |
| Current prompt | Requirements for one task | “Compare these three quotes in a four-column table.” | You must state it again for another task. |
| Memory | Useful context remembered from conversations | A recurring preference or relevant personal detail | Do not use it as exact-template or sensitive-record storage. |
| Project instructions | Rules for one ongoing body of work | Brand voice and source rules for one project | They apply inside that Project and override global custom instructions. |
| Personality | General style and tone | Professional, Efficient, Friendly, or Candid | Prompts, memories, and custom instructions can modify the result. |
| Characteristics | Traits such as brevity, tone, formatting, or emoji level | Less emoji and more concise formatting | Use custom instructions for more explicit rules. |
| Custom GPT | A reusable specialist with its own setup | A dedicated study coach or policy assistant | It is unnecessary for simple global preferences. |
Removing custom instructions is different from removing remembered information. Follow the separate steps to delete stored ChatGPT memory when personalization is coming from memory.
Use custom instructions when…
- The preference applies across many chats.
- It describes stable context or communication needs.
- It sets a useful default format.
- It defines a general evidence rule.
- You repeat it in most prompts.
Use the current prompt when…
- It applies to one task or audience.
- It includes a deadline, date, budget, or exact length.
- It depends on files or pasted material.
- It requires a special format only this time.
- It may conflict with your normal preference.
Use the free AI Prompt Generator without adding temporary details to your global settings.
12 ChatGPT custom instructions examples to copy
Copy the closest match, replace anything that does not fit, and remove rules you do not need. The best ChatGPT custom instructions examples describe observable behavior instead of asking for vaguely “better” answers.
Concise and direct answers
For readers who want the answer before the explanation.
Start with the direct answer. Keep routine responses concise and use short sections. Include only the reasoning, risks, or steps needed to act. Do not repeat my question or add a long conclusion. Ask one focused question only when ambiguity materially changes the answer.CustomizeDefine what concise means for you.
Avoid whenYou need detailed teaching or exploration.
Plain-English explanations
For beginners learning unfamiliar topics.
Explain unfamiliar topics in plain American English. Give the practical meaning first, then explain how it works. Define technical terms the first time you use them. Use one realistic example when it improves understanding. Do not oversimplify important risks or limitations.CustomizeAdd your knowledge level or field.
Avoid whenYou need expert-to-expert terminology.
Professional workplace writing
For emails, updates, documents, and internal messages.
For workplace writing, use a professional, natural, and respectful tone. Make the purpose and requested action clear early. Keep sentences concise and preserve important facts. Do not invent names, dates, commitments, results, or company policies. Use visible placeholders for missing details.CustomizeAdd your usual formality level.
Avoid whenThe message needs a creative or casual voice.
Learning and study support
For understanding rather than replacing your own work.
Act as a patient learning coach. Help me understand the method instead of only giving the final answer. Break difficult ideas into manageable steps, check understanding when useful, and show one worked example before practice. Clearly separate confirmed facts from interpretation.CustomizeAdd the subject and skill level.
Avoid whenYou only need a fast factual lookup.
Meeting and project preparation
For agendas, decisions, risks, and next actions.
For meetings or projects, organize the response into objective, decisions needed, preparation, risks, open questions, and next actions. Distinguish facts from assumptions. Do not assign owners, deadlines, or commitments unless I provide them. Highlight dependencies that could block progress.CustomizeAdd your project terminology.
Avoid whenThe task is unrelated to execution.
Small-business decisions
For practical, budget-aware recommendations.
Approach business questions as a practical advisor. Prioritize customer value, qualified demand, cash impact, effort, legal and policy risk, and measurable outcomes. Challenge weak assumptions and show trade-offs. Do not recommend activity for its own sake or fabricate market data, testing, or expected results.CustomizeAdd country, business type, and budget.
Avoid whenYou need formal legal, tax, or financial advice.
Job-search support
For truthful résumés, applications, and interviews.
For job-search tasks, keep every claim truthful and supported by information I provide. Never invent skills, employers, dates, responsibilities, metrics, credentials, or achievements. Match language to the role without copying the job description. Keep writing specific, concise, and natural.CustomizeAdd target roles and seniority.
Avoid whenYou are doing unrelated writing.
Product and service comparisons
For clearer choices without fake certainty.
For comparisons, identify my decision criteria and constraints first. Compare options using the same factors, show meaningful trade-offs, and explain who each option suits. Separate verified facts from judgment. Verify current prices, availability, specifications, policies, and safety information before recommending.CustomizeAdd budget, location, and priorities.
Avoid whenYou have not provided useful criteria.
Current-information verification
For facts that can change after publication.
When an answer depends on current prices, laws, policies, schedules, software features, public roles, news, or availability, verify it using reliable current sources. Include exact dates when timing matters. Cite important claims, explain source conflicts, and state clearly when something cannot be confirmed.CustomizeName preferred official sources.
Avoid whenThe task is purely creative.
Coding and technical help
For usable code and structured troubleshooting.
For technical help, give a working solution with minimal required changes. State assumptions, dependencies, versions, and file locations when relevant. Preserve existing behavior unless I request a change. Include error handling and accessibility where appropriate. Never claim code was tested unless it was actually run.CustomizeAdd your stack and experience.
Avoid whenYour projects use incompatible standards.
Accessibility and easy reading
For clear, scannable everyday answers.
Write for easy reading. Use descriptive headings, short paragraphs, clear link text, and numbered steps for sequences. Avoid unexplained abbreviations and instructions that rely only on color or position. For tables, use clear headings and add a plain-language takeaway.CustomizeAdd specific reading or formatting needs.
Avoid whenA required format has other conventions.
Skeptical advisor and quality control
For decisions where honest pushback matters.
Do not automatically agree with my plan. Test assumptions, identify missing evidence, surface risks and opportunity costs, and recommend the strongest defensible option. Separate facts, informed judgment, assumptions, and uncertainty. Be direct but constructive, and do not create objections merely to sound critical.CustomizeName the decisions where challenge matters.
Avoid whenYou want unevaluated creative ideation.
Use these ChatGPT custom instructions examples as modular building blocks: combine compatible rules, remove repeated ideas, and keep task-specific requirements out of the final setup.
Good vs. bad custom instructions
Tone
“Use a good tone.”
“Use a friendly, capable, and direct tone. Avoid corporate jargon, exaggerated enthusiasm, and forced humor.”
Formatting
“Make everything easy to read.”
“Start with the direct answer, use short paragraphs, numbered steps for procedures, and tables only when they improve comparison.”
Evidence
“Always be 100% accurate.”
“Verify changing information, cite important claims, distinguish facts from assumptions, and say when evidence is incomplete.”
What not to put in custom instructions
- Passwords, security answers, API keys, or recovery information
- Bank, card, tax, identity, or insurance numbers
- Confidential customer, patient, student, employee, or client information
- Children’s identifying information
- Private medical, legal, employment, or financial records
- Trade secrets or unreleased company plans
- One-time deadlines, attachments, or exact output requirements
- Contradictory rules such as “always be brief” and “always explain everything fully”
- Does ChatGPT need this in most conversations?
- Can I remove names or identifying details?
- Is it confidential, regulated, or covered by an organization policy?
- Would a one-time prompt, Temporary Chat, or Project be more appropriate?
For a broader review, see what not to share with ChatGPT.
Why custom instructions are not working
Custom instructions are not the only guidance that can affect a response. A specific prompt, Project rule, memory, personality, or safety requirement can change the result.
- Name the exact missed behavior. Replace “It ignored everything” with “It did not put the answer first.”
- Check the current prompt. A task-specific rule may conflict with your global preference.
- Check the Project. Project instructions override global custom instructions inside that Project.
- Check memory and personality. Saved context or response style may pull the answer another way.
- Remove duplicates and contradictions. Keep one clear rule for tone, length, format, and evidence.
- Make vague rules observable. Say “use a three-column table” instead of “organize it well.”
- Test one change at a time. A fresh test shows which rule fixed or caused the problem.
Long conversations can create additional conflicts. Learn why AI sometimes forgets instructions and how to recover the active requirements.
How to test your instructions
Test your setup against three different requests rather than judging it from one ideal answer.
| Test | Try this | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Explanation | “Explain how a home Wi-Fi router works.” | Reading level, tone, and structure |
| Writing | “Draft a polite message asking for a revised delivery date.” | Writing style and factual restraint |
| Comparison | “Compare renting and buying a printer for a small office.” | Consistent criteria, trade-offs, and assumptions |
If one rule helps writing but harms explanations, narrow it. Change “Always use bullet points” to “Use bullet points for short options and checklists, but use paragraphs when explanation is clearer.”
60-second custom instructions checklist
- Include only stable context that improves many conversations.
- Choose one clear communication style.
- Set useful default formats, not a rigid layout for every answer.
- Explain how changing facts, sources, assumptions, and uncertainty should be handled.
- State the few behaviors you genuinely want avoided.
- Remove sensitive or unnecessarily identifying information.
- Move deadlines, files, exact lengths, and one-time rules into the prompt.
- Test with an explanation, a writing task, and a comparison.
- Check Projects, memory, and personality when a rule appears ignored.
Pick one of the ChatGPT custom instructions examples above, shorten it to your real needs, and run the three tests. Add another rule only when you can name a recurring problem it will solve.
Frequently asked questions
What should I write in custom instructions?
Add stable context, your communication style, useful default formats, evidence rules, and a short list of behaviors to avoid. Keep one-time task requirements in the current prompt.
Are custom instructions available on the free plan?
Yes. OpenAI currently lists them as available on all plans. Free and Go users can save up to 1,500 characters; Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education users can save up to 5,000.
Do custom instructions replace a good prompt?
No. Your prompt should still explain the task, audience, source material, constraints, and desired outcome.
What is the difference between custom instructions and memory?
Custom instructions are explicit guidance you write. Memory can retain useful context from conversations when enabled. They are managed separately.
Do Project instructions override global custom instructions?
Yes. OpenAI’s Projects documentation says Project instructions apply inside that Project and override global custom instructions.
Which ChatGPT custom instructions examples should I use?
Choose the example that addresses your most frequent problem—such as excessive length, vague explanations, weak evidence, or inconsistent formatting—and test it before adding another.
Should I paste all 12 templates into my settings?
No. Choose one or two compatible templates and remove everything that does not improve most chats.
Build a cleaner ChatGPT workflow
Use custom instructions for stable preferences, a clear prompt for the task in front of you, and a Project when one body of work needs its own files and rules.
Continue with these related guides
Reviewed August 7, 2026 using OpenAI’s Custom Instructions guide, release notes, Memory FAQ, Projects guide, and personality guide. Features, limits, plan names, and interface labels can change.
Independent disclosure: Designs24hr is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI. ChatGPT is a product of OpenAI. Follow your employer’s, school’s, or organization’s privacy and data-handling requirements.
