What are ChatGPT Custom Instructions?
Custom Instructions are a ChatGPT feature (available to Plus, Pro, and Team users) that define two key elements applied to all new chats:
Field 1: What ChatGPT should know about you
Your background, profession, preferences, constraints, or context (e.g., "I'm a marketing manager for a SaaS startup targeting small businesses").
Field 2: How ChatGPT should respond
Desired tone, format, length, rules (e.g., "Always use bullet points, keep responses under 300 words, avoid fluff").
These persist across all your chats, eliminating the need to restate context. Users report 40-60% reduction in prompt length and 2-3x faster workflows.
Step-by-Step Setup for Custom Instructions
- 1
Open ChatGPT and click your profile icon (bottom-left sidebar)
Select "Customize ChatGPT" or go to Settings > Personalization > Custom Instructions.
- 2
Toggle Custom Instructions ON
If not already enabled, activate the feature.
- 3
Fill Field 1: "What would you like ChatGPT to know about you?"
Include role, goals, audience, tools, constraints. Keep under 1,500 characters.
- 4
Fill Field 2: "How would you like ChatGPT to respond?"
Specify format, tone, rules. Bullet points, tables, or structured outputs work best.
- 5
Click Save and test in a new chat
Refine iteratively based on outputs.
Copy-Paste Templates by Use Case
Content Creators & Marketers
Field 1 (About you):
Field 2 (How to respond):
Business Professionals & Entrepreneurs
Field 1 (About you):
Field 2 (How to respond):