Custom Instructions & Memory
Every time you start a new chat with ChatGPT, it has no idea who you are. It doesn't know your job, your writing style, your preferences, or what you've been working on. You end up repeating yourself: "I'm a marketing manager," "Use a casual tone," "I prefer bullet points over paragraphs."
Custom Instructions and Memory solve this. They let you tell ChatGPT about yourself once, and it remembers — across every conversation. Today you'll set both up, and you'll immediately notice the difference in every chat going forward.
What custom instructions are
Custom Instructions are persistent rules that apply to every new conversation. Think of them as a permanent briefing document that ChatGPT reads before responding to you.
You'll find them in Settings > Personalization > Custom Instructions. There are two fields:
"What would you like ChatGPT to know about you?" — This is where you describe yourself. Your name, role, industry, level of expertise, what you typically use ChatGPT for, and any relevant background.
"How would you like ChatGPT to respond?" — This is where you set output preferences. Your preferred tone, format, length, level of detail, and any things you want it to always do (or never do).
Here's the important part: these instructions are injected into every conversation automatically. You never have to repeat them. ChatGPT reads them before generating every single response.
Setting up your custom instructions
Here's a template you can customize and paste into your settings right now:
Field 1 — About you:
"My name is [Name]. I'm a [job title/role] at [company/industry]. I work on [what you do day-to-day]. My expertise level with AI is [beginner/intermediate/advanced]. I typically use ChatGPT for [list 3-4 main use cases]. I'm based in [location/timezone] and work in [language]."
Field 2 — Response preferences:
"Respond in a [casual/professional/conversational] tone. Use [bullet points/short paragraphs/numbered lists] when presenting multiple items. Keep responses [concise/detailed] unless I ask otherwise. Avoid [jargon/buzzwords/filler phrases]. When I ask for writing help, match my voice — [describe your voice]. If I ask a question, give a direct answer first, then explain. When you're unsure, say so rather than guessing."
Here are some real examples of effective custom instructions:
For a teacher: "I'm a high school history teacher. I often ask for help creating lesson plans, discussion questions, and assignment rubrics. Write at a level I can share directly with 10th graders. Use engaging, accessible language."
For a developer: "I'm a full-stack engineer working primarily with React, Node.js, and PostgreSQL. When I ask code questions, give me the code first with comments, then explain. Assume I know the basics — don't explain what a function or variable is."
For a small business owner: "I run a small bakery with 4 employees. I need help with marketing, customer communication, and business planning. I'm not technical — avoid jargon. Give me actionable advice I can implement today, not theoretical strategies."
Memory — ChatGPT remembers you
Memory is different from Custom Instructions. While Custom Instructions are rules you explicitly write, Memory is information ChatGPT picks up and stores from your conversations over time.
When Memory is enabled, ChatGPT notices important details you mention — your dog's name, a project you're working on, your dietary restrictions, your team members — and saves them automatically. These memories persist across all future conversations.
How to manage Memory:
- Go to Settings > Personalization > Memory
- Toggle it on or off
- Click "Manage" to see everything ChatGPT has remembered
- Delete individual memories you don't want kept
- Clear all memories if you want a fresh start
You can also control Memory in conversation:
- Say "Remember that my client's brand colors are navy and gold" — ChatGPT will explicitly save this
- Say "Forget what you know about my previous project" — ChatGPT will delete that memory
- Say "What do you remember about me?" — ChatGPT will list its stored memories
Memory is powerful because it builds over time. After a few weeks of regular use, ChatGPT knows your projects, preferences, colleagues, and context without you having to explain anything. It becomes genuinely personalized.
Pre-defined personalities and tone selection
ChatGPT also offers personality presets that adjust how it communicates with you. You can find these in Settings or when starting a new conversation, depending on your plan and interface version.
These presets adjust traits like:
Chattiness — Does it give you brief, direct answers or detailed, conversational ones?
Formality — Professional and buttoned-up, or casual and friendly?
Encouragement — Does it validate your ideas enthusiastically, or give you straight, unvarnished feedback?
Humor — Dry and witty, warm and playful, or strictly business?
You can think of these as high-level personality dials that work alongside your Custom Instructions. Custom Instructions give ChatGPT specific facts and rules; personality presets shape the overall "feel" of its responses.
Pro tip: Combine all three — Custom Instructions for your background and preferences, Memory for ongoing context, and personality settings for communication style. Together, they transform ChatGPT from a generic chatbot into a personalized assistant that feels like it was built for you.