While ChatGPT is a generative AI language expert, its results heavily depend on the prompts you provide. The key is to provide more details for ChatGPT to help it respond effectively. Adding more details to each and every prompt can be tiring. That is where the new Custom Instructions feature comes in. Once instructions are given, ChatGPT will automatically follow them in all future prompts removing the need to re-enter the same data. Here’s what Custom Instructions on ChatGPT are, how you can set it up, and some tips that will help to take advantage of Custom Instructions on ChatGPT.
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What Are Custom Instructions on ChatGPT
ChatGPT does not understand your need automatically. Everything has to be spoonfed like saying “email has to be professional”, “suggest results that are located in San Antonio, Texas”, or “explain the topic like I am a beginner”. Because by default, it does not know where you live, what your skills are, etc. Custom Instructions are basically introducing yourself to ChatGPT.
So, now you can set the instruction as “I live in San Antonio, Texas”, then when you ask questions like “Suggest me some good restaurants for the weekend”, ChatGPT will automatically display results from San Antonio. There is no need to mention where you live or where you want to eat again. The more instructions you provide ChatGPT, the more it knows about you, and the better results it comes up with.
As another example, you can set a custom instruction like “I am a beginner programmer”. Now when you ask any question to ChatGPT about programming, it will explain in a way a beginner can understand.
As you can see, once ChatGPT learns more about you, your conversation becomes even more human and normal. So let’s see how we can set up Custom Instructions on ChatGPT.
How to Setup Custom Instructions on ChatGPT
Previously, Custom Instructions was only available as a beta feature and for ChatGPT Plus users. Now OpenAI has made the feature available for everyone including the free userbase. The setup process remains the same too.
On Desktop Web
1. Open the ChatGPT website on your favorite browser. Then click on the meatballs menu beside your account name at the bottom left corner.
2. In the menu that opened, select the Custom instructions option.
3. Now you should see two text boxes in the pop-up window. In the first text box, you can add the details that ChatGPT should know about. For example, your age, location, city, work, hobbies, etc.
4. In the second text box, add instructions that ChatGPT should follow. Some example instructions can be how long or short, formal or casual responses should be, etc.
5. Once done, click on the Save button at the bottom.
On Android App
1. Open the ChatGPT Android app. Then click on the hamburger icon at the top left corner. Then select the Settings option in the sidebar.
2. In Settings, select the Custom Instructions option. Tap on the Continue button on the welcome screen.
3. Here you should see two text boxes. In the first text box, add some information about yourself that ChatGPT should know about. For example, age, sex, hobbies, work profile, city, etc.
4. In the second text box, add instructions that ChatGPT should follow. For example, length (short or long) and tone (casual or formal) of responses, etc. Once done, you can just go back.
On iPhone App
1. Open the ChatGPT app on your iPhone. Now tap on the meatballs icon at the top right corner. Then select the Settings option in the pop-up menu.
2. On the Settings page, select the Custom Instructions option. On the welcome screen, tap on the Continue button
3. Here you should see two text boxes. In the first text box, add some information about yourself that ChatGPT should know about. For example, age, sex, hobbies, work profile, city, etc.
4. In the second text box, add instructions that ChatGPT should follow. For example, length (short or long) and tone (casual or formal) of responses, etc. Once done, you can just go back.
What You Can Add in Custom Instructions on ChatGPT
The process of setting up Custom Instructions is quite easy. But making the most out of the feature depends on the instructions you provide. Here are some examples for your perusal:
What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to generate better responses:
- Your name, age, gender, etc.
- Where do you live
- Study or work details
- About your skills and hobbies
- Interests that you like to talk about
- Your goals and targets
- Other details like pets, family, marital status, etc.
How would you like ChatGPT to respond:
- Should replies generally be long or short
- Should it be professional or casual
- Should replies have to be opinionated or neutral
- How do you want to be addressed
- Should it follow a particular style
FAQs
1. In which chats do these Custom Instructions apply?
These instructions apply to all the new chats after adding. It will not apply to old chats and you can continue those chats just as before. Anyhow, if you prefer to have a chat with different instructions, you can simply mention them and ChatGPT will override your default custom instructions. Also, when you update your custom instructions, these instructions will only apply to new chats from then.
2. What’s the character limit for the custom instructions on ChatGPT?
The limit is set to 1,500 characters for each response. If you prefer to add more details, you can try writing smaller sentences that deliver the same information.
3. Do custom instructions influence the response from plugins?
Yes, these custom instructions should influence the responses from ChatGPT plugins too.
Let Me Introduce Myself, ChatGPT
These AI services are still far away from being personal assistants as they sometimes hallucinate, provide irrelevant results, etc. But Custom Instructions is definitely a move in the right direction as ChatGPT can understand more about you making the conversation that much more human. Apart from Custom instructions, ChatGPT has many features that make it better than other AI chatbot services like Google Bard and Microsoft Bing AI Chat.
