ChatGPT User Guide: Entry Points for Custom Instructions Settings and Preference Management Steps

If you want ChatGPT to better understand your writing style, commonly used formats, and output habits, you can start with “Custom Instructions” and preference settings. This article walks you through two paths—web and mobile—to help you find the entry points, complete the configuration, and adds troubleshooting methods for common issues. After you set it up once, most new chats will automatically follow it.

Find the ChatGPT settings entry: locations on the web and on mobile

After opening ChatGPT on the web, first look at the profile avatar or account name in the lower-left corner. Click it to open the menu. After selecting “Settings/设置,” you’ll see options related to appearance, data controls, and personalization.

In the mobile app, it’s usually the avatar entry in the upper-right corner or in the sidebar; after entering, you can likewise find “Settings.” The wording in different ChatGPT versions may vary slightly, but the path is basically “Avatar → Settings → Personalization.”

Enable and fill in custom instructions: make ChatGPT respond by default the way you want

After entering “Personalization,” find “Custom instructions/自定义指令” and first confirm the toggle is turned on. Next, there will be two core input boxes: what you want ChatGPT to know about you, and how you want it to respond.

It’s recommended to write instructions that are specific and actionable, such as “Answer in Chinese by default, give the conclusion first then the steps, and use Markdown subheadings for output.” If you often create tables or emails, you can also ask ChatGPT to “provide a copyable template first, and include a concise version as well.”

Manage language and output style in sync: avoid repeating requirements every time

In custom instructions you can lock in language, tone, and format—for example, “Use a formal tone for technical documentation, and a more conversational tone for social media copy.” When you switch to a different task, you can add a temporary requirement at the beginning of the chat, and ChatGPT will override the default preferences accordingly.

If you find ChatGPT occasionally doesn’t follow your preferred output, it’s usually because your question contains conflicting instructions, or because you changed requirements multiple times within the same conversation. It’s recommended to put “long-term fixed rules” in custom instructions, and put “this time’s temporary needs” in the first message of the current chat.

Common issues: what to do if custom instructions don’t take effect or get reset

If custom instructions don’t take effect, first confirm you started a “new chat,” because in some cases older chats will continue using the context from that time. Also check whether you’re logged into the correct account: after switching between multiple ChatGPT accounts, instructions are saved per account.

If you still don’t see any change after setting them, try logging out and back in, or clear the site cache in your browser and then revisit the settings page. On mobile, you can try updating the app version, and confirm in Settings that the “Custom instructions” toggle hasn’t been turned off.