TRY IT YOURSELF

Give ChatGPT clearer fixed instructions

ChatGPT can save recurring requests for target, tone and response format. OpenAI has raised the limit to 5,000 characters for five paid and organizational plans.

Publicerad 22 July 2026, 14.16

AI-generated illustration of an editor reviewing an instruction card for goal, tone, format, and boundaries before creating multiple unified responses.

Custom instructions are text that ChatGPT takes into account in its responses. They are suitable for recurring requests, for example simple Swedish, short headings or a specific delivery format. The instructions apply immediately in all chats when they are saved.

OpenAI has raised the limit from 1,500 to 5,000 characters for Plus, Pro, Enterprise, Business and Education. According to the company's current help page, Free and Go can save up to 1,500 characters. The feature is available on the web, in the desktop app and on iOS and Android.

Start short. First, describe the goal: what the AI assistant will help with. Then add tone and format, for example short Swedish, clear headings and three concrete next steps. End with boundaries, such as highlighting uncertainty and not making up names, numbers or sources.

On the web and in the desktop app, the function can be found under Settings, Personalization and Custom instructions. On iOS and Android, the corresponding path is called Customize ChatGPT. Menu names may change when apps are updated.

Longer instructions do not automatically make the answers better or more correct. Conflicting requirements can make the results unclear, and the model can still miss the facts. Therefore, test the instructions on a simple task and check the results before using them in important work.

Don't write things you don't want to share with the service or trusted extensions. OpenAI states that relevant information from the instructions can be passed on to developers of third-party add-ons that the user himself has connected.

Därför spelar det roll

Anyone who frequently asks an AI assistant for the same tone, texture, or control points can save time and get smoother first drafts. For Swedish businesses, the profit is greatest when the instructions are short, reviewable and free of customer details, passwords and other sensitive material.

Det här kan du göra

  1. Write three parts: goal, tone and format, and clear boundaries.
  2. Save the instructions under Personalization and try them in a new chat with harmless test material.
  3. Abbreviate what does not affect the answer and always check names, numbers and sources against the original.