Before you start
- A phone, tablet or computer with internet access
- An email address, or a Google, Microsoft or Apple account to sign in (recommended)
What ChatGPT is good at (and what it isn’t)
ChatGPT is a large language model: it predicts helpful text based on patterns learned from huge amounts of writing. That makes it very good at:
- Explaining things in simple words, from tax terms to science homework.
- Drafting and rewriting: emails, letters, CVs, social posts and summaries.
- Brainstorming: gift ideas, business names, meal plans, trip itineraries.
- Working with your files: summarising a PDF, pulling figures from a spreadsheet, describing a photo.
- Step-by-step help: fixing a formula, planning a project, practising a language.
It is not a perfect source of truth. It can state wrong facts confidently (often called “hallucinating”), may not know about very recent events unless it searches the web, and should never replace a doctor, lawyer or financial adviser for decisions that matter.
Method 1 Create an account and get started
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Step 1: Open ChatGPT
Go to chatgpt.com in any browser, or install the official ChatGPT app by OpenAI from the App Store, Google Play or the Microsoft Store. Check the developer is OpenAI; many copycat apps use similar names and icons.
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Step 2: Sign up or log in
Click Sign up and use your email address, or continue with Google, Microsoft or Apple. You can try ChatGPT without an account, but signing in saves your chat history and unlocks features such as file uploads and memory.
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Step 3: Understand the screen
The message box is at the bottom. Your past conversations are in the sidebar on the left (tap the two lines on a phone). Click New chat to start a fresh conversation on a new topic.
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Step 4: Send your first message
Type a question, such as “Explain how compound interest works with a simple example”, and press Enter. ChatGPT replies in a few seconds.
Method 2 Write prompts that get great answers
A useful pattern: Task + Context + Format. For example: “Plan a 3-day trip to Lisbon (task) for a couple who love food and don’t like museums (context). Show it as a day-by-day table with morning, afternoon and evening (format).”
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Step 1: Say what you want clearly
Instead of “email to landlord”, write “Write a polite email to my landlord asking them to fix a leaking kitchen tap that has been dripping for a week.”
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Step 2: Add context
Tell it who the answer is for and any details that matter: “I’m a beginner”, “This is for a 10-year-old”, “My budget is £300”, “I live in Kenya”.
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Step 3: Ask for a format
Say how you want the answer: “in 5 bullet points”, “as a table”, “under 100 words”, “as a step-by-step checklist”.
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Step 4: Give it a role or example
“Act as a friendly maths tutor” or “Write it in the same style as this example: …” helps it match the tone you need.
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Step 5: Refine with follow-ups
You don’t need to get it right first time. Reply with “Make it shorter”, “More formal”, “Explain step 3 again” or “Give me three other options”. ChatGPT remembers everything earlier in the same chat.
| Weak prompt | Better prompt |
|---|---|
| Help with CV | Rewrite this CV summary for a junior accountant role in 3 sentences, confident but not boastful: … |
| Recipe chicken | Give me a 30-minute chicken dinner for 4 using only one pan, with a shopping list |
| Explain inflation | Explain inflation to a 14-year-old using an example about the price of bread |
| Fix my code | This Python code should print totals but shows an error (pasted below). Explain the cause and give the fixed code |
Method 3 Use files, photos, voice and web search
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Step 1: Attach a file or photo
Click the + button next to the message box and choose a file or photo. Then ask a question about it: “Summarise this PDF in 10 bullet points” or “What plant is this and how do I care for it?”
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Step 2: Talk instead of typing
Tap the microphone to dictate a message, or the voice icon (sound waves) to have a spoken conversation, which is great for language practice or hands-free help while cooking.
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Step 3: Get current information
For news, prices, opening hours or anything recent, ask ChatGPT to search the web. It then shows the sources it used, which you can click to check.
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Step 4: Organise with projects
If you work on the same topic often, such as a house move or a course, create a project in the sidebar to keep related chats and files together.
Method 4 Personalise ChatGPT
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Step 1: Set custom instructions
Click your profile icon, open Settings > Personalization, and tell ChatGPT about yourself and how you like answers, for example “I’m a nurse in Canada. Keep answers short and use metric units.” These apply to every new chat.
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Step 2: Use or manage memory
ChatGPT can remember useful details you share across chats. In Settings > Personalization you can view what it remembers, delete individual memories or turn memory off completely.
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Step 3: Choose your look and language
In Settings > General, change the theme (light or dark) and the interface language.
Method 5 Keep your conversations private
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Step 1: Use Temporary Chat for sensitive topics
Start a new chat and click Temporary at the top. Temporary chats don’t appear in your history, don’t use or create memories and aren’t used to train models. OpenAI may keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety reasons.
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Step 2: Stop your chats being used for training
Open Settings > Data controls and turn off Improve the model for everyone. Your chats still appear in your history, but aren’t used to train future models.
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Step 3: Delete old chats
Hover over a chat in the sidebar, click the three dots and choose Delete. You can delete all chats at once in Settings > Data controls.
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Step 4: Never share secrets
Don’t paste passwords, full card numbers, ID numbers, or other people’s private information into any chatbot.
Troubleshooting
“You’ve reached your limit” message
Free accounts have usage limits on the most advanced model. Wait until the time shown, continue with the standard model, or upgrade if you need more.
The answer is wrong or made up
Tell it what’s wrong and ask it to try again, ask it to search the web and cite sources, or give it the correct information to work from. Start a new chat if a conversation has gone off track.
ChatGPT won’t load or keeps showing errors
Refresh the page, sign out and back in, or try another browser or the app. Check status.openai.com to see whether there’s an outage.
It forgot what I told it earlier
Very long chats can lose track of early details. Start a new chat with a short summary of the key facts, or add them to custom instructions.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT free?
Yes, there’s a free plan you can use on the web and in the apps. Paid plans add higher limits and extra features.
Can people see my ChatGPT conversations?
Other users can’t see them unless you create a share link. OpenAI may review conversations for safety and, unless you turn it off, use them to improve its models.
Can I use ChatGPT for schoolwork?
Use it to explain topics, quiz you and give feedback, but check your school’s rules. Handing in AI-written work as your own is treated as cheating in many schools and universities.
Is ChatGPT the same as Google?
No. A search engine finds web pages; ChatGPT writes an answer for you. It can search the web when needed, but it can still make mistakes, so check sources for important facts.
Summary
Sign in at chatgpt.com or the official app, and ask for what you need with clear context and a format. Refine answers with follow-ups, attach files or talk with voice, and personalise it with custom instructions. Use Temporary Chat and Data controls to protect your privacy, and always verify answers that matter.
