With OpenAI continually releasing powerful new capabilities, ChatGPT has become my everyday AI helper — whether I’m brainstorming, analyzing spreadsheets, or polishing writing. If you want to fold ChatGPT into your daily workflows but don’t know where to begin, this guide walks you through concrete steps for using ChatGPT. If you’re curious about the underlying technology, see our companion piece, How does ChatGPT work?
Table of contents
- What is ChatGPT?
- How to use ChatGPT on the web or mobile app
- How to download and use the ChatGPT desktop app
- How to customize ChatGPT
- How to use ChatGPT Voice
- How to upload and show images to ChatGPT
- How to use ChatGPT’s non-chat features
- Can ChatGPT refuse to answer my prompts?
- How to manage your data in ChatGPT
- How to use ChatGPT: FAQs
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a chatbot application from OpenAI that accepts text, image, and audio inputs depending on the model you select. Practically, that means ChatGPT can:
- Hold conversations by voice or text and answer questions on a wide range of topics
- Produce written content — anything from poetry to blog posts and emails
- Brainstorm ideas and propose plans
- Generate and refine images on request
- Search the web for up-to-date information (when instructed)
- Analyze images and produce charts or graphs from your inputs
- Translate natural language or convert design mockups into code
- Interact with your computer to perform simple tasks on your behalf
In short, it behaves like a multimodal assistant trained on a broad corpus of internet content.
How to use ChatGPT on the web or mobile app
Quick start summary:
- Visit chat.com or open the mobile app, then sign up or log in (accounts are free).
- If you subscribe to a paid plan, pick the AI model you want to use.
- Enter a text, image, or audio prompt on the ChatGPT home page.
When ChatGPT returns an answer, you can:
- Edit your original prompt.
- Enter a follow-up prompt or speak a new one.
- Inspect cited sources.
- Copy the reply.
- Regenerate the response.
- Rate the reply with thumbs up or down.
- Share the conversation or move the output into a separate canvas for editing.
A few practical steps in more detail:
- Create your OpenAI account
Go to chat.com and click Sign up. You can register with an email address or use Google or Microsoft. If you use email, phone verification is required. If you already have an account, click Log in. For sign-in issues, reload the page or consult OpenAI’s troubleshooting suggestions. - Choose your AI model
Paid plans let you choose the model powering ChatGPT; pick a model from the dropdown in the conversation window. - Ask ChatGPT a question
- Type your prompt and press Enter or click the send arrow.
- To force a web lookup, click the plus (+) icon in the message bar, choose Web search, and enter your query.
- For in-depth searches across many sources, select Deep research from the plus (+) menu.
- Use the Voice Mode or microphone icon to speak prompts.
- Drag and drop files into the message bar or use Add photos & files from the plus (+) menu.
- Interact with responses
- Edit a message via the pencil icon that appears when you hover over your prompt.
- Ask follow-ups; ChatGPT will use prior context so you don’t have to repeat details.
- Hover over source pills to learn more, and click them to open the source.
- Copy responses with the Copy icon, try again with Try again, or open the result in Canvas for deeper edits.
- Use Share at the top of a chat to create a unique URL for the conversation; Enterprise workspaces limit access to members only, and you can opt to make a chat discoverable so it appears in web searches.
How to download and use the ChatGPT desktop app
ChatGPT offers native apps for macOS and Windows (download steps differ by platform but the features are the same). To use the desktop app:
- Open the app or launch the ChatGPT quick launcher with option+spacebar (Mac) or Alt+spacebar (Windows).
- Type your prompt or use the microphone icon for speech-to-text.
- Click the voice mode icon to hold a live spoken conversation.
- Upload files with the plus (+) icon; the desktop app also lets you capture screenshots or photos directly.
How to customize ChatGPT
If you repeatedly give the same instructions (for instance, “Write responses in Python” or “Keep the tone casual”), use Custom Instructions or create a custom GPT.
- Custom instructions (available on free and paid plans): open your profile → Customize ChatGPT → toggle Enable for new chats → add traits under What traits should ChatGPT have? → Save. These instructions persist until disabled.
- Create a custom GPT (paid tiers can author GPTs; free users can use but not create them): click GPTs in the sidebar → Create → provide instructions in the builder → Configure for advanced options (name, knowledge files, actions) → Create and choose sharing settings. You can call a custom GPT from any chat by typing @[GPTname] followed by your prompt.
Zapier integration: if you want a chatbot that takes actions across your tools (e.g., update CRMs, send messages), consider Zapier Chatbots. Zapier lets you build chatbots that connect to thousands of apps and run automated workflows — examples include an IT help desk chatbot and a lead-generation chat experience.
How to use ChatGPT Voice
Voice mode enables near real-time spoken exchanges. With a conversation open, click the voice mode icon (sound bars) in the message box. When the wave-like animation appears, speak your prompt; ChatGPT processes it automatically and will voice its reply. Interrupt the model naturally if you need to. A text transcript of the session is saved to chat history.
How to upload and show images to ChatGPT
- Web app: click the plus icon in the message bar → Add photos & files, or drag-and-drop files. You can also pull images from Google Drive or OneDrive after connecting them.
- Desktop app: use the plus icon, upload, or capture screenshots/photos directly.
- Mobile app: tap the plus icon, choose an image from your phone or take a photo; you can annotate or circle areas before sending.
How to use ChatGPT’s non-chat features
Projects: group related chats, memories, custom instructions, and files into a Project. Click New project in the side panel, name it, then start chatting, add files, or add project-specific instructions.
Scheduled tasks: create a task by describing what you want and when. The task appears in chat and runs even if you’re offline; notifications arrive by push and email. Edit tasks via the three-dot menu beside the task confirmation.
Canvas: request a canvas or “create a document” to have an output appear in a dedicated page next to your main chat for focused editing.
Agent: ChatGPT Agent (beta) can browse and perform tasks like filling forms or downloading files. Invoke it from Tools or by typing /agent and describe the task. For orchestrated, multi-app agents, Zapier Agents provide templates that connect with thousands of apps.
Can ChatGPT refuse to answer my prompts?
Yes. OpenAI has safety safeguards so ChatGPT may decline prompts that are inappropriate. Examples ChatGPT listed when asked which prompts it won’t respond to:
- Harmful or unsafe requests: instructions for making weapons, explosives, or dangerous substances, or content promoting self-harm, suicide, or violence.
- Private or sensitive information: generation or exposure of personal, confidential, or financial data (like passwords or credit card numbers), private communications unless shared in chat, or impersonations of real people.
- Ethical and legal restrictions: creating deepfakes of real people without consent, producing plagiarized or copyrighted material (such as full song lyrics or book passages), or giving illegal advice (for example, tax evasion or hacking).
- Inappropriate or adult content: sexually explicit content involving real people, harassment or hate speech, or graphic gore and violence.
- Misuse of capabilities: continuously monitoring files or accounts (ChatGPT only sees what you share in chat), providing exhaustive listings of documents, or pretending to be a professional it is not (such as a lawyer or doctor).
How to manage your data in ChatGPT
Memory: ChatGPT automatically retains details and preferences unless you disable memory. To manage memories: profile → Settings → Personalization → Manage memories. From there you can remove specific memories or Delete all. To turn memories off, toggle Reference saved memories. Note OpenAI may retain logs of deleted memories for up to 30 days for safety and debugging.
Temporary chats: start a Temporary chat via the bubble icon in the top-right; the message bar turns black. Temporary chats don’t appear in sidebar history, though OpenAI may keep copies for up to 30 days. If a GPT uses actions that send data to third parties, retention may be longer.
Turn off model training: profile → Settings → Data controls → Improve the model for everyone → toggle off. You can also choose whether to include audio/video.
Delete or archive chats:
- Desktop delete all: profile → Settings → Data controls → Delete all → Confirm deletion.
- Desktop delete single: hover conversation in side panel → Options (…) → Delete.
- Desktop archive single: Options (…) → Archive. You can Archive all from Data controls. Restore archived chats via Settings → Archived chats → Manage.
- Mobile delete all: profile → Data Controls → Delete All Chats (iOS) or Clear Chat History (Android) → Confirm.
- Mobile delete single: press-and-hold a conversation → Delete → Confirm.
- Mobile archive single: press-and-hold → Archive → Confirm; archive all via Data Controls → Archive All Chats.
Automate ChatGPT with Zapier
You can extend ChatGPT by connecting it to other apps via Zapier. Example templates include:
- Automatically reply to Google Business Profile reviews with ChatGPT (Google Business Profile, ChatGPT (OpenAI)).
- Send prompts to ChatGPT for Google Forms responses and add the ChatGPT response to a Google Sheet (Google Forms, ChatGPT (OpenAI), Google Sheets).
- Create email copy with ChatGPT from new Gmail emails and save as drafts in Gmail (Gmail, ChatGPT (OpenAI)).
- Create email copy with ChatGPT from new Microsoft Outlook emails and save as drafts (Microsoft Outlook, ChatGPT (OpenAI)).
How to use ChatGPT: FAQs
- What models does ChatGPT use? As of this writing, ChatGPT’s main models are GPT-5, GPT-5 mini, and GPT-5 nano.
- Is ChatGPT free? You can create an OpenAI account for free, but free access has limits on message volume and may be restricted during peak times.
- Paid subscriptions: ChatGPT Plus costs $20/month and ChatGPT Pro costs $200/month for individual users.
- Can I search my history? Yes: click Search chats in the side panel or use command+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows).
- Can ChatGPT create images? Yes; image generation is integrated, or you can use DALL·E via the DALL·E GPT.
- Does ChatGPT have internet access? Yes — it can search the web for current information when asked.
- How accurate is ChatGPT? The model can hallucinate; it may invent facts. It often cites sources so you can fact-check its output.
- Does ChatGPT remember past conversations? By default, it will use details from previous chats to adapt responses, but you can manage or disable that behavior.