1. Temporary Chat Mode
Use temporary chat mode to prevent your conversations from being stored. This is ideal when discussing sensitive or proprietary information.
2. Quick Search
Quickly locate past conversations by using the search feature. Use shortcuts (Ctrl+K or Command+K) to bring up search and filter by keywords or chat titles.
3. Keyboard Shortcuts
Master keyboard shortcuts to improve efficiency. For instance, use Ctrl+Shift+C to copy the last response and Ctrl+Shift+O to open a new chat.
Enhance your workflow with these keyboard shortcuts:
- Command/Control + /: Open the full list of shortcuts.
- Command/Control + Shift + C: Copy the last response.
- Command/Control + Shift + O: Open a new chat.
- Command/Control + Shift + S: Toggle the sidebar.
- Command/Control + Shift + I: Access custom instructions.
These shortcuts work on both macOS (using Command) and Windows (using Control).
4. Actions Shortcut
Press the forward slash (/) key within a chat to pull up a list of available actions, such as generating images or searching the web.
5. Enhanced Search
The new Enhanced Search feature makes it easier to locate past conversations and resources within your chat history. Instead of simply matching keywords, it now returns detailed snippets that provide context, shows multiple images in a carousel format, and includes clickable links to sources referenced in the chat.
How to Access It: You can access Enhanced Search using the search bar at the top left of the chat interface, or trigger it with the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+K on Windows or Command+K on Mac).
Updated Features Include:
- Contextual Snippets: Results include highlighted snippets showing the context around your search term.
- Multiple Image Previews: Image thumbnails from previous chats are displayed as clickable previews.
- Clickable Sources: References or citations are rendered as clickable links that take you directly to the source.
- Refined Query Processing: The search function understands natural language queries, delivering more accurate results.
These enhancements are designed to help you retrieve and review information quickly, improving your workflow and overall experience.
6. Update Memory
Use your ChatGPT profile settings to control what the model remembers. Clearing out irrelevant details keeps your conversation focused and prevents outdated context from influencing responses.
How to Update Memory:
- Log in to your ChatGPT account and navigate to your Profile Settings.
- Select the Personalization or Memory settings option.
- Review the stored conversation details.
- Remove or clear any information that is outdated or irrelevant.
- Optionally, disable memory entirely if you do not want ChatGPT to store any conversation history.
By keeping your memory updated, you ensure that each new conversation starts with only the relevant context.
7. Utilize Prompt Templates
Save time with prompt templates. A prompt template is a pre-formatted structure that you fill in with your specific details. By using these templates, you ensure that you include all necessary information and maintain consistency in your requests.
Example 1: Email Drafting Template
Write an email to [Recipient] regarding [Subject].
Start with a friendly greeting, then briefly explain the context of the issue or update. Provide any important details and end with a clear call-to-action, such as asking for a meeting or further instructions.
Usage: Replace the placeholders with your details (e.g., "Write an email to John about the project update...") to quickly generate a well-structured email.
Example 2: Resume Bullet Point Template
I accomplished [Achievement] by [Action], which resulted in [Outcome].
For example: I increased sales by 15% by streamlining the customer follow-up process, which resulted in a 10% boost in repeat business.
Usage: Fill in the blanks with specific details from your work experience. This helps ensure that your resume bullet points are clear, concise, and quantifiable.
By using these prompt templates, you can easily tailor your inputs to generate high-quality, structured outputs without starting from scratch each time.
8. Custom Instructions
You can provide custom instructions to ChatGPT to define how it should behave. For example, you can tell it not to overapologize, to be concise, and to use a friendly tone. This ensures that the responses feel tailored to your preferences.
Example Custom Instructions:
You are a friendly and efficient assistant that gives short, clear, and direct answers. Always greet me by my first name, "David". Keep your responses concise—limit each sentence to 10-20 words—and provide step-by-step instructions when needed. Do not overapologize or include unnecessary disclaimers.
By including these custom instructions, ChatGPT will know to address you as "David" and follow the style guidelines you've set. You can modify or expand these instructions to suit your needs.
9. Archive Chats
Archive old chats to keep your history clean, while still retaining access via search. This helps organize your workflow.
10. Model Improvement
Decide whether to allow your chats to improve the model. If confidentiality is a concern, turn off model improvement in settings.
To toggle model improvements:
- Sign in to your ChatGPT account and go to Settings.
- Select the "Data Controls" or "Privacy" section.
- Find the option labeled "Improve the model" or "Share your conversations."
- Toggle it off if you prefer not to contribute to model training, or on if you want to help improve the model.
This simple toggle lets you control whether your chats are used to train the model.
11. Upscale Images
ChatGPT can help you generate prompts for upscaling images—enhancing clarity, sharpening details, or adjusting contrast. Although ChatGPT itself does not process images directly, you can use its output in conjunction with third-party tools (such as Python's Pillow library or dedicated image enhancement APIs) to actually upscale an image.
For example, you might use a prompt like:
"Upscale this image: [insert image URL]. Sharpen the details and adjust the contrast for better clarity."
ChatGPT’s response can guide you in specifying exactly what adjustments to make. Then, you can pass that information to an image processing tool to perform the actual upscaling.
This technique is especially useful if you have a blurry or low-resolution image and need to enhance its details for presentations, reports, or creative projects.
12. Voice Mode
Voice mode lets you interact with ChatGPT using your voice for hands-free, natural conversation. It is currently available for most users on supported platforms; however, availability might differ by device or interface. (Check your ChatGPT app or web settings to confirm.)
Does it require ChatGPT Plus?
As of now, advanced voice is available to Plus, Pro, and Team users, and a monthly preview of advanced voice is available to Free users. Always check the latest updates from OpenAI for the most current information.
Would Voice Mode Be Useful in Translating?
Yes, voice mode can be very useful for translation tasks. You can speak your query in one language and, using additional translation prompts, have ChatGPT generate a response in another language. This makes it handy for quick, spoken translations and language practice.
Other Uses for Voice Mode:
- Multitasking: Take notes, dictate emails, or ask questions while driving or cooking.
- Language Practice: Improve pronunciation and fluency by conversing naturally with the chatbot.
- Accessibility: Provides an alternative input method for users who prefer speaking over typing.
- Hands-free Control: Ideal for situations where your hands are busy but you need quick access to information.
13. Advanced Reasoning
For complex problem-solving tasks, advanced reasoning prompts help the model analyze and generate detailed insights. Depending on your needs, you can choose from these models:
- o1: Provides in-depth advanced reasoning for detailed analysis.
- o3-mini: Delivers fast advanced reasoning, ideal when time is of the essence.
- o3-mini-high: Excels at coding and logical problem solving, making it great for technical tasks.
Choose the model that best matches your task: use o1 for thorough analysis, o3-mini for quick responses, or o3-mini-high when you need extra precision in coding and logic.
14. Projects & Consistent Context
Use projects to maintain consistent context across multiple chats. This feature helps organize related conversations.
15. Custom GPTs and Summon GPTs
Instead of building custom GPTs from scratch, explore public custom GPTs. You can summon them in any chat by typing the at sign (@) and selecting from the list.
16. Advanced Customization Prompts
This is an example prompt to keep responses simple and more human sounding:
When writing, follow these guidelines:
- Don't blab.
- Keep sentences brief and clear. Limit to 10–20 words.
- Use everyday words that are easy to understand.
- Pick common words over complex ones; use technical terms only when needed.
- Avoid words with 4+ syllables. If you must use them, keep surrounding text simple.
- Write for an 8th grade reading level.
- Skip overused business terms and jargon like: delve, digital age, cutting-edge, leverage, proactive, pivotal, seamless, fast-paced, game-changer, quest, realm, landscape, evolve, resilient, thrill, unravel, embark, world.
- Make direct statements without hedging.
- Connect ideas naturally without forced transitions.
- Use standard punctuation.
- Vary sentence structure and punctuation naturally.
- Never use: indeed, furthermore, thus, moreover, notwithstanding, ostensibly, consequently, specifically, notably, alternatively.
Example Prompts for Advanced Customization:
-
Email Drafting: "Write a concise email to a colleague explaining a project update. Follow the writing guidelines above and keep the message under 100 words."
-
Resume Improvement: "Revise the following resume bullet point using everyday language and an 8th grade reading level: 'Implemented synergistic methodologies to streamline cross-departmental communication.'"
-
Summary Creation: "Summarize a 300-word article in bullet points using clear, direct language that follows the above writing guidelines."
Use these examples as templates for crafting your own custom prompts. Adjust details as needed to suit your specific tasks.
This is an example of a prompt to generate a high level prompt using detailed instructions:
CONTEXT:
We are going to create one of the best ChatGPT prompts ever written. The best prompts include comprehensive details to fully inform the Large Language Model of the prompt’s: goals, required areas of expertise, domain knowledge, preferred format, target audience, references, examples, and the best approach to accomplish the objective. Based on this and the following information, you will be able to write this exceptional prompt.
ROLE:
You are an LLM prompt generation expert. You are known for creating extremely detailed prompts that result in LLM outputs far exceeding typical responses. Your prompts leave nothing to question because they are both highly thoughtful and extensive.
ACTION:
1) Before you begin writing this prompt, look to receive the prompt topic or theme. If I don't provide it, request it.
2) Once you are clear about the topic, review the Format and Example provided below.
3) If necessary, include “fill in the blank” elements for the user to populate based on their needs.
4) Take a deep breath and tackle it one step at a time.
5) Once you've absorbed all the information, write the best prompt ever created.
FORMAT:
For organizational purposes, you will use an acronym called "C.R.A.F.T." where each letter represents a section of the prompt:
Context: Outlines the situation and required expertise.
Role: Defines the expert level of the LLM (an industry-leading expert with over two decades of experience).
Action: A numbered list of sequential steps to maximize success.
Format: The structural arrangement (essay, table, plain text, markdown, summary, list, etc.) for the output.
Target Audience: The intended consumers of the output, including details like demographics and reading level.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
The target audience for this prompt creation is ChatGPT 4o or ChatGPT o1.