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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteCustom Instructions are directions you write for ChatGPT; Memory provides context from prior interactions and other available sources when relevant. Both can personalize answers, but they work differently and have separate controls. Use Custom Instructions to state preferences directly; use Memory for continuity that develops over time. Neither guarantees that every detail will be used or remembered.
How Memory and Custom Instructions differ
| Setting | What it does | How information gets there | How it changes or persists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Instructions | Provides guidance about what ChatGPT should know or how it should respond. | You enter the directions directly. | You can edit or disable them. OpenAI says changes apply immediately across chats, though earlier conversations may still show earlier versions in their history. OpenAI’s Custom Instructions guidance describes the feature. |
| Saved memories | Keeps details that can inform future responses. | You can ask ChatGPT to remember something, or ChatGPT may save useful context when the feature is available. | Saved separately from chat history. Deleting the chat where a memory originated does not by itself delete that memory. Where controls are available, you can review, correct, or delete saved memories. See OpenAI’s Memory guidance. |
| Reference chat history | Allows ChatGPT to use relevant information from past conversations to personalize future responses. | Context is drawn from prior chats rather than being entered as a standalone instruction. | What is useful to remember can change. Turning this control off schedules information remembered from past chats for deletion within 30 days; the original chats remain unless separately deleted. This does not delete saved memories. See OpenAI’s Memory guidance. |
Memory may draw on saved memories, chat history, files in Library, Custom Instructions, and connected-app content, depending on your account and settings. ChatGPT does not retain every detail or consult every available item for every response; it decides what context is relevant. Custom Instructions are explicit guidance, while Memory is a broader way for relevant context to carry across interactions.
Which setting should you use?
Use Custom Instructions for preferences you want to state plainly
Put stable, direct guidance here—for example, that you prefer concise answers, want technical terms explained, or need responses formatted as checklists. This is the clearest route when you know what you want ChatGPT to do. It is not a guarantee that every instruction will be followed in every situation.
Use Memory for context that should carry forward
Memory is suited to relevant details that develop through use, such as context from earlier conversations. You do not have to turn every detail into a written instruction, but ChatGPT may not retain or use everything you discuss. OpenAI describes Memory as context for personalization, not a complete record of every conversation.
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Use both when both kinds of personalization help
The settings are not substitutes: an explicit response preference can live in Custom Instructions, while relevant context from past interactions can inform Memory. Both may contribute to an answer. If you want information removed, identify which setting or source contains it rather than assuming one control clears everything.
Where to find the settings
Memory
OpenAI’s help article directs users to Settings > Personalization > Memory. Depending on your account’s Memory experience, controls may include Memory, Reference saved memories, Reference chat history, Memory summary, Manage, or Saved memories.
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Custom Instructions
On web and desktop, OpenAI describes the path as Settings > Personalization. On iOS and Android, it describes Settings > Customize ChatGPT. From there, enable customization and enter your instructions, or disable customization; you can also delete the text in the fields.
Controls and paths can vary by plan, region, platform, and workspace, so a label or option shown in OpenAI’s documentation may not appear identically in your account. OpenAI’s Custom Instructions article currently lists a limit of 1,500 characters for Free and Go users and 5,000 characters for Plus, Pro, Enterprise, Business, and Education users. These are published limits and may change. See the Custom Instructions help article.
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What turning settings off does—and does not do
- Turning off Memory does not delete past chats. If Memory is turned on again later, ChatGPT may create new remembered information from chats that remain in history.
- Turning off Reference chat history is not the same as deleting chats. Information remembered from past chats is scheduled for deletion within 30 days, but the original conversations remain unless you delete them separately. Saved memories are not removed by turning off this control.
- Deleting a chat alone may leave a saved memory intact. To remove information saved as a memory, OpenAI says to delete the saved memory and the chat where it was first shared, and to remove it from other relevant sources, such as other chats, Library files, or connected apps.
- Deleted-memory logs may remain temporarily. OpenAI says logs of deleted saved memories may be retained for up to 30 days for safety and debugging.
- Turning off personalization is not a promise that context is never used. OpenAI says limited safety and security uses of context may still occur in rare, high-risk situations.
For the applicable Memory controls and deletion details, consult OpenAI’s Memory in ChatGPT article.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to use Temporary Chat
Temporary Chat is a per-conversation choice. Before a Temporary Chat begins, you can choose whether existing Memory and Custom Instructions apply. Temporary Chats do not create or update memories, even when personalization is on. If you want to control whether existing personalization applies, make that choice before starting the conversation. OpenAI explains the behavior in its Memory help article.
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