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ChatGPT separates personalization, memory, model-improvement, chat-history, and Temporary Chat controls. To change them, open Settings: use Personalization for Custom Instructions and Memory, Data controls for Improve the model for everyone, and start a new chat with Temporary for a conversation that is not saved in history. Labels and availability can differ by plan, region, platform, and managed workspace, so use the options visible in your account.
What each ChatGPT control changes
These settings solve different problems. Changing one does not automatically change the others.
| Control | Where to find it | What it changes | What it does not change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Instructions | Settings > Personalization on web and desktop; Settings > Customize ChatGPT on mobile | Standing instructions about how ChatGPT should respond in future conversations | It does not erase previous chats or separately saved memories |
| Memory | Settings > Personalization > Memory | Whether ChatGPT can save and reference information for personalization | Turning it off does not delete chats or memories that were already saved |
| Improve the model for everyone | Settings > Data controls | Whether eligible new conversations from a personal account may be used to improve OpenAI models | It does not remove conversations from your history |
| Temporary Chat | New-chat screen | Per-conversation handling: no history entry and no memory creation while the chat remains temporary | It is not an instant deletion mechanism; a safety copy may be retained for up to 30 days |
The official Data controls in ChatGPT and Memory in ChatGPT guides describe these controls as separate. A regular chat follows your account and workspace settings; a Temporary Chat has its own privacy behavior.
Change or disable Custom Instructions
Custom Instructions are text you provide so ChatGPT can tailor replies, such as your preferred tone, level of detail, job context, or formatting requirements. They are account-level instructions, not a transcript of what ChatGPT has learned from individual chats.
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On the web or desktop app
- Open ChatGPT and select your account menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Open Personalization, then Custom Instructions.
- Edit either instruction field, or switch Enable customization off.
- Close the settings panel. Changes are applied to future conversations.
On iPhone or Android
- Open the ChatGPT app and open the sidebar.
- Tap your profile icon, then Settings.
- Tap Customize ChatGPT.
- Edit the instructions or turn Enable customization off.
Mobile labels may differ from the web label because the mobile path is currently called Customize ChatGPT. The ChatGPT Custom Instructions guidance confirms that disabling customization stops the instructions from being applied to new conversations.
Remove the text completely
Turning the toggle off prevents future use, but the text can remain in the fields. Delete the text if you no longer want it stored in your settings. If you need to remove the effect from an old conversation, deleting or changing Custom Instructions does not rewrite that conversation; clear the relevant historical chat instead.
When the change takes effect
Updates apply immediately to the account, but a conversation that is already underway may continue using the context it received when it started. Begin a new chat to test the revised instructions. Custom Instructions do not control whether a chat appears in history or whether eligible content can be used for model improvement; those are separate settings.
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Memory is ChatGPT’s saved personalization layer. It can retain useful facts you have shared and use them in later conversations when the relevant memory controls are enabled. Memory is different from chat history: a saved memory can remain even after the conversation that suggested it has been deleted.
Open the Memory controls
- Open the account menu or profile icon.
- Choose Settings.
- Open Personalization, then Memory.
Depending on your account and rollout, the page can show some or all of these controls: Memory, Reference saved memories, Reference chat history, a Memory summary, Manage, or Saved memories. If a label in the instructions below is not visible, use the closest available option in your account. OpenAI documents the current variations in its Memory in ChatGPT article.
Turn Memory off
Switch the main Memory control off, or disable the specific reference options shown on your account. This prevents the corresponding personalization behavior going forward. It does not delete existing saved memories, past chats, uploaded files, or data held by a connected application.
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Inspect and edit saved information
Choose Manage or Saved memories to review what ChatGPT has stored. Where the controls are offered, open an item to correct it or delete it. You can also ask ChatGPT to forget a particular fact; if your account shows Don’t mention this again, that instruction changes future personalization but is not the same as deleting the underlying saved information.
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For a fact to stop being available, remove the saved memory itself. Then find and delete the conversation, file, or connected-app source that contained the information if you also want the source removed. Deleting only the chat may leave a separately saved memory, while turning Memory off leaves both the chat and the saved item in place.
Memory and privacy limits
Disabling Memory or other personalization features does not disable every limited safety or security use of context. OpenAI notes that context can still be used in rare, high-risk situations for those purposes. This is separate from the preference that controls model improvement.
Stop eligible conversations from improving models
The Improve the model for everyone switch controls whether new conversations from a personal account are eligible for use in improving OpenAI models. It is not a memory switch and not a history-deletion switch.
Web and desktop path
- Open the account menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Select Data controls.
- Turn Improve the model for everyone off.
- Select Done if ChatGPT asks you to confirm.
iPhone and Android path
- Open the sidebar.
- Tap your profile icon.
- Tap Settings, then Data controls.
- Switch Improve the model for everyone off.
For a signed-in account, this preference applies across the devices where you use that account. OpenAI’s wording is explicit: “When Improve the model for everyone is off, your new conversations won’t be used to train OpenAI models.” Existing chats remain in your history unless you delete them. The full navigation and account caveats are in Data controls in ChatGPT.
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What this switch does not do
- It does not turn off Custom Instructions.
- It does not turn off Memory or remove saved memories.
- It does not hide or delete conversations already listed in history.
- It does not change the privacy policy of a third party that receives data through a GPT action or connected service.
If the switch is unavailable or locked, your account may be governed by a workspace policy rather than an individual preference.
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Use Temporary Chat for a single conversation
Temporary Chat is a per-conversation choice made before the first message. It is useful when you do not want the conversation in your history or want to prevent it from creating or updating memories while it remains temporary.
Start a Temporary Chat
- Start a new conversation.
- Select Temporary in the new-chat interface.
- Choose Personalized or Unpersonalized.
- Send the first message only after confirming the choice.
The choice cannot be changed after the conversation starts. If you need the other behavior, begin another new Temporary Chat and select the appropriate option first.
Personalized versus Unpersonalized
| Temporary Chat choice | Uses existing Memory or Custom Instructions? | Creates or updates Memory? | Appears in history? | Used for model improvement while temporary? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personalized | Yes; it can use existing memories, Custom Instructions, and plugins | No | No, unless you save the conversation | No |
| Unpersonalized | No; it does not use Memory, Custom Instructions, or plugins | No | No, unless you save the conversation | No |
Both choices are temporary, but they solve different needs. Choose Personalized when you want your usual preferences without creating a new memory. Choose Unpersonalized when you want the conversation to start without account personalization.
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Retention and saving caveats
Temporary chats do not appear in your normal history and are not used to improve models while they remain temporary. OpenAI’s Temporary Chat FAQ says a safety copy may be kept for up to 30 days. That is a retention limit for safety review, not immediate erasure.
If you save a Temporary Chat, it becomes a regular chat. From that point, it is governed by your account’s personalization and model-improvement settings and can appear in history. A GPT action can also send information to an outside recipient; that recipient’s privacy policy controls how the data is handled and how long it may be retained.
Choose the right combination for your situation
You want better answers but no long-term personalization
Leave Custom Instructions and Memory off, then use a Temporary Chat > Personalized session when you need a one-time conversation that can still use existing account preferences. Because a Temporary Chat cannot create a memory, it will not add new facts from that exchange.
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You want no account personalization in one sensitive session
Start Temporary Chat > Unpersonalized before sending anything. This prevents that session from using Memory, Custom Instructions, or plugins. It still does not guarantee that an external GPT action will keep no copy; check the recipient’s policy before sharing sensitive information.
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Turn off Improve the model for everyone in Settings > Data controls. Continue using regular chats if you need them in history. This setting does not require you to disable Memory or Custom Instructions.
You want to remove a personal fact ChatGPT already remembers
Open Settings > Personalization > Memory, use Manage or Saved memories to delete the item, and remove the source chat, file, or connected-app record if appropriate. Turning Memory off alone is insufficient for deletion.
You want a clean slate for a project but still need a transcript
Use an Unpersonalized Temporary Chat while working, then copy only the material you intentionally need into a regular conversation. Saving the Temporary Chat changes its status to a regular chat, so do not save it if you require temporary handling.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Personal accounts, managed workspaces, and regional differences
The exact controls shown to you can depend on your plan, country or region, app version, and whether you are signed in through an organization. Business, Enterprise, Edu, and Healthcare workspace content is excluded from model training by default, and the API Platform is also excluded by default; an organization can still impose additional retention and access rules. OpenAI describes these distinctions in How OpenAI handles data in consumer services.
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Troubleshoot missing or ineffective settings
The menu name is different
Check both the platform and account type. On desktop, Custom Instructions are under Personalization; on mobile they may be under Customize ChatGPT. Memory options can be split into several switches instead of one page. The interface is subject to staged rollouts, so follow the labels visible in your account rather than an older screenshot.
A new response still follows an old instruction
Confirm that Enable customization is off or that the text was deleted, then start a new conversation. A conversation already in progress can retain context from when it began, and old chats are not rewritten when settings change.
Deleting a chat did not remove a remembered fact
Open the Memory management screen and delete the saved item separately. If the fact came from a file or connected application, remove it at that source as well. Chat history and saved Memory are separate stores.
The model-improvement switch is missing
Check whether you are in a managed workspace. Organization policies can control the setting, and eligible workspace content may already be excluded by default. If you are using a personal account, verify that you opened Settings > Data controls, not Personalization.
A Temporary Chat appears to have personalization
Review whether you selected Personalized. That option intentionally allows existing Memory, Custom Instructions, and plugins. Start a new Temporary Chat and choose Unpersonalized before the first message if you do not want those sources used.
You cannot find a Temporary Chat after closing it
That is expected when it remains temporary: it does not appear in normal history. If you saved it, it was converted to a regular chat and should be governed by the usual history and account settings.
Verify your settings with a short checklist
- For Custom Instructions, check Settings > Personalization on desktop or Settings > Customize ChatGPT on mobile.
- For Memory, review both the master switch and any separate saved-memory or chat-history reference switches shown.
- For model improvement, verify Settings > Data controls > Improve the model for everyone.
- For a one-off private session, choose Temporary, then select Personalized or Unpersonalized before sending the first message.
- Remember that turning off a feature is not the same as deleting stored chats, saved memories, files, or third-party copies.
Keeping these controls separate lets you decide precisely whether ChatGPT should remember information, use your standing instructions, retain a transcript, or allow eligible new conversations to improve models.
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