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How to use ChatGPT Projects

A ChatGPT project keeps the chats, files and instructions for one piece of ongoing work together, so you stop re-explaining the same background. Here's how to set one up properly and how to organize projects so they stay useful.

Updated 15 October 2026

These steps were checked against OpenAI's help pages in October 2026. Labels may differ slightly between the web and the mobile apps.

When a project is worth creating

Use a project for work you'll come back to: a long piece of writing, research over several weeks, a recurring report or an event you're planning. A quick one-off question is fine in a normal chat. If you're still choosing between assistants, our ChatGPT vs Claude Projects comparison covers the differences.

Step 1: Create the project

1. Sign in to ChatGPT. Projects need an account.
2. In the sidebar, select New project. (OpenAI's Academy guide describes the same thing as opening Projects in the left-hand menu and creating one there.)
3. Type a name, then pick an icon and a color so you can spot it in the sidebar.
4. If you're offered a memory choice, pick one now (see Step 5). You can change it later.

Step 2: Add files and sources

Upload the material you want ChatGPT to use in every chat: PDFs, spreadsheets, documents or images, or paste in text. You can open any file from the project's sources list later to preview, download or delete it.

You can upload at most 10 files at a time. If a new file has the same name as one already there, choose Upload anyway or Skip.

Two other kinds of source are worth knowing:

• App links. In a private project, use Add source in the sources area and paste a link to a Google Drive file or folder or a Slack channel. Connect the app if ChatGPT asks.
• Saved answers. When a project chat produces something you'll reuse, such as a summary or a decision, open that response's message menu and save it to the project's sources. OpenAI notes the label may vary.

Step 3: Write project instructions

1. Open the project and select the ••• menu.
2. Choose Project settings.
3. Write your instructions and save.

Project instructions only work inside their own project, and there they win over your general custom instructions. Write them like a short brief: who you are, what the project is for, and how answers should look. For example: "This project is my kitchen renovation. Budget is the main constraint. Give me options as short lists with rough costs, and ask before assuming measurements."

Step 4: Move existing chats in

1. Find the chat in your sidebar.
2. Drag it onto the project, or open the chat's menu and choose Move to project.
3. The chat now follows the project's instructions and can use its files.

A chat that began with a custom GPT can't be moved into a project. If Move to project doesn't appear, start a fresh chat inside the project instead. To take a chat back out, choose Remove from project from its ••• menu where offered.

Step 5: Choose a memory setting

Each project uses either Default memory or Project-only memory. To change it, open the project, go to ••• → Project settings, pick one under Memory and select Save. It can take a few hours to apply.

• Project-only memory walls the project off. Its chats can use each other, but not your saved memories or chats elsewhere, and nothing outside can reach in. It suits client work or anything you want kept separate.
• Default memory uses your saved memories too. On plans other than Enterprise and Edu (Business included), project chats can also draw on chats outside the project, unless that other project is set to project-only. On Enterprise and Edu, chats stay contained within the project either way.

Shared projects always use project-only memory. For more on managing memory generally, see our guide to ChatGPT memory settings.

Good ways to structure your projects

• One project per ongoing goal. "Spring product launch" gives ChatGPT a clearer frame than a broad bucket like "Work".
• Use projects for repeat jobs. A weekly report or newsletter project means each new chat starts with the same files and rules.
• Treat files as reference, not storage. Add finished briefs, style guides and data. Clear out outdated drafts so the project reflects where the work stands now, which matters most on plans with tight file limits.
• Save decisions back as sources. When a chat settles something, save that answer to the project so later chats build on it.
• Split when it gets crowded. If you hit the file limit, OpenAI suggests removing old uploads, combining files or splitting the work into several projects.

For tidying the rest of your history, see how to organize ChatGPT conversations.

Good to know

• No project limit. You can create as many projects as you like.
• The usual tools work. Canvas, image generation, voice and web search all work in projects, and paid plans may add tools such as deep research or agent mode. Study mode doesn't apply to project chats.
• Sharing is widely available. It works on Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu. Select Share to invite people with chat or edit access. Free accounts can add 5 collaborators, Go and Plus 10, and Pro 100; a Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace project allows up to 100.
• Deleting a project is permanent. ••• → Delete project removes its chats, instructions and files stored only in the project. Files saved separately in Library stay.
• Training settings still apply. On personal plans, project content may be used to improve models if Improve the model for everyone is on. Business, Enterprise and Edu content isn't used by default.

If it doesn't work

• No Move to project option. The chat may have been started with a GPT, or isn't eligible. Start a new chat in the project.
• Uploads are refused. Check whether the project is already at your plan's file limit, or whether you're adding more than 10 files at once.
• Project-only memory is missing. On Business or Enterprise, memory must be enabled for both your workspace and your account. On other plans, turn on Reference saved memories and Reference chat history in personal settings.
• Google Drive files aren't preloaded. When you use the Google Drive app inside a project, its content isn't synced ahead of time. ChatGPT can still search and open your Drive files when you ask.

Tracking what the project produces

A project keeps ChatGPT's context together, but not your to-do list. If its answers turn into work you have to finish, Workbranch is a separate AI workspace (answers come from Google Gemini) with color-coded folders, a point-by-point checklist with progress, and due dates with reminders. It has a 3-day free trial.

Sources

• Projects in ChatGPT (OpenAI Help Center, checked 15 October 2026)
• Using projects in ChatGPT (OpenAI Academy, checked 15 October 2026)
• Finding your chats, projects, and files in ChatGPT (OpenAI Help Center, checked 15 October 2026)
• Memory in ChatGPT (OpenAI Help Center, checked 15 October 2026)

Frequently asked questions