Hidden Features

Projects

Group chats and files under shared context.

Knowledge cards
Knowledge card
Group Related Work Under One Project
A Project is a container that gives a set of chats [shared instructions](/ai-hub/chatgpt/basics/custom-instructions/) and shared files, so every conversation inside it starts with the same context.
L2 · Context engineering
Mistake
One Project Per Outcome, Not One Giant Catch-All
An organising rule: create a separate Project per distinct outcome or client, rather than dumping everything into one catch-all Project whose mixed context dilutes every answer. When a Project's setup stabilises into something you reuse constantly, promote it to a [custom GPT](/ai-hub/chatgpt/workflows/custom-gpts/).
L2 · Context engineering
Knowledge card
Put Reference Files in the Project, Not Every Prompt
A setup habit: upload the documents a body of work depends on — specs, guidelines, data — into the Project itself, so every chat inside it can draw on them without you re-pasting. The same files-as-knowledge idea powers a [custom GPT](/ai-hub/chatgpt/workflows/custom-gpts/).
L2 · Context engineering
Best practice
Set Project Instructions for a Consistent Voice
Using per-Project instructions to set the voice, format, and rules for one body of work — so every chat in that Project follows them, without those rules leaking into unrelated work.
L2 · Context engineering
ChatGPT Projects

One home for related work

Projects group related chats and files under a single shared context. Instead of a long piece of work scattering across a dozen separate conversations you can never find again, everything lives in one place with instructions and reference files that apply to every chat inside it. It is the difference between a tidy folder and a pile of loose threads. For anything that spans more than a single sitting — a report, a launch, an ongoing client — Projects keep the context coherent.

Set the shared context once

The value of a Project comes from its shared instructions and files. Put the background, the goal, and the reference material at the Project level, and every chat within it starts already informed — you stop re-pasting the same context into each new conversation. Use separate chats inside the Project for separate tasks or angles, while they all draw on the same foundation. It is custom instructions and Memory, but scoped to one body of work rather than everything you do.

Frequently asked
What are ChatGPT Projects?

Projects group related chats and files under one shared context with its own instructions and reference material, so a long body of work stays in one place instead of scattering across separate conversations.

When should I use a Project?

For any work that spans more than a single sitting — a report, a launch, an ongoing client. The shared context keeps every chat inside it informed without re-pasting background.

How are Projects different from custom instructions?

Custom instructions apply to everything you do; a Project's instructions and files apply only within that Project. Projects scope shared context to one body of work rather than globally.