Let it ask you first
For anything important, end with this line.
"Ask me 3 questions before you start."
Guide 1 · ChatGPT
ChatGPT, set up safely and used well
A one-page starter for first-time users. Nine setup steps, a map of where everything sits on desktop and phone, a simple way to ask better questions, and the tips most people learn too late.
Level EntryTime about 9 minWorks on Web · Windows · Mac · iPhone · AndroidLast checked 12 Oct 2026
Download the printable PDFThe screen, mapped
- 1.Sidebar. New chat, Search chats and your past chats. On a phone, tap the menu icon (two lines) at top left.
- 2.Your name or picture. Opens your account menu, then choose Settings. On a phone, open the sidebar and tap your profile picture.
- 3.Model picker. The ChatGPT name at the top left. Free accounts use a default model; for a harder question, tap the plus button and choose Think.
- 4.Temporary chat. The dashed-circle icon at top right. Not saved to history, not used for training.
- 5.Plus button. Add a photo, file or PDF, or turn on tools such as web search.
- 6.Microphone. Dictate instead of typing. Very handy on a phone.
Nine steps before your first real question
0 of 9 done
- 01Install
- Desktop
- Go to chatgpt.com. Type it yourself rather than clicking ads.
- Phone
- App Store or Google Play. The publisher must read OpenAI.
Copycat apps with similar names and icons exist and some charge fees. Check the publisher before you install.
- 02Account
- Both
- Sign up with email, or with your Google, Apple or Microsoft account.
The free plan is enough to learn on. Use a personal email for personal use. For work, ask your employer first; they may already provide an approved version.
- 03Security
- Desktop
- Your name › Settings › Security › Multi-factor authentication
- Phone
- Set it up on the web at chatgpt.com. It protects your account on every device.
Choose an authenticator app or a passkey if offered. Your chats can hold personal details, so protect the account like your email.
- 04Privacy
- Desktop
- Settings › Data controls › Improve the model for everyone
- Phone
- Sidebar › your profile picture › Data controls
Switch it off if you would rather your conversations are not used to improve OpenAI's models. Your chats still save to your history either way.
- 05Personalise
- Desktop
- Settings › Personalization › Custom instructions. Make sure Enable customization is on.
- Phone
- Sidebar › your profile picture › Personalization
Add your role, your country and how you like answers. Example: "I'm a practice manager in Australia. Use Australian English. Keep answers short and plain, with steps where useful." It applies to every new chat.
- 06Memory
- Desktop
- Settings › Personalization › Memory
- In chat
- Ask "What do you remember about me?" Say "Forget that" to remove something.
Memory makes answers more personal over time. Review it now and then, and delete anything you would not want kept. Deleting a memory does not remove it from past chats, so delete those chats too if needed.
- 07Privacy
- Both
- Open a new chat, select Temporary, then choose Personalized or Unpersonalized before you send your first message. Unpersonalized ignores your memory and custom instructions.
- Keyboard
- Ctrl Shift N (Mac Cmd Shift N) in the desktop app
It stays out of your history, does not update memory and is not used for training. OpenAI may still keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety checks.
- 08Habit
- Both
- See the list at the end of this sheet. Remove names and numbers before you paste, or describe the situation instead.
Treat anything you type as something that could be stored. Privacy settings reduce risk; they do not remove it.
- 09Plans
- Both
- Plans include Free, Go, Plus and Pro. Compare current prices at chatgpt.com/pricing.
Free includes everyday text chats. Uploads, images, voice and other tools have tighter limits, so upgrade only if you keep hitting them. Plans bought on chatgpt.com are charged in Australian dollars. Free and Go accounts may see ads; you can turn off ad personalisation in Settings › Ads controls.
The three-part question
Who it's for
Your role, the reader, the situation.
What you need
The task, plus the facts it needs to do it well.
How you want it
Length, format, tone, Australian English.
Weak prompt
write an email about the roster change
Strong prompt
I manage a team of 9 at a café in Brisbane. Write an email telling staff the weekend roster moves from fortnightly to weekly from 1 November, and that swaps now go through me. Friendly, under 120 words, Australian English, with a clear subject line.
Nine habits that make it far more useful
Reply, don't restart
Keep shaping the same answer in the same chat.
"Shorter." "Plainer." "Make it a table."
Ask for options
Choosing between drafts is faster than fixing one.
"Give me 3 versions: formal, warm, brief."
Show it, don't describe it
Use the plus button to add a photo, screenshot or PDF.
"Summarise this letter in 5 dot points."
Get current information
Ask it to search the web when facts may have changed.
"Search the web and give me the sources."
Check the facts
It can sound sure and still be wrong. Verify names, numbers, laws and dates.
"Which parts of this should I double-check?"
One topic per chat
Long mixed chats get muddled. Start fresh for a new job.
New chat: Ctrl Shift O
Talk on the go
On a phone, tap the voice button and speak naturally. Good for planning while walking.
"Help me plan tomorrow. I'll talk, you list."
Make it teach you
Use it to learn, not only to produce.
"Explain it simply, then quiz me."
Shortcuts and safety
From OpenAI's published shortcut list. Some shortcuts differ between the browser and the desktop app. Press Ctrl / (Mac Cmd /) inside ChatGPT to see the current list for your version.
| Do this | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Show all shortcuts | Ctrl / | Cmd / |
| New chat | Ctrl Shift O | Cmd Shift O |
| New temporary chat (desktop app) | Ctrl Shift N | Cmd Shift N |
| Open Settings | Ctrl , | Cmd , |
| Open the model picker | Ctrl Shift M | Ctrl Shift M |
| Search your chats (browser) | Ctrl K | Cmd K |
| Show or hide the sidebar | Ctrl Shift S | Cmd Shift S |
Never paste
- Passwords, PINs or sign-in codes
- Tax file number, Medicare, licence or passport numbers
- Bank or card details
- Other people's health, legal or personal records
- Confidential work material your employer has not cleared
Good first uses
- Rewrite an email so it is clearer or kinder
- Summarise a long document or letter
- Plan a week of meals from what is in the fridge
- Explain a bill, policy or form in plain English
- Practise for a job interview
Next Move
Your next step
Related on ApplyAI
Common questions
Open your name, then Settings, Data controls, and switch off Improve the model for everyone. On a phone it is under your profile picture, then Data controls. Your chats still save to your history either way.
Yes. The Free plan covers everyday text chats, with tighter limits on uploads, images, voice and other tools. Paid plans are Go, Plus and Pro, charged in Australian dollars on chatgpt.com, and Free and Go accounts may see ads.
A temporary chat stays out of your history, does not update memory and is not used for training. OpenAI may still keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety checks. Start one from a new chat by selecting Temporary, or press Ctrl Shift N in the desktop app.
Go to Settings, Personalization, Memory, or ask ChatGPT what it remembers about you in a chat. Say Forget that to remove something, and delete the chat as well if you want it gone from history.
Open your name, Settings, Security, then Multi-factor authentication, and choose an authenticator app or a passkey if offered. Set it up on the web at chatgpt.com and it protects every device.
Settings, Personalization, Custom instructions, with Enable customization switched on. Add your role, your country and how you like answers, and it applies to every new chat.
Sources
- OpenAI: Data controls in ChatGPT
- OpenAI: Enabling multi-factor authentication
- OpenAI: ChatGPT custom instructions
- OpenAI: Memory FAQ
- OpenAI: Temporary chat
- OpenAI: Finding your chats, projects and files
- OpenAI: ChatGPT Free tier FAQ
- OpenAI: Multi-currency billing
- OpenAI: Ads in ChatGPT
- OpenAI: Downloading the iOS app
- OpenAI: Desktop app keyboard shortcuts
General information only, checked on the date shown and provided free of charge. These apps change their settings and menus often, so confirm every step against the app in front of you. Nothing here is legal, financial, security or privacy advice, and you use it at your own risk. To the extent permitted by law, AJILITY PTY LTD (trading as Apply AI Co and Adopt AI Co) excludes all liability for any loss arising from reliance on this guide. Our Terms apply.
ApplyAI is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI. ChatGPT is a trademark of OpenAI. Screen drawings are our own simplified illustrations, not screenshots.