How ChatGPT Projects keep your context

A Project in ChatGPT keeps related chats, files and instructions together, so ChatGPT can use the same background every time you come back to a piece of work. Here's what goes in a project, how project instructions and project memory work, the limits by plan, and where a personal context file fits, based on OpenAI's own help pages.

Projects are available to signed-in users, depending on plan and workspace settings, and are included at no extra cost. Menus change often, so treat setting names as signposts.

Set up a project

Select New project in the sidebar, give it a name, and pick an icon and color.
Add files: upload PDFs, spreadsheets, docs or images, or paste text. ChatGPT uses them as reference for chats in the project.
Add instructions: open the more options menu (•••), then Project settings. OpenAI's example: "Act like my marketing mentor. Be concise. Use bullet points. Ask clarifying questions."
Start chats inside the project, or move an existing chat in by dragging it onto the project or choosing Move to project from the chat's menu. A moved chat picks up the project's instructions and files. Chats started with a GPT can't be moved in.

Project instructions replace your custom instructions

OpenAI says project instructions apply only within that project and override your global custom instructions. So if your custom instructions say who you are and how you like answers, a project won't automatically carry that. Put the key lines in the project's instructions too, or upload your context file as a project file.

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Default memory vs project-only memory

Each project has a memory setting. You can choose it when you create the project and change it later in Project settings, under Memory. OpenAI says the change can take a few hours to take effect, and there's no single setting that switches every project at once.

Default memory: your saved memories are used, and chats can draw on other conversations in the same project. On most plans, including Business, project chats can also reference chats outside the project (and be referenced by them), unless that other project is project-only. On Enterprise and Edu, chats stay contained in the project.
Project-only memory: your saved memories aren't used in the project, chats can reference only other chats in the same project, and chats outside can't see in. Switching a project to project-only removes that project's information from the memory used elsewhere.

Project-only memory still needs memory turned on: if your settings show Enable memory, turn it on, or turn on Reference saved memories and Reference chat history. Shared projects always use project-only memory, so they never see a member's personal memories or custom instructions.

Unlike personal memory, project memory doesn't show a list you can review. To stop ChatGPT from using a particular chat, delete it or, if the memory setting allows, move it to another project.

Limits by plan

You can create as many projects as you like. File limits per project, from OpenAI's help page:

Free: 5 files
Go and Plus: 25 files
Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu: 40 files

You can upload up to 10 files at the same time. If you hit the limit, OpenAI suggests removing older uploads, combining files, or splitting the work into more projects.

Things to know before you rely on a project

Temporary chats can't go in a project. Saving one turns it into a regular chat first.
Deleting a project is permanent. It removes the project's chats, instructions and files stored only in the project. Files saved separately in Library stay.
Shared projects show everything to members. Members can see and download the project's files, so keep anything private out of a shared project.
Projects aren't GPTs. OpenAI describes a GPT as a custom version of ChatGPT for reusable knowledge, and a project as a workspace for ongoing work that grows with your chats and files.

Where your context file goes

A personal context file is a short document about you that you write once and control. Use it two ways in ChatGPT: paste the short version into your global custom instructions for everyday chats, and upload the full version as a file (or paste the key lines into the instructions) in each project where you want ChatGPT to know who you are. The same file works in Claude, Gemini and Grok if you switch. See the ChatGPT setup guide for where custom instructions live and their character limits. In any new chat, you can also paste this line with your file underneath:

Here is my personal context file. Read it and use it for everything in this chat. You don't need to summarize it back to me. Just reply "Got it" and wait for my first request.

[paste your context file here]

Source: OpenAI Help Center, Projects in ChatGPT (including its Memory in projects and Plans and limits sections).

Related guides

More guides on how AI assistants remember you:

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