I changed ChatGPT's personality and it's 10x more useful now — here's how to do it
ChatGPT can act like different assistants — here’s how to use each one
ChatGPT has a default conversational style that isn't for everyone. Maybe you find it too casual when you're trying to get work done, or too formal when you just want quick answers to everyday questions. You might wish it would skip the explanations and get straight to the point, or maybe you'd prefer responses with more personality and humor. Thanks to the lastest update, you can now do something about it.
Whatever your chat preference, you can customize your assistant by choosing from eight preset personalities ranging from Professional to Cynical. You can also write custom instructions that tell the AI assistant exactly how you want it to respond.
Both methods are straightforward to set up and apply automatically to all your future conversations. Here's two ways to customize ChatGPT's personality.
The 8 ChatGPT assistants you can choose from
ChatGPT offers eight preset personalities, each designed for different situations and preferences. Each personality changes how ChatGPT communicates without affecting the accuracy of information it provides.
Professional: Makes responses more formal and business-appropriate, ideal for work emails, reports, or professional correspondence.
Friendly: Adds warmth and casual language, making interactions feel more like chatting with a knowledgeable friend.
Candid: Gives you straightforward, no-nonsense answers without sugarcoating or excessive politeness.
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Quirky: Injects personality, humor, and creative flair into responses, making interactions more entertaining.
Efficient: Strips away extra explanations and gives you concise, direct answers when you're in a hurry.
Nerdy:Embraces technical detail and enthusiastic explanations, perfect for diving deep into complex topics.
Cynical: Adds a skeptical, sarcastic edge that questions assumptions and offers critical perspectives.
How to use different assistants in -GPT 5
1. Choose from preset personality options
The quickest way to change how ChatGPT talks is by selecting one of the predefined personality presets. Click your profile icon in the bottom left corner, then select Personalization from the menu.
Look for the dropdown labeled "Base style and tone" and you'll see options including Default, Professional, Friendly, Candid, Quirky, Efficient, Nerdy, and Cynical. Each preset adjusts ChatGPT's tone, word choice, and overall vibe without changing the accuracy of information it provides.
Select whichever personality fits what you're working on, and you'll see a green pop up at the top of the screen confirming your changes. ChatGPT will use that tone in all future conversations until you change it again.
2. Use custom instructions for more control
If the preset options don't quite match what you want, custom instructions let you describe exactly how ChatGPT should respond. Just under the "Base style and tone" section you'll see a text field called "Custom instructions".
You can provide context about yourself like what you typically use ChatGPT for as well as describing your preferred response style by specifying tone, length, format, and any other preferences you might have.
For example, you might write "Be conversational but skip small talk. Keep answers under 3 paragraphs unless I ask for more detail. Use examples when explaining concepts."
Once filled out, click save and ChatGPT will apply these instructions to every new conversation.
3. Combine both personalization methods
You can use preset personalities and custom instructions together for even more tailored responses. Start by selecting a preset personality that gets you close to what you want, then add custom instructions to fine-tune specific aspects.
For instance, you might choose the Professional preset but add custom instructions like "Avoid corporate jargon and explain technical concepts simply." The preset handles the overall tone while your custom instructions address specific preferences the presets don't cover.
Combining gives you ChatGPT responses that feel natural and match your exact needs. Remember that you can change your preset personality anytime without losing your custom instructions, so experiment with different combinations until you find what works best.
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Kaycee is Tom's Guide's How-To Editor, known for tutorials that skip the fluff and get straight to what works. She writes across AI, homes, phones, and everything in between — because life doesn't stick to categories and neither should good advice. With years of experience in tech and content creation, she's built her reputation on turning complicated subjects into straightforward solutions. Kaycee is also an award-winning poet and co-editor at Fox and Star Books. Her debut collection is published by Bloodaxe, with a second book in the works.
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