# How to use ChatGPT Projects to keep chats and files together > Learn how to use ChatGPT Projects: create one, add files and instructions, move old chats in, and choose a memory setting. Includes file limits by plan. https://www.kortex-notebooklm.com/tutorials/how-to-use-chatgpt-projects 1. [Tutorials](/tutorials) 2. How to use ChatGPT Projects to keep chats and files together # How to use ChatGPT Projects to keep chats and files together 5 minutes 7 steps Updated November 10, 2026 ## Quick answer Select New project in the ChatGPT sidebar and name it. Add files, then open the ••• menu, select Project settings, and add instructions. Start new chats inside the project, or drag old chats onto it. Every chat in the project can use the same files and instructions. ## Watch it first How to use ChatGPT Projects to keep chats and files together Read the transcript ChatGPT Projects keep related chats, files and instructions together. Here's how to set one up. Select New project in the sidebar. Enter a name, then pick an icon and a color. Use one project per ongoing job, like a class or a trip. Add reference files, such as PDFs, spreadsheets, docs, images or pasted text. Every chat in the project can use them. To add instructions, select the more options menu, then Project settings. For example: Act like my marketing mentor. Be concise. Use bullet points. They apply only inside the project, and override your custom instructions. Start new chats inside the project. To bring an old chat in, drag it onto the project, or open its menu and select Move to project. In Project settings, under Memory, pick Default memory or Project-only memory, then select Save. With project-only memory, chats can't use conversations outside the project. A ChatGPT project holds only ChatGPT chats. Kortex Library folders can hold chats from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Grok. Drag a chat onto a folder, or use Add to folder in its menu. One job, one project. Full steps and fixes are on our tutorial page. ## What you need - A ChatGPT account, signed in at chatgpt.com. Projects are available to signed-in users, subject to plan and workspace settings. - Some related work: a school course, a job task or an event plan ## On this page 1. [Create a project](#step-1) 2. [Add files](#step-2) 3. [Add project instructions](#step-3) 4. [Start chats inside the project](#step-4) 5. [Move an old chat into the project](#step-5) 6. [Choose a memory setting](#step-6) 7. [Optional: keep chats from other AIs together too](#step-7) 8. [If it doesn’t work](#trouble) 9. [Questions](#faq) 1. ## Create a project Select **New project** in the sidebar. Enter a project name, then pick an icon and a color. Good projects hold one ongoing job, like a class, a client or a trip. 2. ## Add files Upload reference material to the project, such as PDFs, spreadsheets, docs, images, or pasted text. ChatGPT can use it for more informed answers. File counts depend on your plan: up to 5 on Free, 25 on Go and Plus, and 40 on Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu. 3. ## Add project instructions Select the more options menu (**•••**), then **Project settings**. Add instructions, for example: Act like my marketing mentor. Be concise. Use bullet points. Project instructions apply only inside the project and override your global custom instructions. 4. ## Start chats inside the project Open the project and start a new chat there. It uses the project's files and instructions. You can also start on one device and continue on another. 5. ## Move an old chat into the project Drag a chat onto the project, or open the chat's menu and select **Move to project**. The chat then uses the project's instructions and file context. Chats made with a GPT cannot be moved in, so start a new chat in the project instead. 6. ## Choose a memory setting In **Project settings**, under **Memory**, pick **Default memory** or **Project-only memory**, then select **Save**. With project-only memory, chats can use other conversations in the same project but not conversations outside it. 7. ## Optional: keep chats from other AIs together too A ChatGPT project holds ChatGPT chats only. Kortex folders in the Library can hold chats from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Grok, plus videos and notebooks. Drag a chat onto a folder, or use **Add to folder…** in its menu. [![The Kortex Library Folders view with eight folder cards in different colors, showing chat and video counts, one pinned to the top.](/images/library/folders.webp)](/images/library/folders.webp) Folders in six colours, with the number of chats inside. ## If it doesn’t work I do not see Move to project on a chat The chat may not be eligible. Chats created with a GPT cannot be moved into a project. Start a new chat inside the project instead. ChatGPT ignores the project instructions Check the instructions are in Project settings, not in a chat. Keep them short and clear. Project instructions apply only inside the project, so make sure you are chatting there. I hit the file limit Limits depend on your plan: 5 files on Free, 25 on Go and Plus, 40 on Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu. Delete files you no longer need from the project sources list, or merge material into fewer files. ## Questions people ask Something we missed? [Ask us](#contact). ### What is the difference between ChatGPT Projects and custom instructions? Custom instructions apply to all your chats. Project instructions apply only inside that project and override your global custom instructions. ### Can I share a ChatGPT project? Yes. Select Share and invite people, or share a link. People get either chat access or edit access. Shared projects use project-only memory. ### What happens to my chats if I delete a project? Deleting a project permanently removes its chats and instructions, along with files stored only in the project. It cannot be undone. Files saved separately in Library or Space are not deleted. ### Can I add Google Drive or Slack to a project? Yes. Open your private project, select Add sources, pick Slack or Google Drive, connect the app if asked, paste the link and select Add. ## Sources - [Projects in ChatGPT (OpenAI Help Center)](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10169521-using-projects-in-chatgpt) , checked November 10, 2026 - [Uploading files and audio to ChatGPT (OpenAI Help Center)](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8555545-file-uploads-faq) , checked November 10, 2026 ## Keep going [Chat Library Keep your AI chats on your computer and search them, next to your YouTube videos and notebooks.](/features#organize) [Kortex docs The full reference for this feature, with every option.](/docs/chat-library) ### More tutorials - [How to use Claude memory: turn it on or off](/tutorials/how-to-use-claude-memory) - [How to use Claude Projects, step by step](/tutorials/how-to-use-claude-projects) - [How to use Perplexity Spaces (now called Projects)](/tutorials/how-to-use-perplexity-spaces) - [ChatGPT temporary chat: how to start one and what it does](/tutorials/how-to-use-temporary-chat-in-chatgpt) [All tutorials](/tutorials) ## Do it on your own notebooks. Install the Kortex extension and follow these steps on a notebook you already have. [Add to Chrome](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/kortex/hdapplggdhndkblofffknpmnnnnbncbn) 100,000+ users, rated 4.5 on the Chrome Web Store.