Projects

Projects in ChatGPT keep related chats, files and instructions together, and you start one by selecting New project in the sidebar, naming it and picking an icon and color (Projects in ChatGPT). Every plan can create an unlimited number of projects; what differs by plan is how many files each project holds and how many people you can share it with. Inside a project, ChatGPT follows the project's own instructions and can keep a memory of its own.

Quick facts

What is a ChatGPT project?

A project is a container with three things: the chats you move into it, its sources (files, pasted text, links to apps) and its instructions. Project instructions apply only inside that project and override your global custom instructions (Projects in ChatGPT). That makes a project the place for a long piece of work, such as a thesis, a product launch or a home renovation, where every chat should start from the same background.

How to create a project

1. In the sidebar, select New project.
2. Name it and choose an icon and color.
3. Open project ••• > Project settings to write instructions and choose the memory setting.
4. Add sources, then start a chat inside the project.

To bring an existing chat in, drag it onto the project or use Move to project. Chats made with a custom GPT cannot be moved into a project (Projects in ChatGPT).

Files and sources

You can upload files, paste text, or add Google Drive files and folders or Slack channels by link through Add sources in a private project, and save a useful reply with Add to project sources from its menu (Projects in ChatGPT). Sources from apps, chats and pasted text arrived on Feb 25, 2026.

The file limit per project, as of Nov 6, 2026, is 5 on Free, 25 on Go and Plus, and 40 on Edu, Pro, Business and Enterprise, with at most 10 files uploaded at the same time (Projects in ChatGPT). Per-file size limits are the general ChatGPT ones on File Uploads and Library.

Project memory

When you create a project you choose Default memory, which can draw on your wider ChatGPT memory, or Project-only memory, which keeps the project's context inside it. Project-only memory arrived on Aug 22, 2025, and since Aug 14, 2026 the setting can be changed later at project ••• > Project settings. Two limits follow from it: shared projects always use project-only memory, and ChatGPT Work is not available in a project set to project-only memory (Projects in ChatGPT).

Sharing a project

Shared projects reached all users on Oct 23, 2025. Open the project's Share pane, give people Edit or Chat access, and choose "Only those invited" or "Anyone with a link". Others can branch the chats in a shared project but cannot work in the same chat at the same moment (Projects in ChatGPT).

Source: Projects in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026.

On a personal account, data in a shared project is used for training only when the owner and every contributor have Improve the model for everyone turned on (Projects in ChatGPT).

Tools inside projects

Image generation, voice and web search work in projects, and paid plans can run deep research and agent mode there (Projects in ChatGPT). Study Mode and scheduled study hours do not apply to project conversations. In voice, files and Projects became usable on Aug 7, 2026. The new desktop app has shown Projects since Jul 16, 2026, and locked chats sit under Projects > Locked chats.

Projects compared with Space and custom GPTs

ChatGPT Space, which replaced Library for some Pro, Business and Enterprise accounts on Sep 29, 2026, gathers Pages and files, but OpenAI says existing Projects "remain separate" (ChatGPT release notes). Custom GPTs once filled a similar need with saved instructions and knowledge files; they retire on Dec 11, 2026, and their instructions move into plugins and skills, not into projects (Custom GPT retirement FAQ).

What testers found

8:15 In a Jun 8, 2026 video, Igor Pogany of The AI Advantage opened a ChatGPT project beside a Claude project and found ChatGPT's spread out: sources on one screen, instructions under project settings, and memories only in the main Settings. He called it simpler on the surface but giving less control, and rated Claude better for people who manage their context by hand.

Frequently asked questions

Are ChatGPT projects free? Yes. Free users can create unlimited projects in ChatGPT, with up to 5 files per project and 5 collaborators when shared, as of Nov 6, 2026.

How many files can a ChatGPT project hold? As of Nov 6, 2026: 5 on Free, 25 on Go and Plus, and 40 on Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, uploaded at most 10 at a time.

Do project instructions override custom instructions? Yes. ChatGPT applies a project's instructions inside that project, and they take precedence over your global custom instructions.

Can I share a ChatGPT project? Yes. Use the project's Share pane, choose Edit or Chat access and either invited people only or anyone with the link; shared projects use project-only memory.

Can I move a custom GPT chat into a project? No. ChatGPT does not let chats made with a GPT be moved into a project.

What happens when I delete a project? Its chats are deleted too, and OpenAI removes them from its systems within 30 days.

Sources

• Projects in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• ChatGPT release notes, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Custom GPT retirement and migration FAQ, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• ChatGPT vs. Claude: Which Should You Use in 2026?, The AI Advantage, Jun 8, 2026 (video)