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TL;DR:
- A ChatGPT Project is a workspace for one ongoing piece of work. It keeps related chats, files and instructions together, so you stop explaining the same background in every new chat.
- Projects work on every plan, Free included, as of November 2026. Free allows 5 files per project, Go and Plus 25, and Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu 40.
- Each Project has its own instructions, which apply to every chat inside it. You can usually also choose project-only memory, so the Project does not mix with the rest of your ChatGPT history.
- You can share a Project with colleagues. A shared Project always uses project-only memory and cannot see anyone's personal memories or custom instructions.
- Keep personal and confidential data out unless your employer has approved the tool for it. On personal plans, your chats may be used for training unless you switch that setting off.
Who this guide is for
This guide is for office workers who use ChatGPT and keep repeating themselves. You may write the same report every month, look after client accounts, or run a training programme. If you keep pasting the same background into new chats, a Project will help. You do not need technical skills. If you are new to ChatGPT, start with our first-week guide to using ChatGPT at work.
How we checked: OpenAI's Help Centre refused our automated tools on 11 November 2026. The limits below come from OpenAI pages we could open, plus independent guides that read the Help Centre in late 2026 and agree with each other. Check your own screen too.
What is a ChatGPT Project?
A Project is a dedicated space in ChatGPT for work that continues over time. OpenAI's Academy describes Projects as spaces where you "gather context, files, and instructions". OpenAI's documentation gives a rule of thumb: create one when work will continue over time, produce more than one output, or depend on the same files.
| Part | What it holds | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Chats | Every conversation you start inside the Project | Your history for that job stays in one place |
| Files (shown as Sources) | Reports, templates, notes | ChatGPT can refer to them in any chat in the Project |
| Instructions | Your standing rules for that work | You set tone, format and rules once |
| Memory | Your normal memory, or memory for this Project only | You decide whether this work mixes with everything else |
A Project is different from a custom GPT or a skill. Those package a repeatable procedure. A Project holds the background for one area of work. OpenAI is moving custom GPTs to plugins, and its documentation says that at retirement "custom GPTs stop running and leave the GPT directory". If that affects you, read what to do about custom GPTs. For how Projects and skills fit together, see what AI skills are.
Which ChatGPT plans have Projects?
Every plan has Projects, including Free. OpenAI's own pricing page lists Projects on Free and Go as of 11 November 2026, and on 3 September 2025 OpenAI announced that "Projects in ChatGPT are now available to Free users", as quoted by Business Today. Limits differ by plan.
| Plan | Files per project | Collaborators when you share |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 5 | Up to 5 |
| Go and Plus | 25 | Up to 10 |
| Pro | 40 | Up to 100 |
| Business, Enterprise and Edu | 40 | Up to 100 |
These figures are as of November 2026. OpenAI's September 2025 announcement gave 5 files for Free, 25 for Plus and 40 for Pro, Business and Enterprise, and 2026 guides list Go alongside Plus. The collaborator limits come from three independent guides that read OpenAI's Help Centre in September to November 2026, and they depend on the owner's plan, not the invitee's. Those guides also say you can upload 10 files at a time.
On Business and Enterprise, OpenAI's Academy says admins can switch Projects on or off, or limit them to certain groups. If you cannot see Projects on a work account, ask your IT team.
How do files work in a Project?
Files you add sit in the Project's Sources, and ChatGPT can use them in any chat in that Project. Two things to know:
- A Project cannot read folders on your computer. OpenAI says you must upload or connect what you want it to use. When a document changes on your laptop, upload the new version and remove the old one.
- Files stay until you remove them. OpenAI's security page for work plans says Project files "remain associated with their project until removed or the project is deleted".
Upload the few files that matter most: a template, a finished past example, a page of definitions.
How do Project instructions work?
Project instructions are standing rules for every chat in that Project. OpenAI's documentation says: "Project instructions apply across its chats."
Write them with the four Cs we teach at FuKazee:
- Clarity: what the Project is for and what you usually ask for.
- Context: who you are, who reads the output and what the files are.
- Constraints: length, tone, format, and what never to invent.
- Customisation: where the answer will be used and who will read it.
Make each rule something you can check. "Under 300 words, and mark any figure you are unsure of with [CHECK]" works better than "be professional and accurate".
How does memory work in a Project?
Each Project uses either default memory or project-only memory.
| Setting | What it means | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Default memory | The Project can draw on your saved memories and wider chat history | The work is personal and mixing does no harm |
| Project-only memory | Chats can refer to other chats in the same Project only, and saved memories are not used | Client work, sensitive topics, or anything you may share |
OpenAI's Academy says project-only memory needs "Reference saved memories" and "Reference chat history" switched on in your personal settings. The Academy is written for work accounts, and it says the option is available on Business and Enterprise when memory is enabled for the workspace. OpenAI's September 2025 announcement for Free users also listed project-only memory controls. If you do not see the option when you create a Project, your plan or workspace may not offer it.
Choose the setting when you create the Project. Whether you can change it later is unclear as of November 2026. On 3 November 2026, an OpenAI support reply on its community forum said eligible existing, unshared Projects can switch. The user in that thread reported the control was locked with the message "This cannot be changed". Decide at the start.
Shared Projects are always project-only. Guides that read the Help Centre agree that a shared Project cannot see members' personal memories, custom instructions or outside chats, and cannot switch back. Anything the team needs must go into the Project's own instructions and files.
Can you share a ChatGPT Project with colleagues?
Yes, on every plan, within the limits above. OpenAI's Academy says everyone sees changes in real time. Guides that read the Help Centre in October and November 2026 agree on three levels:
| Access | Can do | Cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Use the chats, files and instructions | Change instructions or invite others |
| Edit | Change instructions, add or remove files, invite people | Remove members, open link sharing, delete the Project |
| Owner | Everything, including deleting the Project | Nothing held back |
OpenAI's Academy (updated September 2026) says only owners can invite or remove collaborators, while the newer guides say people with edit access can invite too. If you cannot see an invite option, ask the owner.
To share, open the Project and select Share. Under "Only those invited", enter a name or email, choose chat or edit access, and select Invite. The owner can switch to "Anyone with a link", which lets any signed-in ChatGPT user with the link join. Be careful: a link forwarded in a WhatsApp group can reach people you never meant to invite.
Guides that read the Help Centre add two warnings. Deleting a file in a shared Project removes it for everyone. Only the owner can delete the Project, and deleting it permanently removes its chats and files. Agree who owns the Project.
How to set up a ChatGPT Project, step by step
Button names below come from 2026 guides. OpenAI redesigns the sidebar from time to time, so look for similar wording.
- Pick one piece of work you return to weekly or monthly. One Project per job beats one giant "Work" Project.
- Create it. In the sidebar, select New project, give it a clear name ("Monthly Sales Report 2026"), and pick a colour and icon if you like.
- Choose memory. Pick project-only for client work, sensitive work or anything you may share.
- Write the instructions. Open the Project's three-dot menu, go to Project settings, and paste them in.
- Add files. Remove personal data and confidential terms first.
- Move old chats in. Drag a chat onto the Project, or choose Move to project from its menu. Chats started with a custom GPT cannot be moved, so start those again.
- Test it on one real task, check the answer against your files, and adjust the instructions.
Three invented examples from Kenyan work
These are invented examples. The people and organisations are not real and are not FuKazee clients. Swap in your own details and keep personal data out.
Example 1: The monthly report
Wanjiru is an operations officer at a Nairobi distribution company. Each month she writes a management report on regional sales, stock-outs and delivery times.
Files: the report template, last month's approved report, and a page defining each figure. She pastes summary figures into the chat instead of uploading the raw export with customer names.
This Project is for our monthly operations report to management.
I am an operations officer. Readers are the General Manager and
three regional managers, who read on their phones.
- Follow the template in Sources exactly.
- Use only figures I paste. Never estimate. Write [MISSING] for
any gap.
- Compare each figure with last month's report in Sources.
- KES with commas (KES 1,250,000). British English. Under 600
words.
- Open with three bullets a manager can read in 30 seconds.
Prompt to try: "Here are this month's figures by region: [paste]. Draft the report, then list three questions management is likely to ask and the figure that answers each."
Each month she swaps in the newly approved report as the comparison file, which keeps her within Free's five files.
Example 2: A client account
Otieno is an account manager at a small marketing agency in Westlands, looking after a hotel group. He writes proposals, monthly updates and replies to the client.
Files: the agreed scope with fees and bank details removed, the client's brand guide, and his own one-page account sheet: what the client wants, what was agreed, what to avoid. Memory: project-only, so other clients never leak in, and a colleague can cover his leave.
This Project is for the [Client] account. I am the account
manager. Sources hold the scope, brand guide and account sheet.
- Stay within the agreed scope. If a request goes beyond it,
say so.
- Follow the brand guide's tone and spelling.
- Never invent results, figures or promises.
- Client emails: formal, no emojis, under 200 words, ending with
a next step and date.
- When I paste a client message, summarise the ask in two lines
before drafting.
Prompt to try: "The client wrote: [paste, with phone numbers removed]. Is this inside our scope? Draft a reply and list what I must confirm internally first."
Names and contacts of the client's staff are personal data under Kenya's Data Protection Act. Read what the Act means for staff using ChatGPT, and check that your agency has approved ChatGPT for client work.
Example 3: A training programme
Achieng is a learning and development officer at a SACCO, running a six-week induction for new staff.
Files: the programme outline, weekly facilitator notes and the feedback form. Attendance lists and staff names stay out.
This Project is for our six-week staff induction programme.
I am the L&D officer. Learners are new branch and head office
staff, many in their first job.
- Keep every session within the outline in Sources.
- Plain English. Explain any term in one line.
- Quizzes: 10 questions, mixed types, with an answer key.
- Never include learner names or personal details.
- Learner handouts must fit on one A4 page.
Prompt to try: "Here are anonymised Week 2 feedback comments: [paste]. Group them into themes and suggest two changes for Week 3."
When the programme ends, she keeps the Project as a record and copies the instructions for the next intake. For more ideas, see how learning and development teams can use AI.
What are the limits, and what goes wrong?
Projects keep context together. They do not check facts for you, and ChatGPT can still get things wrong with your files right there. These are the problems we expect most.
| Problem | What you see | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Too many or old files | Answers quote the wrong version | Fewer, dated files. Remove old ones |
| Vague instructions | Tone and length drift | Write rules you can check |
| Wrong memory setting | Other work appears in answers | Project-only for client or sensitive work |
| Forwarded share link | Strangers in the Project | "Only those invited", and review members monthly |
| Trusting the output | A wrong figure reaches management | Check every figure against the source |
A person reads and owns every output before it goes anywhere.
Data rules: what should stay out of a Project?
Treat a Project like any other chat. What changes between plans is training:
- Personal plans (Free, Go, Plus, Pro): OpenAI may use your content to improve its models unless you switch off "Improve the model for everyone". Notebookcheck, citing OpenAI's help pages, gives the path as Profile, Settings, Data Controls. Notebookcheck and Wright Mode, both citing OpenAI, say a thumbs up or down can send the whole conversation for training even after you opt out.
- Business, Enterprise and Edu: OpenAI states that it "doesn't use business data to train its models by default".
Whatever your plan, keep these out unless your employer has approved the tool for them: customer and staff personal data (ID numbers, phone numbers, M-PESA statements, payroll, health details), contracts and bank details, board papers and unreleased results, and passwords.
How do ChatGPT Projects compare with Claude and Gemini?
Each main assistant has something similar. These are fair summaries as of 11 November 2026. Which suits you depends on what your workplace already uses, and we do not recommend one for everybody.
| Tool | One-line summary |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT Projects | On every plan, with sharing on every plan, 5 to 40 files, and a project-only memory option |
| Claude Projects | For all users, with up to five projects on Free. Paid plans hold far more material, and sharing is for Team and Enterprise only |
| Gemini Gems | Being replaced by skills: on adult personal accounts, Gems become read only on 17 November 2026 and are removed on 17 December 2026. See moving from Gems to skills |
| Gemini notebooks | In our view, Google's closest match: a space that remembers your sources, instructions and chats. Some features need Keep Activity on |
| Microsoft Copilot Notebooks | Answers only from references you add, up to 300 files. Available with Copilot or Copilot Chat licences and some personal Microsoft 365 plans |
In our view, start with the tool your team already uses.
Questions people ask
Are ChatGPT Projects free?
Yes. Projects have been on the Free plan since September 2025. As of November 2026, Free allows 5 files per project and up to 5 collaborators.
What is the difference between a ChatGPT Project and a custom GPT?
A Project is a workspace for one ongoing job, with chats, files and instructions together. A custom GPT was a packaged assistant for a repeatable task, and OpenAI is moving GPTs to plugins. A GPT that was really a place to keep background for one job often suits a Project better.
Can colleagues see my other chats if I share a Project?
No. Guides that read OpenAI's Help Centre say a shared Project cannot see members' chats, memories or custom instructions outside it. Collaborators can see chats inside the shared Project, so keep private work elsewhere.
Can I move existing chats into a Project?
Usually, yes. Drag the chat onto the Project or choose "Move to project" from its menu. Chats started with a custom GPT cannot be moved.
What happens if I delete a Project?
Its files, chats and instructions are permanently deleted, according to guides based on the Help Centre. In a shared Project, only the owner can delete it, and the chats go for everyone. Save anything important first.
Sources
- OpenAI Academy, "Projects", updated 17 September 2026, last checked 11 November 2026
- OpenAI, ChatGPT pricing, last checked 11 November 2026
- OpenAI documentation, "Projects", last checked 11 November 2026
- OpenAI documentation, "Moving your custom GPT workflows to plugins", last checked 11 November 2026
- OpenAI documentation, ChatGPT Work cloud security, last checked 11 November 2026
- OpenAI Developer Community, locked Memory on existing Projects, with OpenAI Support reply of 3 November 2026, last checked 11 November 2026
- Business Today, "OpenAI expands Projects feature to free ChatGPT users" (4 September 2025), quoting OpenAI, last checked 11 November 2026
- AI SkillPod, "Share a ChatGPT project with others" (updated 6 November 2026), based on OpenAI's Help Centre, last checked 11 November 2026
- Justin McKelvey, "ChatGPT Projects vs Custom GPTs" (12 September 2026), based on OpenAI's Help Centre, last checked 11 November 2026
- Hitesh Motwani, "How to Use ChatGPT Projects (2026)" (updated 10 October 2026), based on OpenAI's documentation and Help Centre, last checked 11 November 2026
- display.dev, "Can You Share a Claude Project or a ChatGPT Project With Your Team?" (updated 30 October 2026), last checked 11 November 2026
- Guideflow, "How to delete a project in ChatGPT" (8 February 2026), last checked 11 November 2026
- FileUploadGPT, "ChatGPT Project file limit 2026", not affiliated with OpenAI, last checked 11 November 2026
- Future Factors, "How to Use ChatGPT Projects" (June 2026), for setup steps, last checked 11 November 2026
- Notebookcheck, "ChatGPT: what the training toggle does not switch off" (24 August 2026), last checked 11 November 2026
- Wright Mode, "Does ChatGPT train on your chats?" (23 October 2026), based on OpenAI's Data controls help page, last checked 11 November 2026
- Claude Help Center, "What are projects?", last checked 11 November 2026
- Google, "About the transition from Gems to skills", last checked 11 November 2026
- Google, "Create and use notebooks in Gemini Apps", last checked 11 November 2026
- Microsoft Support, "How Microsoft Copilot Notebooks works", last checked 11 November 2026
OpenAI's Help Centre and openai.com refused our automated tools on 11 November 2026. Statements about the Help Centre come from the guides above, which say they read it, and we kept a claim only where at least two of them agree.
Where FuKazee fits in
FuKazee trains people and teams in practical AI for the work in front of them, and has trained more than 3,000 people. We assume nobody in the room knows AI yet, avoid jargon, and show the free version of each feature so people keep practising afterwards. We do not push one tool, and Microsoft 365 and Copilot are part of our training because so much office work happens there.
A Project is a good way to turn one-off prompts into a habit. In a session, each person can build a Project around a real task of their own, write the instructions with the four Cs, and test it on real work with personal data removed. Nobody becomes an expert in a few days, so we focus on habits people keep. See how our sessions work on the page for ChatGPT training in Kenya.
To arrange ChatGPT training for your team, email us at lead@fukazee.com.
Want guided support instead?
Not sure which programme fits? Tell us who you are and we will point you to the right path: corporate AI training, the ScholarShift Accelerator for postgraduates, or KCSE study plans and tuition.
Rodney has run FuKazee's training since 2022 and still teaches inside every programme line: corporate sessions, the postgraduate cohort and the KCSE examiner webinars. First Class Honours in Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Nairobi.
