How to Make ChatGPT Sound More Human

Tired of ChatGPT's overly polite, robotic responses? You're not alone. The good news is that ChatGPT offers a simple way to customize its communication style through Custom Instructions—a feature that lets you set persistent system prompts that make your AI sound more natural and human.

What Are Custom Instructions?

Custom Instructions are ChatGPT's built-in feature that allows you to set persistent prompts that apply to all your conversations. Instead of repeating the same instructions in every chat, you can configure ChatGPT once to always communicate in your preferred style. Think of it as teaching ChatGPT how you want it to talk—more casual, less formal, and more like a real person.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

1. A ChatGPT account (free or paid)
2. Access to ChatGPT's web interface at chat.openai.com
3. An idea of how you want ChatGPT to communicate

Why ChatGPT Sounds Robotic (And How to Fix It)

By default, ChatGPT uses a very polite, formal communication style. This is because ChatGPT is trained on all kinds of books, articles, and other content that is more formal than most everyday writing.

More importantly, it is not trained on your writing style and how you communicate. The solution? Custom Instructions let you override these defaults with prompts that encourage natural, human-like communication.

Our Make ChatGPT Sound More Human tool is built to help you take advantage of this feature in ChatGPT.

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Access Custom Instructions in ChatGPT

To find Custom Instructions in ChatGPT:

1. Log in to chat.openai.com
2. Click your profile name in the bottom-left corner and Settings
3. Click Personalization
4. Enter context of how you want ChatGPT to communicate with you in the "Custom Instructions" field

Alternatively, use our ChatGPT Sound More Like You Wizard to generate a custom prompt tailored to your preferences, then copy it into the Custom Instructions field.

Important: Character Limit

Unfortunately, ChatGPT's Custom Instructions field has a 1,500 character limit. Focus on the most important guidelines rather than trying to cover everything. This makes it more challenging to make it sound exactly like you. Claude and Perplexity do not have this limitation.

Our tool will work with you to stay under the 1,500 character limit while maximizing impact.

Step 2: Test It Out

After saving your Custom Instructions:

1. Start a new conversation (Custom Instructions only apply to new chats, not existing ones)
2. Ask ChatGPT a question and observe the difference in tone
3. If the response isn't quite right, adjust your Custom Instructions and try again

What to Expect

Once you've set up Custom Instructions, you should notice:

• More natural language: ChatGPT will use contractions and casual phrasing
• Less formality: Responses will feel more conversational
• Fewer robotic patterns: Less "I'd be delighted" and more "Here's how..."
• Consistent style: Every new conversation will use your preferred tone

Remember, Custom Instructions only work in new conversations. Existing chats won't be affected.

Before and After Examples

Here's how ChatGPT responds differently with and without Custom Instructions:

Before (Default ChatGPT)

1. Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence
2. It involves training algorithms on data
3. The system improves over time
4. Common types include supervised and unsupervised learning

I hope this explanation helps! Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

After (With Humanizing Prompt)

Think of it like teaching a kid to recognize dogs. You don't sit them down with a textbook listing every dog breed. Instead, you show them lots of pictures—some are dogs, some aren't—and they gradually figure out what makes something a dog. That's machine learning in a nutshell.

The computer sees lots of examples, finds patterns, and then can make predictions about new data it hasn't seen before. Pretty neat, right?"

Pro Tips for Better Results

Test Different Styles

Try variations to find what works best:

• Professional but natural: "Write like a knowledgeable colleague, not a corporate manual"
• Casual and friendly: "Talk like a smart friend explaining something over coffee"
• Creative and expressive: "Use metaphors, analogies, and vivid language"

Focus on What Matters Most

With the 1,500 character limit, prioritize:

1. Tone and style (casual, professional, creative)
2. Communication patterns (use contractions, avoid excessive politeness)
3. Response structure (prefer paragraphs over lists, use examples)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Adding instructions to the first field only - The second field ("How would you like ChatGPT to respond?") is where the magic happens
2. Forgetting to enable - Make sure "Enable for new chats" is toggled ON
3. Testing in old chats - Custom Instructions only apply to NEW conversations
4. Being too vague - "Sound more human" is less effective than specific guidelines about contractions, tone, and structure
5. Exceeding the character limit - Keep it under 1,500 characters or ChatGPT will truncate your instructions

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Custom Instructions?

Custom Instructions are ChatGPT's feature that lets you set persistent prompts that apply to all your new conversations. They allow you to customize how ChatGPT communicates without repeating instructions in every chat.

Do Custom Instructions work in all ChatGPT versions?

Custom Instructions are available in both free and paid versions of ChatGPT. However, they work best with GPT-4 (available in ChatGPT Plus). GPT-3.5 also supports Custom Instructions, but GPT-4 tends to follow them more consistently.

Can I use Custom Instructions with ChatGPT Plus?

Yes! Custom Instructions work with ChatGPT Plus and are actually more effective with GPT-4, which better understands and follows nuanced instructions.

How long do Custom Instructions take to take effect?

Custom Instructions take effect immediately in new conversations. However, they only apply to chats started after you've saved your Custom Instructions. Existing conversations won't be affected.

Can I use different Custom Instructions for different purposes?

Unfortunately, ChatGPT only allows one set of Custom Instructions at a time. However, you can modify them anytime, and you can add context-specific instructions at the start of individual conversations.

What if my Custom Instructions don't work?

If Custom Instructions aren't working as expected:

1. Make sure you started a new conversation (they don't apply to existing chats)
2. Check that "Enable for new chats" is turned on
3. Try being more specific in your instructions
4. Test with GPT-4 if you're using ChatGPT Plus

How do Custom Instructions compare to other AI platforms?

ChatGPT's Custom Instructions have a 1,500 character limit, which can be restrictive. Claude and Perplexity don't have this limitation, making it easier to create more detailed instructions. However, ChatGPT's Custom Instructions are easy to access and set up.

Ready to Transform Your ChatGPT?

The quickest way to get started is with our interactive ChatGPT Sound More Like You Wizard. We'll generate a custom prompt tailored to your preferences, then guide you through the setup process step-by-step.

Want to learn more about humanizing AI across all platforms? Check out our complete guide to humanizing AI responses or explore prompt templates for different communication styles.