What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot created by OpenAI, first released in November 2022. It became the fastest-growing application in internet history, reaching 100 million users in just two months. As of 2026, ChatGPT has nearly 900 million weekly active users across more than 170 countries — making it the most widely used AI tool in the world.
At its core, ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM). You type something — a question, a task, a creative request — and it responds in natural, human-like language. It can write emails, explain complex topics, help you code, summarise documents, brainstorm ideas, and much more.
The current default model is GPT-5.3 Instant (released March 2026), with GPT-5.2 Thinking available on paid tiers for deep reasoning tasks like financial analysis, complex coding, and multi-step research.
ChatGPT is free to start and available at chatgpt.com — no technical knowledge required.
How to Use ChatGPT — Step by Step
Create your account
Go to chatgpt.com and click Sign Up. You can register with your Google, Apple, or Microsoft account in under 2 minutes. The free tier gives you access to GPT-5.3 Instant and unlimited conversations — no credit card needed.
Understand the interface
When you log in, you will see a clean text box at the bottom and a sidebar on the left showing your conversation history. Type your first message in the text box and press Enter. ChatGPT's response will stream in line by line.
Write your first prompt
Be specific. Vague prompts produce vague answers. Use the Role–Task–Context–Format formula:
- Role: "Act as a professional copywriter"
- Task: "Write 3 subject lines for a promotional email"
- Context: "The email is for a coffee shop grand opening in Surat, targeting young professionals"
- Format: "Keep each subject line under 50 characters"
Set up Custom Instructions
Go to Profile Settings → Custom Instructions. In Box 1, add your background (who you are, what you do). In Box 2, describe how you want responses formatted (bullet points, concise, professional, etc.). This personalises every future conversation automatically.
Upload files and images
On paid plans, you can upload PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, and images. ChatGPT can summarise documents, extract data from tables, analyse charts, and describe images. Drag and drop the file into the chat window.
Use Projects to organise work
Create Projects in the sidebar to group related conversations — for example, a "Blog Writing" project or a "Client X" project. ChatGPT maintains memory within each project so you don't repeat context every time.
Explore GPT Store
Click "Explore GPTs" in the sidebar to find custom versions of ChatGPT built for specific tasks — resume writing, coding help, language learning, image creation, and more. These are pre-configured tools built on top of ChatGPT.
Pro Tips for Using ChatGPT Like an Expert
Always give context
"Fix my sentence" is a weak prompt. "Fix this sentence so it sounds more professional for a business proposal to an investor" gives ChatGPT everything it needs. Context changes everything.
Use role prompting
Start your prompt with a role. "You are a senior marketing strategist with 10 years of experience in the Indian market." This primes the model to use vocabulary, structure, and perspective that matches that expertise — outputs shift dramatically.
Iterate inside the same conversation
ChatGPT remembers everything within a single conversation. If the response isn't right, just reply: "Make it shorter," "Add a section on pricing," or "Change the tone to be more casual." Never start a new chat — refine in the same one.
Use structured output requests
Tell ChatGPT exactly how you want the response formatted. "Give me the answer in a numbered list." "Use headings and sub-headings." "Return a comparison table with three columns." Structured output requests save significant editing time.
Ask it to explain its own reasoning
If ChatGPT gives a response that seems off, type "Why did you say that?" or "Walk me through your reasoning step by step." This helps you catch errors and understand where the model's thinking might have gone wrong.
Save your best prompts
When you write a prompt that produces a great result, save it in Notion, Google Docs, or Hixa. Reusable prompt templates are your biggest productivity asset when using ChatGPT regularly.
Browse ChatGPT Prompts on Hixa
Hixa has hundreds of ready-to-use ChatGPT prompts — for writing, image generation, business, coding, and creative work. Copy, paste, and create in seconds.
Browse all ChatGPT prompts →