YOUR FIRST USEFUL WIN

Start with one job.

You do not need to understand every tool. Get somewhere to work, explain a result you want and try something small enough to check.

Try the first exercise

Setup guidance checked 7 October 2026. Account features and menus can change; the official guides below are the reference points.

Open your working space.

Install the ChatGPT desktop app through the official quickstart and sign in with your existing account. Start a project or chat. For a task with a finished result, select ChatGPT and switch to Work above the message box.

Check the features and allowance already included in your account before choosing another plan.

Give it the right material.

Put your brief and relevant files together. Add a supported connection when the task needs information in another service. Check the account and access you are authorising, then confirm it can find a document you recognise.

The official Work guide explains how files, plugins and available tools fit together.

Know where the browser is.

The desktop app includes a browser with its own profile. Open the website there and sign in when needed; signing in elsewhere does not automatically carry across. Enter passwords on the website’s sign-in screen.

See the official browser guide for current controls and limits.

Explain the job in your own words.

Use speech or typing, whichever helps you explain it comfortably. Include the outcome, background and what a good result should look like. Check transcribed names and numbers. Ask for questions one at a time if you are unsure where to begin.

SET ASIDE TEN MINUTES TO BEGIN

Make a useful calculator.

Choose a question your customers ask. A cleaning quote, an order estimate or a simple budget is enough.

Explain the audience and the result. Supply your real prices and assumptions.
Ask for a working first version that you can open and try.
Test an answer you already know, then try zero, missing values and an unusual input.
Tell it what needs to change. Review the revised version before making it public.

Ten minutes is time to begin the exercise, not a promise of a finished product.

Get the prompt and worksheet Read the companion

Ready enough to start?

You can open your project, supply its source material, give an instruction and inspect a result. That is enough for the first task. Add specialist tools when a job actually needs them.

If an option is missing, check the account, app update and workspace settings against the official guidance.