The basics: how to use ChatGPT

Using ChatGPT is straightforward — it's a conversation — but a few basics make you far more effective. This lesson covers the fundamental interactions the rest of the course builds on.

The conversation. Type a request, ChatGPT responds, and you refine in follow-ups. This iteration is the core skill: the first answer is a draft, and you improve it by asking for changes — 'shorter,' 'more formal,' 'add an example,' 'that's not right, try…'. Don't chase one perfect prompt; have a good conversation. Your account and history sync across web, desktop, and mobile.

Attaching files and images. You can attach documents (PDFs, Word, spreadsheets), images, and screenshots to a message, then ask ChatGPT to summarize, analyze, or work with them (Module 2). You can also speak your requests with voice, and ChatGPT can generate images.

New chats, and switching models. Start a new chat for a new topic (each has its own context). On paid plans, you can switch models using the picker — choosing a reasoning model for hard tasks — though ChatGPT usually picks a sensible default automatically.

Key features you'll see. As you use ChatGPT you'll encounter: web search (for current info, on all plans), image generation, voice, file upload, data analysis, Custom GPTs, Projects, and memory (it can remember things about you across chats). Free plans include limited versions of many of these; we'll cover each.

A good first habit. Be clear and specific, and get comfortable iterating — treating each response as a draft you refine. That habit makes you more effective than most users. And from the start, remember to verify anything factual (ChatGPT can be confidently wrong — Module 4).

The takeaway: using ChatGPT is a conversation — type a request, get a response, and refine in follow-ups (the first answer is a draft you improve by asking for changes), with history syncing across web, desktop, and mobile. You can attach files and images, use voice, and generate images. Start a new chat for a new topic; on paid plans you can switch models (a reasoning model for hard tasks), though it usually auto-picks. You'll encounter web search, image generation, voice, file upload, data analysis, Custom GPTs, Projects, and memory as you go. The key first habits: be clear and specific, iterate (treat responses as drafts), and verify anything factual — which makes you more effective than most users.