What you can check immediately#
Your goal is to know where to enter a request, where to inspect the selected mode and how to return to your work. We did not test the exact signed-in web or mobile layout. These steps therefore describe the task; we name controls only when a direct source supports them.
- Check whether you are on grok.com, in the Grok app or inside X.
- Check the signed-in account. For a work account, also check its workspace.
- Find the message field, any available mode/model selector and your conversation list.
- Open one of your previous conversations and confirm the topic before adding more material.
Four things that are easy to confuse#
- A conversation is the sequence of your requests and the replies.
- A model is the system producing an answer. A version name alone does not determine tool access.
- A mode changes the approach, such as favouring speed or longer processing, where the account offers that choice.
- A tool adds a capability: search, an attachment or a connection to a service. Tool results also need checking.
If your result differs from a tutorial, record the product, device and visible options. “I have Grok” is not enough to identify the cause.
Custom instructions and memory#
Write custom instructions as recurring preferences: language, length and how to mark uncertainty. They are not the service’s system rules and cannot guarantee an error-free answer. Do not put a one-task requirement into memory. Use an up-to-date source for precise facts rather than relying on the assistant’s recollection.
Reply in English, briefly and directly. Mark missing information. Explain a technical term when first using it. Separate the subject and body of an email draft. These preferences do not override facts in attached sources.
If your settings expose custom instructions, save them there and check them with a small task in a new conversation. If you cannot find them, paste this block at the start of a request. That gives you a repeatable workflow without relying on memory. See privacy for managing stored information.
Projects, library and canvas#
For longer work, prepare a short project brief: goal, authoritative sources, agreed decisions and next action. If Projects is available, use it to separate topics, but first test which sources a new conversation actually uses with a non-sensitive example. A feature name does not establish that it automatically reads every file.
If you have Canvas, begin with a short text and save the original before editing. Check whether the change affected only the requested paragraph. If your account does not offer it, work with numbered paragraphs in chat and move the final text into your editor. In a library or file list, distinguish originals, generated outputs and shared items.
Summarise the state of this work so I can continue in a new conversation: goal, source materials, verified facts, decisions made, open questions and next action. Do not label a proposal as an approved decision.
Check your workflow#
Try finishing a small task, returning to it and finding both its source and latest version. If you can do that without guessing, you have a usable workflow. If you cannot, simplify conversation names and the number of threads before trying a longer prompt.
Continue with tools and search or working with a document.