How To Remove Em-Dashes From Your ChatGPT Results: A Simple Step-By-Step Guide

If you’re fed up with ChatGPT sprinkling em-dashes through every reply, there’s finally a tidy fix. With OpenAI’s GPT-5.1 update, the model is much better at following explicit formatting instructions, so you can now ask it to avoid the em-dash and it will obey. Credit to OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman for flagging the change publicly, and for calling this a “small-but-happy win” on X.How To Change Your Settings-First, open ChatGPT and go to Settings from your profile. -From there, find the Custom Instructions section. You’ll see two prompt boxes asking what the assistant should know about you, and how it should respond. -Focus on the second box, the one about response style. Type a short, clear instruction asking the assistant to stop using em-dashes.

-For example, write: “Do not use em-dashes in your writing. Use commas or parentheses instead.” Save the instruction and start a new chat to test it.ALSO READ: After Tim Cook, Who Can Be The Next Apple CEO? Check Full List Of Possible Candidates

What To Expect After You Save The InstructionAfter you add the custom instruction, GPT-5.1 should stop inserting the long dash in most replies. You’ll notice cleaner punctuation and more consistent formatting, especially in longer paragraphs. If an em-dash still sneaks through once in a while, a gentle reminder in the next prompt, such as “Remember, no em-dashes,” will reinforce the rule and the model will comply more reliably.ALSO READ: Elon Musk Launches X Chat: Features, Availability, Everything You Need To Know About The New WhatsApp RivalWhy This Actually Works NowOlder models sometimes ignored strict formatting requests because they generate text based on probabilities rather than hard rules. GPT-5.1 improves obedience to clear user directives, so when you explicitly ask for no em-dashes, the system respects that preference much more often. If you want tighter control, include preferred alternatives in your custom instruction, for example, specifying commas, parentheses, or short clauses. That gives the model an explicit plan for replacing em-dashes, which helps maintain natural flow while matching your punctuation style.