How-to guide
How to summarize text with ChatGPT
ChatGPT is good at shrinking long text into something you can read in a minute. The trick is to tell it how long the summary should be, who will read it and what to keep.
A plain request such as summarize this works, but the result is often generic. When you set the length, the reader and the focus, the summary becomes something you can actually send or use.
What it looks like
Summarize the meeting notes below for my team lead, who missed the call. Five bullet points maximum, then a list of decisions and who owns each action. [notes pasted here]
Summary - The launch moves from 3 March to 17 March because the payment tests are not finished. - Marketing keeps the original budget but shifts two weeks of ads. - Support needs a new FAQ page before launch. Decisions and owners - New launch date 17 March: Priya - Update the ad schedule: Tom - Draft the FAQ page by 10 March: Lena
Step by step
This works for articles, PDFs you can copy text from, transcripts and email threads.
- 1
Paste the full text
Copy the text into the chat rather than describing it. For very long documents, split them into parts and ask for a summary of each part first.
- 2
Set the length
Ask for a number: three sentences, five bullet points or under 100 words. Without a limit, summaries tend to be longer than you need.
- 3
Name the reader and the goal
Say who the summary is for and what they need to do with it, for example decide on a budget or catch up on a project.
- 4
Say what must stay in
Numbers, dates, names, decisions or risks. If something matters, ask for it by name so it is not dropped.
- 5
Check it against the original
Read the key points in the source text. Look for numbers that changed, claims that are not in the original and important points that are missing.
Prompts to copy
Replace the parts in square brackets with your own details, then copy the prompt or open it straight in the chat.
Summarize the text below in [3] bullet points for [my manager]. Keep all numbers and dates exactly as written. Then add one line: what they should do next. [paste text]
Read the text below. List the main points, then list anything that is unclear, missing or contradicts itself. [paste text]
Summarize this [article] in plain language for someone with no background in [topic]. Use short sentences and explain any technical term in a few words. [paste text]
I will send a long document in [4] parts. After each part, reply only with a 3-point summary. When I write DONE, combine everything into one summary of no more than [200] words.
Common mistakes and limits
- Summaries can leave out details that matter to you, or quietly change a number. Always check figures, dates and names against the source.
- If the text is longer than the model can read at once, the start or the end may be ignored. Split long documents into parts.
- ChatGPT may add background it already knows as if it were in your text. Ask it to use only the text you pasted.
- Do not paste confidential contracts, medical records or personal data into a chat you do not control.
Questions
Can ChatGPT summarize a PDF?
Yes, if you copy the text out of the PDF and paste it into the chat. Scanned PDFs are images, so you need to run them through a text recognition tool first.
How long can the text be?
It depends on the model's context window. For anything longer than a long article, splitting the text into parts gives more reliable summaries.
Can it summarize a web page from a link?
The free chat on this site does not open links. Copy the text of the page and paste it instead.
Related guides
- How to translate text with ChatGPTEmails, documents and messages in the right tone.
- How to write Excel formulas with ChatGPTExcel and Google Sheets formulas, explained.
- How to learn a language with ChatGPTConversation practice, corrections and vocabulary.
Summarize something now
Paste your text into the free chat. It runs GPT-6 Luna and needs no account.