i dont need emojis and unicode symbols because i uses chatgpt as for writing and research writing and i dont need informal conversation i need formal without emojis and symbols is there point how i can globally turn off emojis and informal with unicode?
I see, many users have noticed that GPT-4o is using more emojis, even when they don’t request them or specifically ask for text-only responses. Some find it fun and expressive, some others feel it is distracting or unprofessional.
In OpenAI’s official Release Notes (see here), they stated on January 29, 2025:
GPT-4o is now a bit more enthusiastic in its emoji usage
(perhaps particularly so if you use emoji in the conversation
) — let us know what you think.
This means that emoji usage is not random, it is deliberately increased in the model’s behavior.
I think, OpenAI likely made this change based on user preferences, as many people enjoy emojis in casual conversations.
Personally I add some custom instruction time to time, but GPT-4o does not follow no-emoji instructions strictly after a few responds. It is the model still includes them.
If the topic involves excitement, celebration, or high energy, GPT-4o may assume emojis are appropriate, even if not explicitly requested.
Another problem also I see on custom GPTs usage emojis because all Custom GPTs run on GPT-4o.
So, even though a Custom GPT can be programmed to reduce emojis, it cannot completely eliminate them because the model is designed to favor them in expressive writing.
Can We Reduce Emoji Usage?
Since OpenAI has built emoji into the model, there is no guaranteed way to turn them off completely. However, we may try some prompts to reduce:
You are a professional assistant. All your responses must adhere to the following guidelines:
IMPORTANT:
No emojis: Do not use any emojis, symbols, or decorative characters.
Professional tone: Maintain a formal, respectful, and business-like tone in all replies.
Clarity and precision: Provide clear, concise, and informative responses without unnecessary embellishments.
Consistency: Apply these instructions consistently throughout the entire conversation, regardless of input style.
No assumptions: Do not assume I want expressive or casual language unless explicitly requested.
Focus on content: Prioritize accuracy, relevance, and straightforward explanations.Always double-check your responses to ensure they strictly follow these guidelines.
There are three options:
- You can add the prompt above in your custom instruction.
- You can start a new chat with the prompt above.
- You can create a custom GPT and add the prompt above.
Or, use reasoning models o1, o3-mini, or o3-mini-high models instead GPT-4 or 4o models.
Also, you may provide negative feedback. If GPT-4o keeps using emojis after a no-emoji request, you can click the thumbs-down button and submit feedback to OpenAI. You may ask OpenAI to introduce an “EMOJI TOGGLE” in ChatGPT settings because they are asking “let us know what you think”, so you can share your thought with OpenAI, maybe with some angry emojis 
for no-emoji chats.
Test:
Before custom instruction and after custom instruction:
