There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

The direct answer is above the fold; the reasoning underneath is there for when the direct answer does not fit your situation.

The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here. Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of GTA Online. If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on.

Worth knowing alongside this

The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively.

Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have.

When the usual advice fails

Everything below is framed around the current state of GTA Online rather than a launch-week impression. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work.

  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Prefer the in-game option over an external tool when both exist.
  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.
  • Try the straightforward approach before the elaborate one.
  • Keep a save or backup from before you start — it costs nothing and occasionally saves an evening.

The practical answer

Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see.

Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional. The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different.

What to do instead

The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over. GTA Online is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look.

The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters.

Why it works this way

There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep.

Where people go wrong

  • Grinding a method that was patched months ago because a thread still ranks well.
  • Treating a rare edge case as the normal behaviour and planning around it.
  • Trusting a video thumbnail that promises a result the video never actually shows.
  • Copying a setup wholesale from a streamer without understanding what each part does.

GTA Online FAQ

Is this still accurate after the latest GTA Online update?

The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.

Why do other guides describe this differently?

Most were written for an earlier version and never revisited. Compare the steps against what your build actually shows.

Do I need any mods or third-party tools for this?

No. Everything described here works with the base game on any supported platform.

Is there a faster method?

Sometimes, at the cost of reliability. Where that trade exists it is described rather than recommended blindly.

Bookmark it if you like, but honestly, once you have done it once you will not need to come back.