How To Use Perplexity

Getting Started (10 seconds)

Go to perplexity.ai - you can start asking questions right away, no signup needed.
Type a question in the search box. Perplexity searches the web in real time and gives you a sourced answer with numbered citations.
Click any source number to verify the information yourself.
Sign up (free) to save your search history and unlock Focus modes - Academic, Writing, Math, and more.

Copy and paste - fill in the brackets.

Research a purchase: "What are the top 5 [product type] in 2026? Compare price, key features, and best use case for each. Include pros and cons."
Fact-check a claim: "Is it true that [claim]? Give me the evidence for and against, with sources."
Catch up on the news: "What happened with [topic] this week? Summarize the key developments and link to primary sources."
Get step-by-step help: "How do I [specific task]? Give me step-by-step instructions with any tools or resources I'll need."
Find academic research: "What does current research say about [topic]? Summarize key findings from peer-reviewed studies published in the last 2 years."

Focus modes change the game. Switch to "Academic" to search only scholarly sources. "Writing" helps with content. "Math" uses computation tools. Don't use the default for everything - pick the right mode for the job.
Keep asking follow-ups. After your first answer, ask deeper questions. Perplexity keeps the context and digs further with each one. It's more like a research conversation than a single search.
Save searches into Collections. Group related searches together to build a research library on any topic. Perfect for ongoing projects where you keep coming back to the same subject.

Creative writing. Perplexity is a research and answer engine, not a writing partner. For drafting content, blog posts, or emails, use ChatGPT or Claude instead.
Taking source quality at face value. Perplexity cites its sources - that's great. But it treats a random blog post the same as a peer-reviewed paper. Always check what the source is, not just that there is one.