How To Use Perplexity AI: A Step-by-Step Guide with Visuals

Perplexity AI is one of the best AI search engines that is able to answer any questions in real-time. AI search engines are now transforming the way of traditional searches. You can enjoy a more personalized search experience with this tool.

However, it can daunting to get through all the features of this great AI tool at once.

So, in this helpful guide, we will reveal how to use Perplexity AI easily and show some of its use cases!

How to Use Perplexity AI? Comprehensive Guidelines

In this section, you’ll find everything that you’ll need to know about using Perplexity AI and more! Let’s learn the process in details! 

Step 1: Getting Started with Perplexity AI 

For any newcomer to Perplexity AI, there’s no need to create an account. You can just go to the official Perplexity AI website and start asking your queries. 

However, it’s best to have an account so that you can save your chat history and customize the interface.

Here’s how you can create your free account on Perplexity AI:

That’s how easy it is to create an account on Perplexity AI! 

At the lower-left corner of your screen, you will find a Download button. You can use this download link to add it to your Android device or iPhone. You can also integrate Perplexity AI to your Chrome browser as an extension. 

Now, let’s check how to ask queries to Perplexity AI. 

Step 2: Choose Your Preferred Chatting Mode

You have a total of 6 different focus modes of chatting with the AI model when you click on the Focus button. Web, Academic, Math, Writing, Video, and Social are the six categories you can choose from to begin your conversation. You can also attach 3 PDFs per day freely to assess, summarize, or converse with if you want.

Step 3: Ask Your Queries

Now, it’s time to finally write your prompt. Perplexity AI lets you ask any queries in two different ways: 

But in both cases, you will get the same type of answers. 

Let's ask Perplexity AI a question!

You can start with a very basic one such as “What is Dorik AI?” (Dorik AI is the best AI website builder in the market. It lets you create a website with AI in seconds)

Here’s what Perplexity AI will provide you:

Compared to popular search results, Perplexity AI showcases both a written statement as well as videos for you to understand the answer easily.

Related Read: How to Use Gemini AI

Step 4: Customize Your Search from Collection

You can add search threads to your collection and save them for future use from the Library section.

To create a collection, you have to add a title to distinguish it from other threads. You can also add emoji, description, and AI prompt. 

Tips & Tricks to Make Perplexity AI More Useful!

Now, we'll share some tips so that you can take the full advantages from Perplexity AI. 

1. Learn More from Related Searches

Let’s take the previous “search engines other than google” search query as an example. Here, whenever the AI finishes answering your queries, it also shows some of the related searches at the bottom.

From here, you can learn more about what you were searching for and customize your queries.

2. Edit Your Queries

See that small button at the end of the AI’s response? That’s the edit query button which can be used anytime after entering the prompt to change the query to something else!

Because sometimes you can search with the wrong keyword and this customization option can help you to undo that mistake!

3. Share Instantly

Want to share your incredible find from Perplexity AI with others? Just click on the Share button and a shareable link will be automatically copied! There’s also a secret share option which allows only you to view the link.

Moreover, you can share to Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter from Perplexity AI instantly! 

4. Go Incognito

If you are logged in with your Perplexity AI account, then all of your search queries will be automatically saved. However, if you don’t want to save some specific queries, then you can quickly choose the incognito mode from the bottom-left side to go anonymous!

This great feature lets you search freely without leaving any traces behind.

What Should You Use Perplexity AI for? 

From researching to solving difficult equations, the power of Perplexity AI is almost limitless! Here are some of the use cases of Perplexity AI in the real-world scenarios:

1. Search Videos

Perplexity lets users choose a different focus for your sources, you can find great video sources instantly. Moreover, the AI model also provides you with a summarized version of your query. Here, I’ve used a simple prompt, “Is Dorik AI a good website builder?”

Here’s what I got as a response from Perplexity AI:

The AI has provided me with great video references as well as written answers so I can cross-check the information easily. 

2. Solve Complicated Math Equations

Fear of Maths overcomes your nerves at any given moment? With Perplexity AI, break down your fear and math problems into smaller pieces! Here’s a problem of probability that Perplexity solves you in a second:

Question: 5 cards are drawn successively from a well-shuffled pack of 52 cards with replacement. Determine the probability that all five cards should be spades.

See? That’s how easy it is to get a math problem solved by Perplexity!

3. Create Unique Blogs

You can create a blog using Perplexity AI. But there are major drawbacks to creating a full article with AI. However, the line between AI-written and human-written content is getting blurrier. 

Let’s take a prompt example with Perplexity AI’s writing focus: 

Suppose you're an expert technical content writer, specialized in AI content & web development. With your conversational writing style, prepare SEO-optimized content on 'How to Create a Website AI' within 1000 words.

Here’s the basic result we got:

Now, with a bit of editing, it can be reformed into very well-researched content easily! So, there’s definitely room for AI-written content to rule the world in the future.

Related Read: How to Write a Blog Post

4. Summarize Your Documents

As Perplexity AI lets you freely upload 3 documents and summarize them, you can definitely utilize this feature to prepare any academic essays. 

Are there any Limitations of Perplexity AI?

Let’s look at the constraints to be aware of when using Perplexity AI:

Relevant Read: Limitations of Artificial Intelligence

FAQs on How to use Perplexity AI, Answered

What is Perplexity AI?

Perplexity AI is one of the best AI search engines that can answer any questions with source links. It's more like using Bing AI, Gemini AI, and using ChatGPT. 

You can think of it as an all-in-one tool for any search-related needs! Whether it’s basic queries, academics, or videos, Perplexity AI focuses more on search results and summaries.

Now, it has access to GPT-4, Claude 3.5, and the Experimental Perplexity Model to offer quicker, informational, ethical, and helpful answers. 

That’s why when you search for something with Perplexity, the results provide a quick answer with multiple strong references for you to verify!

Related Read: How to use CoPilot AI?

How do I access Perplexity AI?

To access Perplexity AI, you just need to visit its official website. From there, you can use Perplexity AI easily. Plus, you can sign up to have a personalized search experience. 

Is Perplexity AI safe?

Yes, Perplexity AI is safe. You can use this AI tool without any tension. 

Can I use Perplexity for free?

Yes, you can use the free version of Perplexity AI at no cost. However, it also has a paid version where you can upload unlimited files, generate images and use other advanced AI models.

Can Perplexity AI Generate Images?

Yes, Perplexity AI can generate images, but it's not available in the free version. You have to upgrade to its premium plan to generate images.

Related Read: Best AI Image Generators 

Final Words

Now, you know how to use Perplexity AI. You can use it for different purposes, but mostly it can be considered as an AI search engine. This tool provides reliable information. 

From helping you to reduce your workload to brainstorming content, the usage of Perplexity can be endless. Hence, follow a good prompt pattern, converse regularly with the tool and get the best results!