Perplexity: Top Tips & Tricks

Leverage Contextual Memory

·        Perplexity remembers your conversation history, enabling natural follow-up questions without needing to restate context. For instance, you can start broadly (“What is the SOLID principle?”) and then follow up specifically (“Explain the ‘S’ in SOLID”)^[1][2].

Utilize Focus Modes

·        Perplexity offers specialized “Focus Modes” to refine searches:

o   Web: General internet searches.

o   Academic: Scholarly articles and peer-reviewed research.

o   Social: Real-time discussions from social media and forums.

o   Video: Summaries and key points from video platforms like YouTube.

o   Writing: Optimized for creative writing, coding, brainstorming.

o   Math: Mathematical computations powered by Wolfram Alpha^[1][3].

Use Advanced Search Modifiers

·        Enhance precision with modifiers:

o   site: limits searches to specific websites.

o   before: and after: restrict results to certain date ranges.

o   filetype: filters results by file format (e.g., PDF)^[3].

Attach and Summarize Files

·        You can upload PDFs or other files directly to Perplexity to summarize key points or extract specific information quickly. Follow-up questions can further explore details such as methodologies or findings^[4][5].

Explore Related Questions

·        At the end of each response, Perplexity suggests related queries. These can help you dive deeper into topics or spark new ideas you hadn’t initially considered^[1][3][6].

Organize Research with Collections and Pages

·        “Collections” allow organizing searches into customizable groups for better planning and collaboration^[6][5].

·        “Pages” (for Pro users) compile insights into organized documents, ideal for managing large projects or multiple topics^[4].

Stay Updated with Real-Time Information

·        Perplexity searches the web in real-time, making it ideal for tracking fast-moving topics such as current news, stock market trends, or ongoing events^[2][7].

Use Pro Search for Deep Research

·        Free users receive limited daily Pro Searches, designed for deeper research tasks. Activate this feature when needing comprehensive results^[1].

Experiment with Keywords and Queries

·        Start broadly to gain a general overview, then narrow down queries with specific keywords or phrases for more accurate results. Clearly specifying timelines (“papers published in 2023”) ensures you receive current information^[4].

Analyze Visual Data

·        Upload images or graphs to have Perplexity interpret complex visual data. Follow-up queries help clarify context further^[4].

Utilize Incognito Mode

·        For one-off conversations or sensitive queries, use Incognito Mode. It doesn’t save your conversation history, keeping your dashboard clean^[1].

Create a Personalized Profile

·        Setting up a free account allows customization of preferences and enhanced features like sharing collections and revisiting past searches through the Library tab^[8][6].

By incorporating these tips into your workflow, you can significantly enhance your experience with Perplexity AI, maximizing efficiency, accuracy, and depth in your research tasks.

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1.    https://learnprompting.org/blog/guide-perplexity    

2.    https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/getting-started-with-perplexity 

3.    https://creatoreconomy.so/p/perplexity-the-best-free-ai-tool  

4.    https://felloai.com/2024/11/mastering-research-with-perplexity-ai-tips-features-and-best-practices/   

5.    https://www.jeffsu.org/perplexity-a-comprehensive-guide/ 

6.    https://businesslibrary.uflib.ufl.edu/perplexitytips  

7.    https://www.promptzone.com/damonwho/10-surprising-tricks-you-can-do-with-perplexity-ai-2g6c

8.      https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tutorial/How-to-use-Perplexity-AI-Tutorial-pros-and-cons