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How to Search with Perplexity AI

Tap each step to follow along in order.

  1. Type your question into the search bar

    Open Perplexity on the web or in the app and ask what you want to know as a natural sentence.

  2. Read the answer along with its sources

    Numbered source links appear next to the AI's answer, so you can jump straight to the original material.

  3. Ask follow-up questions to keep the conversation going

    Ask a follow-up question and it factors in the earlier conversation to give a more specific answer.

  4. Narrow your search by source type

    Choosing a source type, such as academic or news, focuses the answer on sources from that specific category -- the exact options can vary by version, so check what's currently available.

  5. Why is this useful?

    Instead of clicking through search results one by one, you get an answer that synthesizes multiple sources along with links to check them, so you can judge the reliability of the information right away.

When you want to know exactly where an answer came from

It's natural to feel uneasy taking an AI-generated answer at face value; being able to click straight through to the cited source next to the answer lets you judge the reliability of the information yourself, rather than trusting the summary alone.

How it's different from a regular search engine

A conventional search engine hands you a list of links and leaves you to read through them yourself, while this kind of AI search engine reads across several sources and hands back a single synthesized answer with citations attached -- useful when you want a direct answer rather than a list to sift through, though it's still worth spot-checking the cited sources on anything important.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it free to use?

Basic search is generally free, while a more capable AI model and higher usage limits are usually reserved for a paid subscription tier.

How is it different from a regular search engine?

A regular search engine returns a list of relevant links, while this kind of tool synthesizes multiple sources into a single answer with citations attached.