01 / At a glance
Perplexity in one page
Best for sourced research. Personal plans keep your data for training by default, and opting out only covers data from then on.
| Plans | Standard (free), Pro, Education Pro, Max. Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max for firms. |
|---|---|
| Trains on your chats? | Personal plans: yes, until you opt out. Enterprise: never. |
| Your instructions live in | Avatar > All Settings > Personalization > Custom instructions |
| Instruction limit | No published limit for personal instructions. Project instructions: 8,000 characters. |
| Memory | Settings > Memory |
| Workspaces | Projects (formerly Spaces): sessions, files, instructions, tools |
| Turn off training | Settings > Preferences > Artificial Intelligence > AI Data Retention |
The setup path
Opt out on day one
AI Data Retention is on by default on Free, Pro, and Max. Turning it off only covers new data.
Data already collected for training cannot be deleted. Change the setting before your first real search.
02 / Set it up
Five steps, in order
Do them in this order. Data controls come before anything personal goes in.
perplexity.ai/enterprise
Use Enterprise Pro or Enterprise Max for firm work. Enterprise data is never used for training. Audit logs, SCIM, and custom retention need 50 or more seats, or one Enterprise Max seat.
Settings > Preferences > Artificial Intelligence
Turn off AI Data Retention. Do this before anything else.
Avatar > All Settings > Personalization
Paste your instructions into Custom instructions. Leave optional fields such as date of birth blank.
Sidebar > Projects > Create new
One project per research topic. Projects are private by default and cannot be made public. Instructions can run to 8,000 characters.
Settings > Memory > Manage memories
Clear stale memories. Turning memory off does not clear what is already saved.
03 / The master prompt
Let Perplexity set itself up
Paste this into a new chat. It interviews you, then writes your setup for you.
You are my setup chief of staff for Perplexity. Your job: set Perplexity up so it works the way I work, safely. Work in three stages. Ask one question at a time. Wait for my answer. STAGE 1. INTERVIEW (no more than 10 questions) Ask about: my role and organization, the work I want help with, the five tasks I repeat most, the tools I use every day, how I like answers written (length, tone, format), and what I must never share with an AI tool. STAGE 2. WRITE MY SETUP a) My Custom instructions text. Keep it under 1,500 characters. Write it in plain sentences. Put the most important rules first. b) Three Projects I should create. For each one: a name, its purpose, its instructions, and the files I should add. c) Which connectors (for example Google Drive, SharePoint, Slack) I should connect, and which I should leave off. d) A checklist of the privacy settings I should confirm, with where to find each one in Perplexity. STAGE 3. TEST Give me three test prompts that prove the setup works, and describe what a good answer looks like for each. RULES - Do not invent features. If you are not sure a setting exists in Perplexity today, say so and tell me where to check. - Never ask me for passwords, account numbers, client names, or personal data. If I start to share them, stop me. - Plain language. Short sentences. Tables where they help.
04 / Govern first
Best practices
- Turn off model training before your first real prompt
- Use an approved business tier for firm work, or nothing
- Keep one workspace per recurring task
- Check every number and citation it gives you
- A person signs off before anything leaves the building
- Passwords, API keys, or access tokens
- Client names, account numbers, or holdings
- Material non-public information
- Personal data about staff or members
- Anything under a confidentiality agreement
Specific to Perplexity
- Open every citation it gives you. Sourced does not mean correct.
- Use Incognito for one-off sensitive searches. Sessions expire within 24 hours and memory is always off.
- Connectors are moving to a new Plugins page. If you do not see it yet, use Customize > Connectors.
- Enterprise admins can force Incognito for everyone and restrict connectors by role.
Starter instructions
Prefer to write them yourself? Fill in the brackets, then paste into Avatar > All Settings > Personalization.
About me: I am a [role] at a [type of organization]. I use you for [three main jobs]. How to answer: - Lead with the answer, then the reason. - Keep it short. Use tables for comparisons. - Say plainly when you are unsure, and how I can check. - Cite a source for every number or factual claim. Never: - Invent figures, quotes, or sources. - Give a final legal, tax, or investment decision. Flag it for a person. - Ask me for client names, account numbers, or passwords.
05 / Data and controls
What to check, and where
| Training opt-out | Settings > Preferences > Artificial Intelligence > AI Data Retention. Forward only. |
|---|---|
| Incognito | Sessions expire within 24 hours. Not recoverable. |
| Delete | History > ••• > Delete, or Delete all threads. Cannot be undone. |
| Account deletion | Personal data removed within 30 days. |
| SSO | Enterprise Pro: Organization settings > Identity, with domain verification. |
| Audit and retention | 50 or more seats, or one Enterprise Max seat. Audit logs go to a webhook. |
| Attested | SOC 2 Type II cited for Enterprise. |
06 / Sources
Where every fact comes from
- Which Perplexity plan is right for you
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/11187416-which-perplexity-subscription-plan-is-right-for-you - Data collection at Perplexity
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/11564572-data-collection-at-perplexity - Account settings
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/10352993-account-settings - Memory
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/10968016-memory - What are Projects
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/10352961-what-are-projects - Where did connectors and skills go
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/2026100703-where-did-connectors-and-skills-go - Role-based access for connectors
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/2026100201-role-based-access-control-for-connectors - Incognito mode
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/12639758-incognito-mode-troubleshooting - Self-serve data deletion
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/11564562-self-serve-data-deletion - Data retention
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/10354873-how-long-does-perplexity-retain-my-search-history-profile-data-and-personal-information - SSO integration
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/11200832-sso-integration-getting-started - What is Enterprise Max
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/12310544-what-is-enterprise-max - Audit logs
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/11652747-audit-logs - Data retention for Enterprise
https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/11652701-data-retention-for-enterprise
Settings checked on 29 October 2026. Platforms change their menus often. Follow the source links before relying on a path. This guide is general information. It is not legal, compliance, or investment advice.