Perplexity adds fully local Computer mode for Macs

Perplexity said its Computer AI software can now operate entirely on supported Apple silicon Macs, handling models and tasks on the device. The local option is available through its Mac app to subscribers on the Pro, Max and Enterprise plans.

Users can run Qwen 3.6 or PPLX Pro, which Perplexity describes as a post-trained version of Qwen. The company recommends at least 36GB of memory. Planning, reasoning and file processing stay on the Mac, while code and tools execute within isolated sandboxes.

According to Perplexity, Computer can perform tasks through native Mac applications without transferring personal data to the cloud. Supported apps include Notes, Messages, Mail, Keynote and Numbers.

Local operation does not rule out optional cloud access. Users can approve connections when tasks need up-to-date information, a browser or cloud-connected applications, and control when credits are spent. They can also request help from more than 15 frontier models for harder tasks.

Perplexity also offers Hybrid Compute for users whose Macs cannot handle fully local processing. It pairs cloud-based frontier models with local models for private information processing, the company said, and supports Macs with as little as 24GB of memory.