How to Use DeepSeek Search for Current Information

The short version

Turn on Search whenever the right answer could have changed recently. Without it, DeepSeek answers from its training data, which has a cutoff date. With it, DeepSeek looks things up first.

Step by step

1. Click Search in the message box so it’s highlighted.
2. Ask a specific question. Include the place and time frame: “in Ohio”, “this year”, “as of this week”.
3. Ask for sources. Add “List the pages you used, with links.”
4. Open two or three of them. Check that the page actually says what DeepSeek claims, and how recent it is.
5. Switch Search off for writing, rewriting and brainstorming. It doesn’t help there.

When to turn Search on

• News and recent events
• Prices, fees, interest rates and exchange rates
• Opening hours, event dates and travel rules
• New product versions and software changes
• Laws, regulations and deadlines that change from year to year

When to leave it off

• Drafting emails, posts or stories
• Explaining a concept that doesn’t change, like how compound interest works
• Working with a document you uploaded: you want answers from the file, not the web

Prompts to copy

Research with sources:

Using web search, find the current [fee / rule / price] for [thing] in [place].
Give me the answer in one line, then list the sources with links and the date each was published.
If sources disagree, say so.

Compare options:

Search for the current monthly price of [option A], [option B] and [option C] for a team of 5.
Put them in a table with a link to each vendor's own pricing page.

Recent changes:

What changed in [topic] in the last 12 months? Use search, only include changes you can link to,
and keep it to 5 bullet points.

Example

You ask (Search on): “What’s the current sales tax rate in Chicago? Link to an official source.”

A good result: a single rate, a short note on what makes it up, and a link to a city or state government page. You open the link and confirm the number before using it on an invoice.

Mistakes to avoid

• Trusting the summary over the source. AI search can mix up dates, places and versions. Read the page.
• Accepting blog posts as the final word. Ask for official or primary sources: the government, the company, the original study.
• Forgetting to turn it on. Without Search, a confident answer about “current” prices may be out of date.
• Searching for private matters. Your keywords are shared with search providers.

Good to know

DeepSeek’s terms say the outputs may include information and links from third-party websites, and that you’re responsible for judging those sites. For more on checking answers, see fact-check DeepSeek’s answers.

Related: use DeepThink and fact-check DeepSeek’s answers.