How to Use Perplexity Projects (Formerly Spaces) for Ongoing Research

The short version

A Project is a folder for your Perplexity research that also gives it standing instructions. It keeps related sessions and files together, and everything you ask inside it uses the Project’s instructions and sources. Set it up once per client, course or long-running topic.

Step by step

1. Create the Project. Select Projects in the left sidebar, then New project. Give it a clear title (up to 50 characters), like “Client: Lakeside Dental” or “Kitchen remodel”.
2. Add a description if it helps you or collaborators (optional).
3. Write instructions in the Project’s settings, up to 8,000 characters: who it’s for, tone, format, what to always include.
4. Add files: briefs, price lists, notes or past reports. You can upload single files or whole folders.
5. Add web links and domains to prioritize, such as your industry’s regulator or your competitors’ sites.
6. Search inside the Project. New sessions there use its instructions, files and sources.
7. Invite people with Share if you work with others. Choose whether each person can edit or only view.

You can also turn an existing session into a Project, and Perplexity will suggest a title, description and instructions based on it.

Instructions to copy

Client research:

This Project is for research about [client], a [business type] in [city].
Prioritize the linked websites and the files here. Answer in short bullets with sources.
Flag anything that contradicts the client's brief.

A home project:

I'm planning [project] with a budget of [amount] in [state].
Always include costs, permit requirements and a source for each.
Compare any quote I upload against typical local prices.

A course:

Use the syllabus and lecture notes in this Project first, then the web.
Explain at an undergraduate level and link one academic source per answer.

Example

A real estate agent creates a Project called “Riverside listings”. She adds her market notes and the county’s property records site as a domain to prioritize, and writes: “Answer for home buyers; include sources.” Every question she asks there, like “What did 3-bedroom homes in Riverside sell for this summer?”, starts with that context.

Mistakes to avoid

• One Project for everything. Separate Projects keep answers focused.
• Stale files. If your price list changes, replace the file. Files added from a connected app are one-time copies and don’t update on their own.
• Over-sharing. Viewers can read the Project’s shared sessions and files. Invite only who needs them.

Good to know

Projects are private by default, and on personal accounts they can’t be shared with anyone you haven’t invited. A personal Project can have up to 5 contributors; verified students, educators and organization owners get a much higher limit.

Related: upload files to Perplexity and research competitors with Perplexity.