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Is Perplexity private? What it keeps, and the setting that decides training

September 27, 2026

Partly. Per Perplexity's own help centre, AI data retention is switched on by default for Free, Pro and Max users, which means your searches can be used to improve its models until you turn it off in settings. Threads stay in your history until you delete them. Incognito threads stay out of your history and, per several 2026 reviews, expire within 24 hours. Enterprise data is never used for training. If you want a conversation with no transcript kept, that is what nixm is for.

The short answer

Perplexity is an answer engine: you ask, it searches and writes a sourced reply. Because people use it like a search box, they often type things they would search privately: health questions, money, legal worries. Perplexity's defaults treat those queries the way most consumer AI tools do. They are kept and, unless you change one setting, used to improve the product.

The setting that decides training

Perplexity's help centre is direct about it. For Free, Pro and Max users, AI data retention is enabled by default, and some data may be used to train its models and improve search quality unless you opt out in your account settings. The switch is under Settings, then Preferences. Turning it off applies going forward only. Anything already used cannot be pulled back out of a trained model.

What Perplexity keeps

When you are signed in, your threads are saved to your account history until you delete them. Signed-out threads are anonymous and, per 2026 reviews, kept on a shorter clock of around 14 days. Deleting a thread removes it from your history; deleting your account through Perplexity's data request process removes account data within about 30 days, per the same reviews.

Incognito

Incognito threads stay out of your history and out of Perplexity's memory feature, and multiple 2026 reviews report that they expire within 24 hours. That makes Incognito the most private mode inside Perplexity. It is still a query processed on Perplexity's servers to produce an answer, and it is not described as encrypted.

The 2026 lawsuit

In April 2026 a proposed class action was filed alleging that Perplexity shared users' conversations with Meta and Google through tracking software, including in Incognito mode. That is an allegation, not a finding: Perplexity has denied it, and nothing has been proven in court. It is worth knowing about, and worth watching.

Enterprise and the API are different

Per Perplexity, Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max data is never used to train its models, uploaded files are kept for 7 days, and larger organisations can set their own retention. The Sonar API runs under zero data retention. The same company sells a much more private product; the consumer defaults just are not it. On a work account, remember that your employer's admins control retention, the same split covered in what ChatGPT enterprise admins can see.

So is Perplexity private?

With AI data retention off and Incognito for anything sensitive, Perplexity's consumer footprint gets small. With default settings, your searches are stored and used for training. How it compares with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and the rest is in what each AI chatbot keeps, and the general limits of switching things off are in using AI without it remembering you.

Where nixm fits

nixm is not a search engine. It is a place to think a question through with an AI that thinks back. nixm doesn't keep a transcript. A distilled log of the session stays with the signal for seven days, then dissolves, along with any images you uploaded. Nothing you type is used for training, and there is no setting to remember.

frequently asked

Is Perplexity private?

Partly. On Free, Pro and Max, AI data retention is on by default, so searches can be used to train its models until you switch it off. Threads stay in your history until you delete them.

How do I stop Perplexity training on my searches?

Turn off AI data retention under Settings, then Preferences. It applies from then on; data already used for training cannot be removed from a trained model.

Is Perplexity Incognito private?

It is the most private mode in Perplexity: threads stay out of your history and memory and, per 2026 reviews, expire within 24 hours. Queries are still processed on Perplexity's servers.

What is the Perplexity privacy lawsuit about?

A proposed class action filed in April 2026 alleges that Perplexity shared conversations with Meta and Google through tracking software, including in Incognito mode. Perplexity denies it, and nothing has been proven.

Is Perplexity Enterprise more private?

Yes. Per Perplexity, Enterprise data is never used for training, uploaded files are kept for 7 days, and larger organisations can set custom retention.

Does Perplexity save searches when I am not logged in?

Signed-out threads are anonymous and, per 2026 reviews, deleted after about 14 days.

Can I try nixm without an account?

Yes. Open nixm.ai and seed a signal, with no sign-up and no transcript kept.

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