Perplexity has updated Computer, its AI agent, so it can run entirely on a Mac with Apple silicon. It is not only the model: the orchestrator that plans and directs each task also runs on the device, and according to Perplexity the system can work without an internet connection.
The fully local mode is available from today for Pro, Max and Enterprise subscribers, through the Perplexity app for Mac. Users download the app, choose the fully local option and pick a model. There are two options: Qwen 3.6, the open model from Alibaba, or PPLX Pro, a version of Qwen post-trained by Perplexity for use with Computer. Perplexity has not disclosed parameter counts, context window or benchmark results for either configuration.
Perplexity Computer
The heaviest requirement is memory. Perplexity recommends 36GB of RAM or more and a recent Mac with Apple silicon. According to outlets covering the announcement, this excludes base-configuration machines and narrows the audience to owners of more powerful Macs. In this mode, planning, reasoning and file processing happen on the Mac, while code and tool execution run in isolated sandbox environments.
Computer can work with native Mac apps such as Notes, Messages, Mail, Keynote and Numbers without sending personal data to the cloud. One example Perplexity gives: with access to Notes and Mail, the agent can generate a priority to-do list without email content leaving the computer. No file reaches the cloud without the user's approval.
The local mode is not cut off from the rest of the service, however. If a task needs current information, browser use or cloud-connected apps, the user can authorize cloud access and decide when to spend credits. There is also an option to call one of more than 15 frontier models for the toughest problems.
Perplexity Personal Computer: Local and Always-On AI on Mac Mini | Idlen
Hybrid Compute remains for less powerful Macs
Users without a powerful enough machine can use Hybrid Compute, the mode introduced in September that splits each task between frontier models in the cloud and local models. Perplexity says Hybrid Compute works on Macs with as little as 24GB of memory. The full local mode, by contrast, targets those with more RAM who want sensitive data to stay entirely on the machine.
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