Perplexity is expanding its push into local AI assistants with the wider release of Personal Computer, a desktop feature that’s now available to all Mac users through the company’s new Mac app.
Personal Computer is Perplexity’s answer to the growing interest in local AI agents that can actually do work for you, not just chat. It builds on the company’s broader “Perplexity Computer” concept by bringing those agent-style capabilities onto your own device, where your day-to-day tasks and files already live. In other words, instead of relying on a cloud-only assistant, Personal Computer is designed to help an AI agent work directly within your Mac environment.
So what can it do? Personal Computer is built to handle personal, multi-step workflows by giving AI agents controlled access to things you use every day: local files, native Mac apps, web tools, and a large set of integrations. Perplexity says the system can coordinate tools and files, tap into more than 400 connectors, and use your personal context to complete tasks more efficiently. While it runs with support from a secure development environment on Perplexity’s servers, the intent is to make the assistant feel like it’s operating from your machine, across the apps you already depend on.
The promise here is a more capable and more practical AI assistant for real work. Perplexity positions Personal Computer as a safer approach to the local-agent trend, especially compared with earlier tools that drew criticism for requiring broad, high-risk permissions. The company’s claim is that this approach offers a more secure AI-enabled computing experience while still delivering the convenience of automation.
Personal Computer was introduced last month, but access was limited, tied to a waitlist, and aimed at higher-tier subscribers. Now, any Mac user can download the new Perplexity Mac app and try it out. That said, Personal Computer itself still requires a paid plan, specifically a Pro or Max subscription.
At launch, Personal Computer can work with files on your Mac, interact with native applications, and browse or take actions on the web. It’s designed for tasks that usually require jumping between tools, such as comparing files created in different apps or pulling notes from one place to produce a draft somewhere else. Perplexity also highlights use cases like spreadsheets, documents, and complex projects that involve multiple materials spread across different apps.
For users who want even deeper web-based automation, Perplexity says Personal Computer can also be paired with its Comet browser. With that setup, the agent can operate certain web tools even without needing direct connectors.
Another notable angle is always-on use. Perplexity is positioning Personal Computer as something that can run autonomous agents on a device like a Mac mini, staying active and ready. It can also be accessed remotely from an iPhone, allowing you to start tasks on the go or approve requests when the agent needs permission to proceed.
With Personal Computer moving into general availability, Perplexity says its older Mac app will be phased out in the coming weeks as the company shifts focus entirely to the new app experience. For now, the updated Mac app is only available via direct download and isn’t offered through the Mac App Store.
