Understanding Perplexity AI's Conversational Context

Perplexity AI operates by maintaining context within a conversation thread. When a question is asked, Perplexity considers previous questions and answers within the same thread to inform its response. This allows for natural follow-up questions and deeper exploration of a topic within a single session.

However, this context is specific to each thread. Perplexity remembers the flow and details discussed in that particular conversation to provide relevant, continuous answers.

How to Clear the Current Perplexity AI Context

Clearing the "memory" of the current conversation in Perplexity AI means ending the current thread's context and starting fresh. There is no single "clear memory" button that erases all past interactions globally. Instead, the method involves initiating a new conversation thread.

The standard process to clear the current context and start a new session is to use the interface element designated for starting a new thread. This action discards the context of the previous conversation, allowing for a completely unrelated query without influence from the prior discussion.

Reasons to Start a New Thread

Initiating a new thread, effectively clearing the previous context, is useful in several situations:

• Switching Topics: When moving from discussing one subject (e.g., quantum physics) to another entirely different one (e.g., baking recipes), starting a new thread prevents Perplexity from trying to link unrelated concepts.
• Resetting Bias: If the current conversation has led down a specific path or tangent, starting fresh ensures that subsequent questions receive answers based purely on the new query, uninfluenced by the previous thread's direction.
• Starting Unrelated Research: For distinct research questions, using separate threads helps maintain organization and prevents confusion of context between different subjects.
• Resolving Confusion: If a conversation has become muddled or off-track, beginning a new thread provides a clean slate for a clearer query.

Managing Past Conversation History

While starting a new thread clears the current context, Perplexity typically stores past conversation threads in a history log accessible to the user. This history allows users to revisit previous discussions.

Deleting past conversations from the history is a separate action from clearing the current context. Users can usually manage (view and delete) their historical threads through their account or interface settings, but this does not affect the active conversation thread or prevent context building within a new one. To clear the "memory" for a new query, starting a new thread is the necessary step.