Complete guide to Perplexity AI — keyboard shortcuts, Focus modes, search operators, and power-user prompt tips.
Perplexity is a popular AI tool used by professionals worldwide. Learning keyboard shortcuts can dramatically speed up your workflow — studies show shortcut users save an average of 8 days per year compared to mouse-only users.
This page covers all 22 Perplexity shortcuts across 4 categories: Web Shortcuts, Search Operators, Focus Modes, Prompt Tips. Each shortcut includes a description to help you understand when and how to use it effectively.
Quick answer: Perplexity shortcuts — New search: Ctrl+K | Submit: Enter | New thread: Ctrl+Enter | Focus search: / | Focus modes: Web · Academic · YouTube · Reddit · Writing · Math
| Shortcut (Win) | Shortcut (Mac) | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl+K | Cmd+K | Start a new search |
| Enter | Enter | Submit query |
| Ctrl+Enter | Cmd+Enter | Start a new thread (fresh context) |
| / | / | Focus the search input |
Select a Focus mode before searching to restrict where Perplexity retrieves answers from.
| Mode | Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Web | General web | Everyday questions, current events |
| Academic | Research papers, journals | Science, peer-reviewed sources |
| YouTube | YouTube videos | Finding & summarising videos |
| Reddit threads | Community opinions, recommendations | |
| Writing | No web sources | Drafting text without citations |
| Math | Wolfram Alpha + AI | Calculations, equations |
| Operator | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| site: | site:github.com python | Restrict to a specific website |
| "..." | "machine learning" | Exact phrase match |
| -term | python -snake | Exclude a term from results |
| filetype: | resume filetype:pdf | Find specific file types |
| after: | AI news after:2025 | Results after a date |
| Prompt Pattern | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Summarize this URL: [url] | Fetches and summarises any webpage |
| Compare X vs Y | Side-by-side structured comparison |
| What are the latest updates on [topic]? | Real-time web search with citations |
| Explain like I'm 5 | Simplified explanation |
| Give me a step-by-step guide to... | Numbered actionable instructions |
| Cite your sources | Forces Perplexity to list references |
| What do experts say about...? | Filters toward authoritative sources |
Perplexity shortcuts: Ctrl+K (new search), Enter (submit), Ctrl+Enter (new thread), / (focus search bar). Use Cmd instead of Ctrl on Mac.
Click the globe/focus icon before your search to choose: Web (default), Academic (papers), YouTube (videos), Reddit (community), Writing (no citations), Math (calculations).
Supported operators: site:example.com, "exact phrase", -exclude, filetype:pdf, after:2024.
Select Academic focus mode before searching to restrict results to peer-reviewed papers and research publications.
Yes — paste any URL into the search bar and ask "Summarize this". Perplexity will fetch and summarise the page for you.
Start with the essentials: Learn Ctrl + K (New search) and Enter (Submit query) first — these are the most commonly used.
Practice daily: Pick 2–3 new shortcuts each day and consciously use them instead of the mouse. Within a week, they become muscle memory.
Print this cheat sheet: Keep a reference nearby until shortcuts become automatic. Focus on the Web Shortcuts category first.
AI workflow tip: Combine keyboard shortcuts with prompt templates to create a fast, repeatable workflow. Save your best prompts and trigger them instantly.