Can my Mac run Perplexity Computer locally?

1What Perplexity announced

Perplexity Computer is Perplexity's agent that carries out tasks across your apps and files. On 20 October 2026 Perplexity said it can now run fully local on supported Apple silicon Macs, "making it possible to run the AI model, harness, and task execution entirely on device". Planning, reasoning and file processing then stay on the Mac, and code and tools run in isolated sandboxes. It's for Perplexity Pro, Max and Enterprise subscribers, and it can still hand a task to the cloud when you allow it (Perplexity).

Two local models come with it: Qwen 3.6 and PPLX Pro, which Perplexity describes as a post-trained version of Qwen. Its own example of a supported Mac is the new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro (Perplexity). 9to5Mac and AppleInsider covered the launch.

2Why 36 GB, and which Macs have it

For running Computer locally, Perplexity writes, "36 GB or more is recommended". That covers the model, its context and the agent around it; Perplexity doesn't break the figure down, and it's a recommendation, not a hard limit (Perplexity).

Older Macs count too: the M1 Max with 64 GB, the M2 Max with 64 or 96 GB, and every M1, M2 and M3 Ultra. Every Mac with a base M chip, and the M1 Pro and M2 Pro, top out at 32 GB or less.

3What the GPU actually gets

A Mac's memory is shared by the CPU and the GPU, and macOS lets the GPU use only part of it by default. Our Compare page counts about 75%: about 27 GB for a model and its context on a 36 GB Mac, about 36 GB on a 48 GB Mac and about 24 GB on a 32 GB Mac. mlx-lm's README shows how to raise the limit on macOS 15 or later (mlx-lm), but macOS and your other apps still need room.

Perplexity hasn't said which size of Qwen 3.6 the local mode uses. The one it benchmarked on a Mac in September is Qwen3.6-35B-A3B: 35 billion parameters with about 3 billion active per token, a 19.4 GB 4-bit checkpoint, and 186.6 tokens a second at a 4K context on an M5 Max MacBook Pro with 128 GB, using Perplexity's own Lily engine (Perplexity).

Our own arithmetic for that model at 4-bit, 19.7 GB with MLX's scales, agrees on the size: it fits a 32 GB Mac with a little room left, fits a 36 GB Mac comfortably, and fits a 24 GB Mac only at 3-bit or with the GPU limit raised. See Qwen3.6 35B A3B on every Mac.

4If your Mac has 24 or 32 GB

Since 36 GB is a recommendation, you may still be able to try it, but expect less room for long tasks next to your other apps. Local AI in general still works well at these sizes: see what a 32 GB Mac runs, what a 24 GB Mac runs and the Mac mini with M6.

If you're buying for it, a Pro chip with 48 GB gets you past the recommendation, for example the Mac mini with M5 Pro or an M4 Pro with 48 GB. A Max chip starts at 36 GB and reads memory faster, which makes models write faster. Compare 36 GB and 48 GB Macs, or read the best Mac for local LLMs.

5Other ways to use AI on your own Mac

Perplexity Computer is one way to run an agent locally. MLX Harness is our free, open-source Mac app for chat, coding agents with built-in tools and a local API, running open models with Apple's MLX (how to use it). The best apps to run LLMs on a Mac compares it with LM Studio, Ollama and others.

A Mac with this much memory is also idle most of the day. MLX Node runs AI jobs for MLX Network when you're not using it, within the limits you set, and earns MLX Tokens for verified work. MLX Tokens can lose value; read the risks. MLX Network is independent and not affiliated with Perplexity or Apple.

6Questions

Does Perplexity Computer work offline on a Mac?

Perplexity says the model, harness and task execution can run entirely on the device, so personal data stays on the Mac, and 9to5Mac reports that tasks can run without an internet connection (Perplexity, 9to5Mac). It can still hand a task to the cloud when you allow it.

Is 32 GB enough for Perplexity Computer?

It's below Perplexity's recommendation of 36 GB or more. It's a recommendation rather than a hard minimum, so a 32 GB Mac may still run it, with less room for the agent's work next to your other apps.

What is PPLX Pro?

One of the two models Perplexity Computer can run locally, which Perplexity describes as a post-trained version of Qwen. Perplexity hasn't published its size.

Which Mac mini can run Perplexity Computer locally?

The Mac mini with M5 Pro, ordered with 48 or 64 GB, meets the 36 GB recommendation. The Mac mini with M6 tops out at 32 GB (Apple).

Do I need a Perplexity subscription?

Yes. The local mode is for Perplexity Pro, Max and Enterprise subscribers (Perplexity).