Perplexity Brings Portable Computer's Local-First AI to Windows
Perplexity brought its local-first Portable Computer agent to Windows on September 14, 2026, fulfilling the “Windows support coming soon” promise made when the feature first launched on Linux back in August.
Details
- What it is: a Windows version of Portable Computer, the local-first mode of Perplexity’s Computer agent that processes sensitive files and local tools entirely on-device instead of sending them to the cloud
- Hardware requirement: an NVIDIA GeForce RTX or RTX PRO GPU with at least 24GB of VRAM
- Automation: supports scheduled tasks so recurring workflows can run locally without consuming cloud credits
- App connections: integrates with Windows applications via Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, including Gmail, Outlook, Slack, and GitHub
- Optional cloud escalation: users can request live Perplexity Search results or route a task to one of 15+ frontier models when local processing isn’t enough
- Example use cases: invoice reconciliation, pull request analysis, and local document processing
- Availability: live now for Pro and Max subscribers, individual and enterprise, through the existing Perplexity Windows app
What happened next
The Windows launch completes the platform rollout Perplexity outlined when Portable Computer debuted on Linux in August and Hybrid Compute arrived on Mac in September, giving all three major desktop platforms a way to keep AI processing on-device. A day later, Perplexity announced a partnership with HP to pre-load its Windows app — including Portable Computer — starting with the HP ZBook Ultra G3a mobile workstation, extending distribution beyond users who install the app themselves.