Deep research starts from your question, checks many sources on the web and writes a structured report, with a summary at the top and numbered sources. It usually takes a few minutes and keeps going even if you close the tab.
The number of deep research reports per month depends on the workspace’s plan: see the plans. On the Free plan, you get one deep research report on the house each month: see Your free deep research of the month.
Start deep researchLink to the Start deep research section
- Open the “+” menu › “Deep research” (“A detailed, sourced report”), or type
/. The Ctrl/⌘K palette also offers “Deep research…”.deep-research - Ask your question, with the useful context: country, time period, target audience, things to compare.
- Send. The answer takes the form of a “Moon deep research” card.
What government programs help a small business in France fund energy-efficiency renovations in 2026, what are their conditions and how much do they pay? Compare them in a table.Suggested below an answerLink to the Suggested below an answer section
When your question calls for real research (the state of a market, its main players, an overview, a comparison of offers or tools, recent figures, sources), a card may show up below the answer: “Go deeper with a sourced report”, with how long it usually takes (“Moon searches many sources and writes a sourced report in about … minutes.”) and the “Start deep research” button.
- The button adds another answer to the same question: the research card appears with its estimate, and nothing starts until you click “Start research”.
- The card is never offered for a definition, a translation or a “how do I”, nor below a message with a file or a long pasted text, nor below an answer that is already a deep research report.
- Like the other suggestions below an answer: once per conversation at most, two cards per day at most, and “Do not suggest this again” stops this type of card.
- It is only offered if you have deep research left this month, and never when your organization has turned deep research off.
Before it starts: estimate, details and planLink to the Before it starts: estimate, details and plan section
The card prepares the research first. Nothing starts or counts until you confirm.
The estimateLink to the The estimate section
The card shows:
- the expected duration, for example “About 5 to 15 minutes. You can close this tab and the research will keep going.”;
- the share of your monthly limit it will use, as a percentage;
- the research reports left this month;
- any notes, for example when Moon Blur masked personal data in your question (“The research cannot use it.”).
An estimate that is too old expires: “Estimate again” runs it again.
The detailsLink to the The details section
When the question can be read several ways, Moon asks up to three questions (“A few details to focus the research (optional)”):
- click an answer; click it again to remove it;
- “Add a detail” opens a free-text field, for example “only sources less than two years old”;
- a short detail typed in the message box while the questions are showing is added to the research instead of going out as a new message.
When the question is already precise, Moon doesn’t ask anything.
The planLink to the The plan section
The “Research plan” lists the points the report will cover (“The research will follow these points. You can change them before it starts.”):
- click a point to reword it;
- “Remove point” and “Add a point” change the list (8 points at most);
- “Restore suggested plan” undoes your changes.
The plan is guidance: the report follows it as closely as it can, but may stray from it when the sources call for it. Without a plan, Moon organizes the research itself.
StartLink to the Start section
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| “Start research” | Starts the research with your choices. Until you have chosen anything, the button reads “Skip and start research”. |
| “Start without waiting” | Offered while the questions are coming in: starts the research without them. |
| “Cancel” | Drops the proposal. Sending another message cancels it too. |
| “Answer without deep research” | The conversation’s model answers normally, without deep research. |
The “Notify me when it is done” box is checked by default.
While the research runsLink to the While the research runs section
The card tracks progress (preparing, searching for sources, reading, writing the report), with the elapsed time and the expected time (“Report ready around 10:52 AM”). When the research takes longer than expected, the card shows “Taking longer than usual…”.
- You can close the tab: the report will be in the conversation when it’s done.
- While the research runs, this conversation doesn’t accept other messages. The “Meanwhile, ask another question in a new conversation” link lets you keep working elsewhere.
- Only one deep research task runs at a time.
- “Stop research” asks you to confirm: “The research will stop. What has been written so far is kept, and only the completed part counts.”
Research that runs past 30 minutes is stopped. Research that fails or is interrupted doesn’t count; “Start again” runs it again. Your free deep research of the month follows its own rule: see below.
The reportLink to the The report section
When it’s done, the report replaces the card: headings, a summary at the top, then the sections of the plan. The numbers [1], [2] point to the sources, which open in the “Sources” panel, as with a web search.
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| “Copy report” | Copies the text with its numbered sources. |
| “Download” | “Word document (.docx)”, “PDF document (.pdf)” or “Markdown file (.md)”. |
| “Plan followed” | Shows the points followed and the details you gave (“Your details” when there was no plan). |
The answer’s “More actions” menu offers the same exports and the audio overview, where two voices explain the report. To rework the text, use “Open in editor” (see The editor).
Completion notificationLink to the Completion notification section
With “Notify me when it is done”, you are notified when the report is ready or the research has failed: in the notification bell and, if you turned them on, through a browser or phone notification. See Notifications.
Your free deep research of the monthLink to the Your free deep research of the month section
The Free plan doesn’t include deep research: it gets one deep research report on the house each month. The other plans keep their number of research reports per month.
- Outside your usage limit: the card says so (“Your monthly deep research is free and does not count toward your usage limit.”). You start it like any other, from the “+” menu, the palette or the card suggested below an answer (“Your deep research of the month is offered.”).
- No questions or plan: it starts right away on your question, with no details or plan to choose. Ask a complete question, with its context.
- Counted as soon as it starts: once it has started, it counts for the month, even if stopped along the way, failed or cut off by the time limit. It is only given back if it fails before it begins.
- One per person per month, whatever the workspace. Once used, the card says so: “You have used your free deep research for this month. It resets on …”.
When you have none left, Moon AI may show you the plans that include deep research, once a month at most, if you are the one who chooses the plan. See pricing.
LimitsLink to the Limits section
- Deep research doesn’t count toward your 5-hour session, only toward the weekly and monthly limits. When the weekly or monthly limit isn’t enough, the card says so, with when you can try again.
- When you have used all the research reports your plan includes for the month, the card says so with the date they come back.
- Deep research has its own engine: the model and mode chosen in the conversation make no difference to the research.
- An organization’s rules can turn it off: the “+” menu item is then grayed out, with the reason.