The Bing Chat tool is Microsoft's AI-powered virtual assistant to answer questions, create AI images with DALL-E 3, write stories, and more. This article explains what's needed to set up the Bing AI tool on a Mac and offers some tips for using the Bing Chat interface.
Bing AI is free to use and doesn't require the installation of any apps, though the Microsoft Edge web browser does provide the best experience. Edge for macOS is available to install for free.
On your Mac, open the Microsoft Edge web browser, go to the Bing.com website, and sign into your account. Signing into your account is optional, but using Bing AI without logging in will limit you to 10 requests, while using your Microsoft account grants you 30 Bing Chat interactions.
You can use Bing AI with another browser app, such as Safari or Chrome, but your conversations will be limited to around five requests. Using Bing AI in Edge can unlock up to 30 requests per conversation.
Click theBing Chaticon to the right of the search bar.
Alternatively, you can also access the Bing Chat screen by visiting Bing.com/chat.
You're now ready to use the AI-powered Bing Chat feature on your Mac.
Now that you've set everything up, you can use the Bing Chat tool to perform various tasks. Here's a quick introduction to some of the basic Bing AI settings and features on a Mac.
Choose a conversation style. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see three conversation styles.Creativeis a more casual and fun conversational style with a healthy dose of emoji whilePreciseis more formal and business-like, with zero emoji used in the Bing Chat responses.Balancedis a mix of semi-formal and casual dialog with the occasional emoji.
New topic. Select this button to clear the current conversation and start again.
It's worth clearing a Bing Chat conversation before changing the topic or task, as each conversation limits how many requests you can make.
Recent activity. In the upper-right corner of the screen, you should see a list of your previous Bing Chat conversations. Select a conversation to view it, or hover your mouse over it and select the trash can icon to delete it.
Your recent activity is only viewable if you're logged in with your Microsoft account. Chat history syncs between devices that use the same account.
Feedback. Select this option in the lower-right corner of the screen to provide feedback to Microsoft on your Bing Chat experience.
Add an image. Select this small square icon in the lower-left of the text field to upload an image and ask Bing Chat questions about it.
Use microphone. Select the microphone icon in the lower-right corner of the text field to speak directly to Bing AI with your Mac's mic or headset.
Ask me anything. Click the text fieldAsk me anything, type your question or request, click theSubmiticon, or pressEnter. Bing AI should respond immediately.
Your requests can be as brief or complex as you like. Ask "What can you do?" to get a list of suggestions, say "Create an image of..." to make an image using DALL-E 3 AI technology, or tell Bing Chat to write you a story, poem, or recipe.
There is no app to install as you access this via a web browser. Chat does remove some limitations when used in Microsoft's Edge web browser. If you're planning on using Bing a lot, it may be worth installing Microsoft Edge.
You don't need to install an app to use Bing Chat. While there are a growing number of Bing Chat apps designed for Macs, they are unofficial and aren't needed at all.