Extended Thinking
Extended Thinking (also called "reasoning") enables deeper analysis and step-by-step problem solving for complex tasks.
Overview
When enabled, the AI:
- Takes more time to think through problems
- Shows its reasoning process
- Produces more thorough responses
- Handles complex tasks better
Supported Models
Extended Thinking is available on:
| Model | Provider | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| o1-preview | OpenAI | Best reasoning |
| o1-mini | OpenAI | Faster reasoning |
| Claude 3.5 Sonnet | Anthropic | Extended thinking |
| DeepSeek Reasoner | DeepSeek | Reasoning mode |
Enabling Extended Thinking
- Click the brain icon in the chat toolbar
- Select the effort level:
- Off: Normal mode
- Low: Light reasoning
- Medium: Balanced (recommended)
- High: Maximum reasoning
Effort Levels
Low
- Quick analysis
- Simple problems
- Minimal overhead
Medium
- Balanced approach
- Most use cases
- Good cost/benefit ratio
High
- Deep analysis
- Complex problems
- Maximum thoroughness
When to Use
Good For
- Complex coding problems
- Mathematical reasoning
- Multi-step analysis
- Strategic planning
- Debugging difficult issues
Not Needed For
- Simple questions
- Quick lookups
- Casual conversation
- Short responses
Cost Considerations
Extended Thinking uses more tokens:
- Thinking tokens are billed
- Some providers offer cached thinking tokens
- Higher effort = higher cost
Check your model's pricing for thinking tokens.
Viewing Reasoning
When Extended Thinking is enabled:
- The AI's thought process appears
- Reasoning blocks show the analysis
- Final response follows the thinking
Hiding Reasoning
If you prefer concise responses:
- The final answer is always shown
- Reasoning can be collapsed
- Toggle visibility in preferences
Best Practices
Be Specific
Provide clear, detailed problems for best results:
"Analyze this algorithm's time complexity step by step,
considering edge cases and potential optimizations."Allow Time
Extended Thinking takes longer. Be patient for complex problems.
Match Effort to Task
Use higher effort for harder problems, lower for simpler ones.
Troubleshooting
"Thinking Taking Too Long"
- The model is working on a complex problem
- Consider lowering effort level
- Check your network connection
"No Reasoning Shown"
- The model may not support extended thinking
- Ensure the feature is enabled
- Try a different model
"Response Seems Similar"
- Simple problems don't benefit much
- Try a more complex task
- Increase effort level