Use Think mode when the problem needs visible reasoning
Use this when a problem needs checked steps more than a fast answer. Think mode spends extra time on the problem and shows the reasoning trace so you can check every step of the path.
Turn Think on
- Open Grok on grok.com or in the Grok apps.
- Press Think on the composer before you send, if you see it. The Think button comes from xAI's Feb 2025 Grok 3 announcement (x.ai/news/grok-3). Current official pages don't document the control. x.ai/grok describes only "Deep reasoning" and "Step-by-step thinking", and the signed-out mode picker on grok.com lists Auto, Fast, Expert, and Heavy (checked 2026-09-25). Check your own picker after you sign in.
- Ask a problem that benefits from steps: math, multi-constraint planning, debugging, or a puzzle with a checkable answer.
Grok may think for seconds or minutes. Open the reasoning view (often labeled like “read my mind” or a thoughts panel) when you want the intermediate steps.
What to put in the prompt
- State the success check: unit, format, constraints, and what would count as wrong.
- Paste the failing input, error, or exam-style problem in full.
- Ask it to verify the answer against the constraints before it stops.
Leave Think off for short lookups, brainstorming, and anything where latency matters more than a long chain of thought.
Related
- All how-tos: How-to index.
- Gather fresh sources instead: Run DeepSearch when you need a researched answer with sources.
- Give it the full input: Upload a file in a Grok chat and ask about it.
Pitfalls
- Think and DeepSearch solve different jobs. Think reasons harder on what it already has. DeepSearch goes out and gathers pages.
- Availability and rate limits depend on your plan. If Think is missing, update the app or use
grok.com, then check Settings → Usage. - A wrong premise in the prompt still produces a confident wrong path. Fix the givens, then re-run Think.