Kimi Projects is a Kimi Chat feature that keeps related chats, reference files, and project-specific instructions together in one persistent workspace. Use a Project when work will continue across several conversations, produce multiple deliverables, or repeatedly depend on the same sources. It is not conventional project-management software for assigning tasks, tracking budgets, or building Gantt charts.
You can access Kimi through the official Kimi website. The current Kimi Projects documentation describes two creation routes: the plus button beside Projects in the sidebar and the New project option in the home Project selector.
The main advantage over a regular chat is reuse. A chat created inside a Project receives the Project instructions and can retrieve relevant information from its uploaded files, so you do not need to re-upload the same reference set or restate permanent working rules for every new output.
Simple rule: use a Kimi Project for ongoing work with reusable context. Use a regular chat for a one-off request that does not need shared files or persistent instructions.
Kimi Projects at a glance
| Area | How Kimi Projects currently work |
|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Organize continuing work around shared files, instructions, and multiple related chats |
| Shared inside a Project | Project instructions and Project files retrieved when relevant |
| Separate chats | You can create a focused chat for each report, presentation, analysis, or other output |
| Outside the Project | Regular chats and other Projects do not receive that Project’s instructions or files |
| Files | Up to 50 files, with a maximum size of 100 MB per file |
| Free allowance | 2 Projects and 500 MB of total Project storage in the current Projects documentation |
| Paid allowance | Up to 20 or 100 Projects and 20 GB or 50 GB of Project storage, depending on the plan |
| Deletion | Deleting a Project permanently removes its chats, files, and instructions from the product interface |
| Kimi Work relationship | Kimi Work desktop Projects are separate and do not share data with Kimi Chat Projects |
When should you use a Kimi Project?
A Project is useful when several pieces of work should follow the same evidence, terminology, or operating rules.
Good uses for a Project
- Ongoing research: keep the same papers, reports, data files, and source rules available across several research questions.
- A content series: maintain one audience definition, style guide, terminology list, and source policy while producing separate articles or campaigns.
- A product launch: use one specification to create an internal briefing, customer FAQ, presentation, landing-page copy, and support material.
- A thesis or course: organize reference material and use separate chats for summaries, outlines, questions, and revisions.
- Recurring analysis: preserve the method and output format while replacing or updating source files over time.
- Technical documentation: keep specifications, code excerpts, terminology, and documentation requirements within one topic boundary.
- Client work: maintain stable audience and formatting instructions while separating each deliverable into its own chat.
When a regular chat is better
- You have one self-contained question.
- You need to summarize one file once.
- The task does not depend on reusable instructions.
- You do not expect to create related outputs later.
- The material is sensitive and should not be uploaded.
- You need traditional project-management functions such as owners, deadlines, budgets, task dependencies, or resource planning.
Creating a Project does not automatically make an answer more accurate. It gives Kimi a clearer context boundary, but the quality still depends on the source files, instructions, selected model, prompt, and human review.
How to create a Kimi Project
- Sign in to Kimi. Open the official Kimi service and use the account in which you want the Project to remain available.
- Open the Project creator. Select the plus button beside Projects in the sidebar, or choose New project from the Project selector on the home page.
- Name the Project. The official documentation currently requires a name between 1 and 50 characters. Use a narrow, descriptive name such as “Q4 Product Launch” rather than “Work.”
- Add optional Project instructions. Enter only rules that should apply across the Project’s chats. You can also add or revise them later.
- Select Create. Kimi opens the Project home page.
- Add the controlling files. Upload the sources that several chats will need, such as a specification, style guide, dataset, glossary, or research report.
- Start the first focused chat. Define one clear deliverable instead of asking one conversation to produce every output for the entire Project.
The Project home page currently uses a three-column layout: the standard navigation on the left, the Project’s chat-starting area and chat list in the center, and collapsible Instructions and Files sections on the right.
You can edit a Project title or pin the Project from its sidebar menu. Before deleting one, download or copy anything you still need. Kimi’s documentation says deletion permanently removes the Project’s chats, files, and instructions and cannot be undone.
How context works inside Kimi Projects
According to the official Projects documentation, a Project chat can receive four context layers:
- The system prompt: Kimi’s underlying operating rules.
- Global Memory: saved information about the user that may apply across conversations.
- Project instructions: durable rules specific to the active Project.
- Project files: relevant files or file sections selected by the model when needed.
Regular chats outside the Project do not receive that Project’s files or instructions. One Project also does not inherit another Project’s files or instructions.
Do all chats in a Project share their complete history?
The official documentation confirms that Project chats share the Project instructions and can use Project files. It does not state that the complete transcript of every other chat is automatically inserted into each new conversation.
Keeping several chats under one Project therefore serves two different purposes:
- It organizes related conversations in one place.
- It gives those conversations access to the same persistent instructions and reference-file collection.
Do not assume that a decision made deep inside Chat A will automatically control Chat B. When another chat must rely on an approved decision, add the decision to the Project instructions, save it in a reviewed handoff file, or restate it in the new chat.
Does Kimi read every Project file in every message?
No. Project files are read on demand. Kimi decides which files appear relevant to the request instead of loading the full text of every uploaded file into every turn.
This design makes larger reference collections possible, but it also means that simply uploading a document does not prove that Kimi used the correct file or section. For evidence-sensitive work, name the controlling file, identify the relevant section, and ask Kimi to show where its answer came from.
How to write effective Project instructions
Project instructions should contain durable rules that should apply to most chats in that Project. They should not become a dumping ground for every temporary request or changing fact.
| Information | Best location |
|---|---|
| Audience, tone, terminology, source rules, and recurring output standards | Project instructions |
| The specific output required from the current conversation | The current chat prompt |
| Product facts, datasets, policies, reports, and source material | Versioned Project files |
| Personal preferences that should apply beyond one Project | Kimi Memory, when appropriate |
| An approved decision from another Project chat | A reviewed handoff file or an update to Project instructions |
Kimi says saved Project instructions take effect from the next message or a new chat. If a response immediately before saving ignored a new rule, send another message or start a fresh Project chat before concluding that the instruction failed.
Copyable Project instruction template
Adapt the following template to your own Project:
PROJECT PURPOSE Support the creation of accurate, evidence-based material for the Acme Analytics product launch. AUDIENCE Write for operations managers who understand business processes but are not software engineers. CONTROLLING SOURCES Treat product-spec-v3.pdf as the current product specification. Treat terminology-guide.md as the approved glossary. If another file conflicts with product-spec-v3.pdf, identify the conflict instead of silently choosing one. SOURCE RULES Use Project files as the primary evidence. Do not invent prices, dates, performance figures, customer claims, legal requirements, or product capabilities. State clearly when the provided sources do not answer a question. When factual precision matters, name the supporting file and section. OUTPUT RULES Use clear international English. Keep paragraphs short. Use descriptive headings. Separate confirmed facts, reasonable inferences, and unresolved questions. Do not publish or finalize a deliverable until I approve the outline. REVIEW Before finishing, check the output against the controlling sources and list any assumptions that still require confirmation.
Instructions like these reduce ambiguity, but they do not guarantee factual accuracy. Review the source use and final output rather than treating the instructions as an automatic safeguard against mistakes.
How to organize files in a Kimi Project
Kimi currently documents support for PDF, DOCX, XLSX, CSV, TXT, Markdown, common code files, and common image formats. Each file can be up to 100 MB, and one Project can contain up to 50 files.
The right-side Files panel includes a capacity indicator. If the Project or account approaches its storage allowance, Kimi may ask you to remove files or upgrade the plan.
Use filenames that reveal authority and version
A Project becomes unreliable when it contains several files called “final,” “new,” or “updated.” Prefer names that identify the subject, version, and date:
product-spec-v3-2026-10-01.pdfapproved-terminology-2026-09.mdcustomer-research-wave-2.xlsxsuperseded-product-spec-v2.pdfproject-source-index.md
A small source-index file can identify the controlling document for each topic, record which files are superseded, and note any known gaps. This is especially useful when a Project approaches the 50-file limit.
Ask for the exact source when accuracy matters
Instead of asking, “What is the cancellation policy?” use a request such as:
Using only customer-terms-2026-09.pdf, identify the cancellation policy and cite the heading or section that supports each point. If the file does not answer part of the question, say so.
Also verify that scanned PDFs contain readable text, that spreadsheets do not hide important sheets or filters, and that appendices have not been omitted. Kimi’s ability to access a file does not guarantee that the file itself is complete or machine-readable.
A practical Kimi Project workflow
The following example shows how to structure a product-launch Project without mixing every output into one long conversation.
- Set a narrow Project boundary. Create one Project for the launch of one product rather than combining unrelated products, clients, or campaigns.
- Add the durable instructions. Define the audience, terminology, source hierarchy, required evidence, and approval process.
- Upload the controlling references. Add the latest specification, glossary, brand guide, research summary, and source index.
- Create Chat 1 for the internal briefing. Ask for an outline first, verify it, and then request the full briefing.
- Create Chat 2 for the customer FAQ. Tell Kimi to answer only questions supported by the current product specification and to flag gaps.
- Create Chat 3 for the presentation. Specify the audience, slide count, message hierarchy, evidence requirements, and desired output.
- Record approved decisions. Save decisions that must govern later outputs in a short reviewed file such as
approved-decisions-2026-10-13.md. - Replace outdated sources carefully. Upload the new version, update the source index, and remove or clearly label the superseded file.
- Run a final consistency check. Ask Kimi to compare the outputs against the controlling sources, then verify the comparison yourself.
This structure keeps each conversation focused while preserving a shared evidence base. It also makes it easier to identify which chat produced which deliverable and which source version controlled it.
Kimi Projects versus regular chats, Memory, and Kimi Work
| Feature | Primary purpose | What persists | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimi Project | Ongoing work with several related chats | Project instructions, reference files, and organized Project chats | Its files and instructions apply only inside that Project |
| Regular Kimi chat | A self-contained conversation or one-off task | The current conversation and any generally available account context | It does not receive a Project’s files or instructions |
| Kimi Memory | Remember user preferences, habits, style, and useful personal context across conversations | Selected memory entries managed through Personalization settings | It is not a replacement for a Project’s source files or task-specific instructions |
| Kimi Work Project | Organize work inside the desktop Work mode, including local-agent workflows | Context associated with the separate Kimi Work environment | Official documentation says Kimi Work Projects and Kimi Chat Projects are not connected and do not share data |
Projects and Memory are not the same
Kimi Memory is intended for information such as preferences, habits, communication style, and recurring personal context. A Project is a bounded workspace for one topic or body of work.
The official Projects page says global Memory can be part of a Project chat’s context. That does not make Memory entries equivalent to Project instructions or files. Use Memory for broad preferences, Project instructions for stable rules within one Project, and files for evidence that may need to be checked or updated.
Kimi Chat Projects and Kimi Work Projects are separate
Kimi Work is the Work mode in Kimi’s desktop client for Mac and Windows. It can work with local folders, tools, browser interactions, and desktop-oriented workflows. Its Projects are not the same as the Kimi Chat Projects covered in this guide, and Kimi states that the two systems do not share data.
For the separate desktop workflow, see our Kimi Work guide; its Projects are not the Chat Projects described here.
What can you use inside a Project chat?
Kimi says Project chats have the same general capabilities as regular Kimi chats while carrying the Project context. The Projects documentation explicitly mentions:
- Project files retrieved when relevant.
- Project-specific instructions.
- Plugins.
- Skills.
- Goal.
- Model selection.
The exact models, tools, and modes visible to you can vary by account, plan, region, and product update. A Project provides the context boundary; it is not itself a model, plugin, Skill, or Agent mode.
Before designing a workflow around a specialized capability, open a Project chat and confirm that the required control is available in your current account. Do not assume that a feature shown in a general Kimi announcement is enabled inside every Project or on every plan.
Kimi Projects limits and plan allowances
The following allowances were shown in Kimi’s official Projects and membership documentation on October 13, 2026:
| Plan | Projects | Total Project storage |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 2 | 500 MB |
| Plus | 20 | 20 GB |
| Pro | 20 | 20 GB |
| Max | 100 | 50 GB |
| Ultra | 100 | 50 GB |
There is a naming inconsistency in the current official documentation. The dedicated Projects page labels the first 20-Project paid tier as Go, while the newer international membership overview lists the current paid plans as Plus, Pro, Max, and Ultra. Both pages show a 20-Project and 20 GB allowance for that position, but the current membership or purchase page should be used for the plan name, price, eligibility, and complete benefits.
Other Project limits, including the number of chats in a Project and the maximum length of Project instructions, may also vary by plan. Kimi does not publish one universal number for them on the current Projects page, so check the limit displayed in your account rather than relying on an unofficial figure.
Project storage is not the same as usage credits
Project count and storage determine how many Project workspaces and uploaded files your plan can hold. They are different from Kimi’s model and Agent usage rules.
The current membership documentation says paid membership features share one usage-credit pool that is metered by actual activity. Therefore, having free Project storage does not mean every model, Agent, plugin, or other capability can be used without its normal account limits.
Can you move, share, duplicate, or export a Kimi Project?
The official Projects page checked on October 13, 2026 does not document controls for:
- Moving an existing regular chat into a Project.
- Moving a chat from one Project to another.
- Duplicating an entire Project.
- Sharing an entire Project with collaborators.
- Assigning Project-level member permissions.
- Exporting a complete Project as one package.
These controls may change as the product develops, so inspect the current Project and chat menus in your account. Do not assume that sharing one conversation, generated file, or output is equivalent to sharing the entire Project with its instructions and reference files.
Are Kimi Projects available on mobile?
Kimi provides mobile applications, but the current dedicated Projects documentation does not specify complete mobile feature parity for creating, editing, moving, sharing, or administering Projects. The web interface is the clearly documented route. Check the current mobile app for the exact controls available to your account instead of assuming that every web Project function is supported.
Privacy and sensitive files in Kimi Projects
A Project may contain a concentrated collection of prompts, business rules, uploaded documents, images, data, and generated outputs. Treat it as a data-handling decision, not merely an organizational convenience.
Before uploading sensitive Project files, review the regional distinctions in our Kimi privacy and safety guide.
Kimi’s Privacy Policy, last updated August 13, 2026, defines User Content as including prompts, audio, images, videos, files, and content entered or generated through the services. It says this information is processed to provide and improve the services, including training and optimizing AI models, with the legal basis depending on the user’s jurisdiction.
The separate Memory documentation says saved Memory is not used for model training. That narrower statement should not be automatically applied to every Project prompt, conversation, or file. Review the current Privacy Policy, account settings, and any applicable organization agreement before uploading confidential material.
If a Project chat uses a plugin or third-party service, the third party may process data under its own privacy policy. Review the permissions and data destination before enabling it.
Project privacy checklist
- Begin with synthetic or non-sensitive material when testing a workflow.
- Remove passwords, API keys, session tokens, payment information, identity documents, and unnecessary personal data.
- Do not upload trade secrets, confidential customer records, regulated information, or private source code without authorization and an appropriate organizational process.
- Review each plugin or third-party tool separately.
- Keep local copies of important source files and finished outputs.
- Check generated claims, calculations, citations, formulas, and code before use.
- Use human approval for legal, medical, financial, security, hiring, publishing, or other high-impact decisions.
- Delete files that are no longer needed, but do not assume interface deletion guarantees immediate removal from every retained system or legally required record.
What happens when you delete a Project?
Kimi’s Projects documentation says Project deletion permanently removes its chats, files, and instructions and cannot be recovered through the product. Save or export anything important before confirming deletion.
The broader Privacy Policy explains that retention periods can vary and that some information may be retained when required for legal, security, dispute-resolution, or other stated purposes. Therefore, permanent removal from the Project interface should not be described as proof of immediate deletion from every backend system.
Common Kimi Projects problems
| Problem | First check | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Projects or New project is missing | Confirm that you are signed in to the intended account and using Kimi Chat rather than Kimi Work | Refresh the current web interface, test another updated browser, and check whether the feature or plan is available to the account |
| You cannot create another Project | Compare the current Project count with the plan allowance | Preserve needed outputs, then delete an unused Project or move to a plan with a higher quota |
| A file will not upload | Check its format, 100 MB individual limit, 50-file limit, and remaining Project storage | Use a supported format, reduce the file size, remove duplicates, or free storage |
| Kimi cannot find an uploaded fact | Confirm that the file appears in the active Project’s Files panel | Name the exact file and section in the prompt, and verify that the document contains readable text |
| Kimi uses an outdated source | Look for duplicate or superseded versions | Remove or clearly rename obsolete files and identify one controlling source in the instructions or source index |
| New instructions appear ignored | Check that the edit was saved | Send a new message or start a new Project chat because saved instructions apply from the next message or new chat |
| A decision from another chat is missing | Do not assume complete cross-chat transcript loading | Move the approved decision into Project instructions or a reviewed handoff file |
| Paid Project capacity is missing | Confirm the active account, subscription, and current plan name | Use Kimi’s membership support route and include a sanitized screenshot and account details |
| A Project was deleted | Confirm that it was deleted rather than merely unpinned or collapsed | The official documentation says deleted Projects cannot be recovered; use any external backups you retained |
For unresolved technical or account problems, use the official Kimi contact page. Kimi also documents an in-product Feedback button on the web interface and a Profile → Help & Feedback → Submit Feedback route in the mobile app.
A useful report includes the exact error, date and timezone, account plan, browser or app version, file type and size, current Project count, remaining storage, reproduction steps, and a screenshot with private information removed. Never send passwords, one-time codes, API keys, session cookies, access tokens, payment-card details, or confidential source documents.
Who should use Kimi Projects?
| Projects are a good fit when | Another workflow may be better when |
|---|---|
| The work continues over several sessions | You have one short, self-contained request |
| Several outputs depend on the same sources | The file or source will be used only once |
| You need stable audience, style, or evidence rules | You need task owners, schedules, budgets, or Gantt charts |
| Separate chats should remain under one subject | You require complete automatic recall of every prior chat transcript |
| You can review and maintain source versions | The material cannot be uploaded under your organization’s policy |
| You want a clear boundary between unrelated work | You need desktop access to local folders through Kimi Work rather than uploaded Project files |
The Free allowance is sufficient for testing the workflow. Create one narrowly defined Project with non-sensitive files, produce two related outputs in separate chats, and verify how accurately Kimi follows the instructions and retrieves evidence before reorganizing important work around the feature.
Frequently asked questions
Are Kimi Projects free?
Yes. Kimi’s current Projects documentation gives Free accounts an allowance of 2 Projects and 500 MB of total Project storage. Model, Agent, and other feature usage can still be subject to the account’s normal limits.
How many files can a Kimi Project contain?
A Project can currently contain up to 50 files, with a maximum size of 100 MB for each file. The total stored across Projects is also limited by the account’s plan.
Do all Kimi Project chats use the same files?
All chats inside the Project can access its uploaded files, but Kimi reads files on demand. It does not load the complete contents of every file into every message.
Can a regular chat access a Project’s files?
No. Kimi’s documentation says Project instructions and files apply only inside that Project. Regular chats and other Projects do not receive them.
Are Project instructions the same as Kimi Memory?
No. Project instructions are durable rules for one Project. Memory stores selected preferences and personal context that may apply across conversations. A Project chat can receive both, but they remain different context layers.
Can I move an existing chat into a Kimi Project?
The official Projects documentation checked on October 13, 2026 does not document moving an existing regular chat into a Project. Inspect the current chat menu in your account because interface capabilities can change, but do not assume the function exists without seeing it.
Can I share an entire Kimi Project?
Whole-Project sharing and collaboration are not documented on the current official Projects page. Sharing one conversation or generated file should not be treated as sharing the Project’s full set of chats, files, and instructions.
Are Kimi Chat Projects and Kimi Work Projects connected?
No. Kimi explicitly says the desktop Kimi Work Projects are separate from Kimi Chat Projects and that the two do not share data.
Can a deleted Kimi Project be recovered?
Kimi’s Projects documentation says deletion permanently removes the Project’s chats, files, and instructions and cannot be undone. Save important material outside the Project before deleting it.
Sources checked
- Official Kimi Projects documentation for creation steps, context behavior, files, deletion, and Project quotas.
- Kimi membership plans overview for current international plan names and paid Project allowances.
- Kimi membership pricing documentation for the current paid-plan structure and billing context.
- Kimi Memory documentation for the distinction between global Memory and Project context.
- Kimi Work documentation for the distinction between Chat Projects and desktop Work-mode Projects.
- Kimi Privacy Policy for User Content, model-improvement, third-party, retention, and security statements.
- Official Kimi support page for current support and in-product feedback routes.
This guide was verified against Kimi’s current official documentation and publicly accessible web interface on October 13, 2026. Account-level controls that were not documented publicly—such as whole-Project sharing, moving existing chats, full export, and complete mobile parity—have not been presented as confirmed features.