Enhance is slow or fails

Enhance runs on your own computer, so its speed depends on your hardware and the model you picked. On the most capable model, a slower computer can take a minute or more. If that's too slow, switch to a smaller model. If Enhance shows an error, choose Try Again.

Why it takes the time it does

While it works, ThatPrompt shows Enhancing your prompt... and a count of the words written so far. The model writes a few words a second. How many depends on:

• The model. The best-quality model is about four times the size of the smallest, and slower to match.
• Your computer. A recent Mac with Apple silicon is the fastest. Older or lower-power laptops, and many Windows machines without a strong graphics card, are slower.
• The first Enhance after starting ThatPrompt. The model loads into memory first, which adds a few seconds. After that it stays loaded.
• Everything else running. Other heavy apps compete for the same memory and processor.

Make it faster

1. Switch to a smaller model. Gemma 3 1B and Qwen3 0.6B are much quicker than Gemma 4 E2B, at some cost in quality.
2. Close memory-heavy apps while you enhance.
3. Keep ThatPrompt running rather than quitting it, so the model stays loaded.

When Enhance shows an error

• A playful message, such as "The llama wandered off" or "This is fine". Something went wrong while the model was writing, or it took longer than two minutes. Choose Try Again. If it keeps happening on long prompts, try a smaller model.
• No local model available. The model isn't installed. Open Settings and pick one under Model. See The model is missing or won't download.

There's no online fallback

Enhance never sends your prompt to a server, even when it's slow. That's what keeps your prompts private. It also means your computer does all the work.