> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.vlex.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.vlex.com/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/projects/projects-collections-and-persistent-memory-which-to-use.md).

# Projects, Collections, and Persistent Memory: Which to Use

Vincent holds context in three ways. Learn what a Project, a Collection, and persistent memory each do, and which one the task in front of you needs.

#### Summary

Vincent holds context in three different ways. This guide explains what a Project, a Collection, and persistent memory each do, so you can tell which one your task needs.

### Why This is Important

All three keep you from repeating yourself, which makes them easy to confuse. They differ in one respect that decides everything else: who the context belongs to.

A Collection is a set of documents. Persistent memory is yours. A Project is the team's.

### How They Differ

| <p><br></p>                     | **Collection**                                      | **Persistent memory**                                        | **Project**                                                               |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| What it holds                   | Documents you group for analysis                    | What Vincent retains about your work across sessions         | Files, conversations, outputs, tasks, matter details, and an activity log |
| Who it belongs to               | You, or your organisation if you set it that way    | You alone                                                    | The members you invite, each with a role                                  |
| Visible in the Collections list | Yes                                                 | Not applicable                                               | No, a Project's files are held internally                                 |
| Use it when                     | You need Vincent to read a defined set of documents | You want your own preferences and prior work carried forward | A team is working the same matter or programme                            |

### Which to Choose

* **One person, one set of documents, one analysis.** Use a Collection.
* **Several people, one matter or programme, work that continues over time.** Use a Project.
* **You are not choosing. Persistent memory is not something you set up.** It works across your own use of Vincent, including inside Projects.

### What Does Not Move Between Them

* A Project's files are held in a collection behind the scenes, but that collection is internal. It does not appear in your Collections list.
* A Project's document set cannot be copied out to a Collection.
* A Collection cannot be turned into a Project.
* Inside a Project, Vincent's context is the files plus the matter summary or project instructions. It does not carry context from one conversation in the Project to another.

### Best Practices & Pro Tips

Start in a Project if there is any chance a second person will join. Because a Collection cannot become a Project, the decision is harder to reverse than it looks. A Project used by one person costs nothing; a Collection that needed to be a Project costs the re-upload.

Keep the reusable document sets as Collections. A standard bundle you run against repeatedly, a client's template suite, a body of regulation, belongs in a Collection, because a Project's files cannot be lifted back out for the next matter.

#### Related Articles

* [Creating a Review in Vincent](broken://pages/H1icenzE1aDeWVcRHKDs)
* [Browsing and Installing Skills from the Skills Library](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/skills/browsing-and-installing-skills-from-the-skills-library.md)
* [Creating a Custom Skill](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/skills/creating-a-custom-skill.md)
* [Skills Roles and Permissions](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/skills/skills-roles-and-permissions.md)

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