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How to Use Midjourney’s Personalization `–p` Parameter

Midjourney uses `--p`, not `-p`, to apply a Personalization profile or moodboard. Here’s how to unlock it, use it on the website and in Discord, combine it with other parameters, and troubleshoot failures.

By ThatPainter Team 7 min read
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Midjourney’s Personalization parameter is --p—two hyphens, not -p. Add it to the end of an /imagine prompt to apply your selected Personalization profile or moodboard:

/imagine a quiet mountain cabin at sunrise --p

Personalization influences Midjourney toward the aesthetic preferences represented by your selected images. It does not guarantee the same palette, composition, or rendering in every result.

What Midjourney Personalization does

Personalization biases Midjourney’s interpretation of a prompt toward your preferred visual qualities—such as color, lighting, composition, medium, mood, or overall finish. It is designed for prompts that should feel consistent with your taste, even when the subjects change.

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It is not a text-prompt enhancer, an image upscaler, or a command that reproduces one fixed style. Think of it as a preference layer applied to the prompt.

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The feature first launched on June 12, 2024, but the current workflow has evolved. Older tutorials may describe ranking roughly 200 pairs of images or using one permanent personalization code. Midjourney’s current documentation instead describes selecting images from a grid and creating multiple profiles and moodboards.

See Midjourney’s current Personalization documentation for the latest interface and compatibility details.

Before you use --p

  • You need a Midjourney account with access to the website.
  • You must unlock or create a Personalization profile before using plain --p.
  • Profiles and moodboards are created and managed on the Midjourney website, although their codes can be used in Discord.
  • Midjourney’s current Personalization documentation lists compatibility with versions 6, 7, and 8.1. The live site has displayed version 8.2, but that does not by itself verify Personalization support for 8.2. Check the current model and feature interface before relying on it.

How to unlock Personalization

  1. Sign in to the Midjourney website.
  2. Open the Personalize page.
  3. Find the Global V7/V8 Profile.
  4. Select images from the available grid to build or unlock the profile.
  5. Once the profile is unlocked, use --p in a prompt.

The current workflow is image selection from a grid. The older pair-ranking instructions came from the original launch announcement and should not be treated as the current universal requirement.

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How to enable Personalization on the website

  1. Open the Create page.
  2. Click the Personalization icon beside the Imagine bar.
  3. Turn Personalization on.
  4. If several profiles or moodboards are available, select the one you want as the default.
  5. Enter your prompt and submit it.

With the control enabled, the website applies the selected default profile or moodboard automatically. You can also type --p manually at the end of a prompt. The exact icon or label may change as Midjourney updates its interface; the Moodboards documentation describes the current control.

How to use Personalization in Discord

In Discord, enter --p after the descriptive part of an /imagine prompt:

/imagine a cinematic coastal village at dusk --p

You can also enable Personalization in Midjourney’s Discord creation settings. According to the Discord creation settings documentation, that setting adds --p automatically to prompts.

Discord is useful for running prompts with profile codes, but profile creation and modification remain website workflows. Midjourney explains this web-and-Discord split in its guide to transitioning to the website.

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The correct syntax

Use two hyphens and place the parameter after the prompt:

/imagine editorial portrait of a chef in a modern kitchen --ar 4:5 --p

To apply a specific profile or moodboard, add its code after --p:

/imagine minimalist product photograph of a ceramic lamp --p PROFILE_CODE
/imagine futuristic book cover with geometric architecture --p MOODBOARD_ID

Replace PROFILE_CODE or MOODBOARD_ID with the code shown in your own Midjourney account. Do not copy a sample code expecting it to work universally.

Parameters belong at the end of the prompt and should be separated from the prompt text by a space. Avoid these malformed versions:

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/imagine --p editorial portrait
/imagine editorial portrait -- p
/imagine editorial portrait --p,
/imagine editorial portrait -p

Midjourney’s Parameter List documents the required syntax and placement.

How to use a specific profile

You can create multiple Personalization profiles for different visual identities—for example, a general illustration style, a client campaign, or a recurring editorial look.

  1. Open the Personalize page.
  2. Select an existing profile or create a new one.
  3. Copy the profile’s generated code.
  4. Add the code after --p in your prompt.
/imagine hand-painted botanical poster with engraved details --p PROFILE_CODE

A Global Profile is suited to your broad, everyday preferences. A custom profile is more useful when you want a distinct look for a particular client, genre, or project.

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How to use a moodboard with --p

A moodboard is a deliberately curated collection of visual references for a specific direction. You can add images by uploading them, supplying image URLs, or selecting images from your Midjourney gallery.

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After creating or selecting a moodboard, use its ID directly:

/imagine surrealist theater poster in saturated red and blue --p MOODBOARD_ID

Use a moodboard when the desired result is defined by a handpicked group of references—such as a campaign, book, genre, or art direction. Use a Global Profile when you want Midjourney to reflect your general taste across unrelated prompts.

Midjourney’s Moodboards guide explains how to create, select, and reference them.

Can Personalization codes be shared?

Profile and moodboard codes are reusable prompt references. Sharing a code lets another user apply the referenced personalization effect; it does not transfer ownership of your account or give that person the ability to edit your original profile.

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Share a code only when you are comfortable with others using that visual preference or curated direction. The original Personalization announcement also describes the code-sharing concept.

Adjusting results with other parameters

Stylize: --s

--s is Midjourney’s general Stylize parameter. It controls how strongly Midjourney’s aesthetic interpretation influences the result. Depending on the model and profile, changing it can also change how prominently Personalization appears, but it should not be treated as a universal, linear Personalization-strength slider.

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Compare the same prompt at different values:

/imagine art-deco hotel lobby --p --s 50
/imagine art-deco hotel lobby --p --s 750

Use controlled comparisons rather than assuming that a particular value will always produce a predictable amount of personalization. See Midjourney’s documentation for Stylize.

Other prompt controls

Personalization can be used alongside ordinary parameters such as aspect ratio and, where supported by the selected model, Raw mode:

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/imagine editorial fashion portrait, dramatic side lighting --ar 4:5 --p --s 250

Compatibility is not universal across every combination of --p, --sref, --sw, --sv, moodboards, and model versions. In particular, Midjourney documents restrictions involving Moodboards and Style Reference settings. Check the relevant Style Reference documentation before combining advanced controls.

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Personalization versus other Midjourney style controls

Control Best for How it works
--p Personalization “Make this feel like my taste.” Applies preferences learned from your selected images and profile.
Moodboard A defined project or art direction Uses a curated collection of images associated with a moodboard ID.
--sref Style Reference “Use the visual language of this reference.” Applies characteristics from a supplied image or style code.
--s Stylize More or less of Midjourney’s general aesthetic interpretation Adjusts stylization rather than selecting a particular personal profile.
No style control Neutral comparisons or strict prompt testing Removes the Personalization bias from the comparison.

Choose Personalization when consistency with your own preferences matters. Choose --sref when you have a specific visual reference. Choose a moodboard when the direction is a curated set of references rather than a general personal taste.

Why your results may not match the prompt exactly

Personalization can make an image more appealing to the account holder while moving away from literal instructions. For example, a request for a restrained monochrome architectural study may receive stronger color, softer lighting, or a more illustrative finish if those qualities dominate the selected profile.

For important prompts, run the same wording twice:

/imagine your exact prompt here
/imagine your exact prompt here --p

If the personalized version drifts too far from the brief:

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  • Turn Personalization off.
  • Try a different custom profile or moodboard.
  • Adjust --s experimentally.
  • Add concrete instructions for medium, palette, composition, lens, lighting, or historical period.

A profile is also not necessarily frozen forever. Its behavior may change as more preference data is added or as Midjourney changes its personalization system.

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Troubleshooting --p

“Personalization is not unlocked”

  1. Open the Midjourney website’s Personalize page.
  2. Select images for the relevant Global Profile.
  3. Confirm that you are signed into the account where the profile was created.
  4. Retry with plain --p before adding a custom code or other parameters.

If the problem continues, the selected model or version may not support that profile, or the interface may have changed.

-p does nothing

Change the single hyphen to two hyphens:

--p

Also check that there is a space before the parameter and that it appears after the descriptive prompt.

The profile or moodboard code is invalid

Copy the code again from the Personalize or Moodboards page. Make sure you have not included quotation marks, punctuation, or an incomplete code. Test plain --p first to distinguish an account or compatibility issue from a code-format issue.

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The output is too similar across different prompts

Personalization may be overemphasizing recurring preferences. Disable it, select another profile, use a project-specific moodboard, lower or vary --s, and make the prompt’s concrete requirements more explicit.

The output changed after building the profile

That can happen because the profile reflects selected preferences and Midjourney may update the underlying system. Treat Personalization as a bias toward an aesthetic direction, not as a permanently locked style model.

Is Midjourney Personalization worth using?

It is most useful when you regularly want a recognizable aesthetic across different subjects, or when you are developing concept art, editorial images, illustrations, or branding directions quickly.

It is a poor fit when you need a neutral baseline, strict adherence to an art direction that conflicts with your profile, or faithful use of one supplied image’s visual language. In those cases, compare results without --p, use a moodboard, or use --sref instead.

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Personalization is built into Midjourney rather than sold as a separate tool. If you need access, check the current account and subscription page; plan prices and features can change.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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