How to Use Gemini: A Detailed Beginner’s Guide

We independently review and test every app we write about. When you click some of the links on this page, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot, offers all the same features you’d expect from any AI chatbot: it can browse the web, conduct in-depth research, analyze and visualize data, generate AI images and videos—you name it, it can do it. 

Power up your Google apps with automation

But, for my money, the best thing about Gemini is that it integrates deeply with other Google products. Want to search your Gmail file jungle with one prompt? Or summarize files inside your Google Drive? You can do it all without leaving your Gemini chat. 

Here’s everything you need to know about how to use Gemini. 

Note: Gemini is also the name of Google’s family of AI models, which powers Gemini the AI chatbot (it’s confusing, I know). Here, I’m only talking about the chatbot.

Table of contents: 

What is Google Gemini?

Google Gemini is an AI chatbot built by Google that can understand and generate text while also natively understanding, operating on, and combining other kinds of information, such as images, audio, videos, and code. 

In practice, this means it can do things like:

• Hold a voice or text-based conversation with you about virtually any topic

• Generate text for any occasion—for example, poetry, blog posts, and emails 

• Brainstorm ideas

• Generate images and videos (and tweak them based on your requests)

• Search the internet for current information

• Analyze images and data 

• Create charts and graphs based on your inputs

• Translate natural language or design mockups to code

• Interact with your computer and take basic actions on your behalf

And practically anything else you’d imagine a multimodal chatbot trained on the entirety of the internet might be able to do.

Gemini pricing: How much is Gemini? 

Gemini is free to use, but you’re limited on the number of messages you can send within a given window, and you won’t have access to the latest models. If you’re using Gemini casually, this is likely a non-issue. But if you use it regularly and find that you’re constantly butting up against those limits, you can always upgrade with a Google AI plan (from $4.99/month). 

How to use Gemini (web, desktop, and mobile app)

Here’s the short version of how to use Google Gemini: 

1. Go to gemini.google.com, and log in with your Google account or sign up (it’s free). 

2. Choose the AI model you want to use.

3. Enter your text, image, or audio prompt in the message box on the Gemini home page.

4. Once Gemini spits out a response, you have a handful of options: 

   • Edit your original prompt.

   • Enter (or say) a new prompt.

   • Fact-check Gemini’s response.

   • Like or dislike the response. 

   • Ask Gemini to redo its response.

   • Branch a new chat. 

   • Listen to the response.

   • Share the response.

   • Export the response to Docs or Gmail.

   • Review different versions of Gemini’s response.

Now let’s take a closer look at the finer details of using Gemini. Note: I’m using Gemini on the web, but the steps are pretty much the same on the desktop and mobile apps.

1. Log in to Gemini

To get started, go to gemini.google.com, and click Sign in. Follow the prompts to sign in with your Google account (or create an account if you don’t already have one). 

Note: If you’re using a work or school Google account, your workspace administrator may have disabled access to Gemini. So if you can’t access it, that’s probably why. 

2. Choose your AI model 

You can switch to a different AI model than Gemini’s default setting. To do this, click the model dropdown in your conversation window, and then select the model you want to use. 

3. Chat with Gemini

You can prompt Gemini in a few ways (some features may be limited to only the web, desktop app, or mobile app).

• Type your AI prompt in the text box, and press Enter (or click the up-facing arrow).

• Use Deep Research in Gemini to get it to comb through hundreds of online sources and files to give you a comprehensive response, complete with cited sources to verify its claims. To do this, click the plus icon (+) > More tools > Deep Research, and then enter your prompt.

• Create a separate canvas. If you want Gemini to output its response into its own document of sorts, click +, and then select Canvas. That will open up a new canvas, and you can work on the response in detail.

• Generate or edit an image. Click +, select Create image, and enter your AI art prompt.

• Generate audio. Click +, select Create music, and then describe the audio track you want Gemini to generate. 

• Talk to Gemini by pressing the microphone icon to enter your prompt using speech-to-text. If you’re using the mobile app, you can also tap the Gemini Live icon, which looks like three vertical bars, to chat back and forth with Gemini.

• Upload an image by clicking +, and then selecting how you want to add your image: upload from computer, add from Drive, or import from Google Photos. You can also drag and drop the image from your computer into the message bar. Then enter your accompanying prompt.

• Discuss something on your screen. If you have the desktop app for macOS installed, you can show Gemini a specific window or a portion of your screen, and ask it to summarize or analyze the contents. You can even show a draft you’re working on, for example, and ask Gemini to help you refine it. To do this, open the window you want Gemini to “view,” press and hold fn, and prompt Gemini. Toggle back to your chat to view Gemini’s response.

4. Interact with Gemini’s responses

In a matter of seconds, Gemini will generate a reply in an easy-to-scan format. From here, you have a number of options. 

1. Edit your original prompt. Hover over the prompt, and click the Edit message icon that appears (it looks like a pencil). Edit your prompt, and then click Submit.

2. Enter (or say) a new prompt. Ask Gemini to modify its response. Gemini will refer back to whatever you discussed before and then use that to inform its response so you don’t have to repeat yourself.

3. Review the sources. Hover over any source pill in the answer to learn more about the source used to inform Gemini’s response. Click it if you want to go directly to the source.

4. Like or dislike the response. Gemini relies on real-world feedback to improve the quality of its responses. If the response was helpful, click the Good response icon, which looks like a thumbs-up. If it was inaccurate or unhelpful, click the Bad response icon, which looks like a thumbs-down.

5. Get a new response. If the response isn’t quite what you’re looking for, and you want to use the same prompt, click the Redo icon below the most recent response.

6. Branch a new chat. If you want to take your conversation in a different direction without overwriting your original thread, click More (…) beneath the response, and select Branch in new chat. This will open a new chat tab that picks up from that exact point.

7. Listen to Gemini’s response. You can also listen to Gemini’s response. Click More (…) beneath the response you want to hear, and select Listen. The same button will change to “Pause.” Click it to pause the audio.

8. Share the response. Click the kebab menu (⋮) at the top of your conversation , and then select Share conversation to generate a unique URL you can copy and send. That’ll allow others to see your entire chat. If you want to share only a specific response, click the Copy icon beneath the response you want to share, and paste it as you normally would.

9. Export the response to Google Docs or Gmail. You can also export a given response to Google Docs or Gmail, and tweak it further (or use as is). To do this, click More below a response, and select Export to Docs or Draft in Gmail.

10. Review different versions of the response. If you asked Gemini to redo any of its responses, you can review every iteration. Click the arrow next to the version number to toggle back and forth.

How to use Gemini in Chrome

You can also initiate a chat with Gemini directly from the browser bar of any Chrome window.

1. Enter @gemini in the address bar of your Chrome window.

2. Click @gemini – Ask Gemini.

3. Enter your prompt in the address bar, and press Enter.

4. You’ll be redirected to the Gemini homepage. Click Chat with Gemini. (You may be prompted to first sign in.)

5. Your response will appear in the web app.

6. Continue to chat with Gemini as usual.

How to use Gemini Live

Instead of typing in your prompt, you can have a back-and-forth conversation with Gemini (Google refers to this as Gemini Live). Here’s how Gemini Live works.

1. Open the Google Gemini mobile app.

2. Tap the Gemini Live icon, which looks like a star floating above three vertical bars, in the prompt box.

3. Say your prompt. 

4. Once you’ve finished speaking, Gemini will process your request (no need to hit send) and voice its response to you. As long as you can see the blue chat bubble, you can keep chatting back and forth with Gemini.

5. Tap X at the bottom of your window to end your conversation.

Note: This feature is currently available only in the Gemini mobile app. It’s not available on the web app or in the Gemini tab in the Google app.

How to use Gemini’s non-chat features

Not every feature in Gemini is directly related to actually chatting with the chatbot. Here’s how to use Gemini’s chat-adjacent features so you can do more than have a philosophical debate about whether The Bachelor is the greatest social experiment invented or just plain old trash.

How to generate an AI image with Gemini 

Gemini isn’t limited to only sourcing existing images from the web. It also has the capability to generate AI images, powered by Nano Banana 2 (because, at this point, the more outrageous the model name, the more on brand). Enter your description, and watch as it brings even your silliest ideas—like, say, a dog taking itself out for a trick-or-treating jaunt—to life.

How to generate AI videos with Gemini

Gemini’s creative abilities go beyond text and images—it can also generate AI videos using the latest Google Veo model. Type in a text prompt describing the scene you want. You can also upload a static image to give Gemini a visual reference. Gemini will then turn it into a short video clip, complete with natural-sounding speech and background audio. 

Note: You can access Veo 3 models in Gemini, but based on the Zapier team’s experience, it’s easier to use in Flow (Google’s AI filmmaking app). 

How to transcribe audio to text with Gemini 

This is a feature I didn’t know I wanted until I tried it: Gemini can transcribe your audio—automatically cutting out “ums” and “ahs”—in Google Docs, Gmail, or virtually anywhere you’d enter text. 

Before you can use it, be sure to install the macOS desktop app (it’s not available for Windows), and update your permission settings (Gemini needs to access your screen and mic). 

1. Open the screen you want to add text to, and click where you want your words to go. 

2. Press and hold fn while dictating what you want Gemini to transcribe. 

3. Release fn once you’re done transcribing, and watch as Gemini fills the screen with your words. 

How to use scheduled actions in Gemini 

Scheduled actions in Gemini is Google’s response to Scheduled Tasks in ChatGPT. The key difference is that ChatGPT’s scheduled tasks can actually take actions—like sending you daily summaries about industry-specific news or checking for cheap flights to a specific location. 

Your AI can talk. Zapier MCP makes it act.

Gemini’s equivalent was pitched as having similar functionality, but in my experience, it’s limited to only adding tasks to your Google Tasks list and setting reminders in Google Calendar to do something. But if that’s what you’re looking for, here’s how to use scheduled actions in Gemini. 

In the prompt bar, describe what you want Gemini to do, when, and the frequency (if it’s a repeat task). You can also tell Gemini to edit or delete a scheduled action, and it’ll take care of it for you. 

How to retrieve information from other Google apps with Gemini

With Gemini connected apps, you can ask Gemini to retrieve real-time information from other connected external apps, like Wix and Canva, as well as Google apps like Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar. Just type @[name of the app you want to look in] and then enter your prompt. 

Note: Gemini won’t use apps to access your personal content in other services without your permission. But if you interact with another Google Service via Gemini, your activity might be saved by that other service.

For an additional fee (from $19.99/user/month), you can also use Google Gemini directly in your Google apps. Learn more about Gemini for Workspace.

Automate Gemini with Zapier

Gemini’s connected apps are a handy way to pull in context from tools like Gmail and Google Drive. But native connectors only go so far. I’m willing to bet many of the tools you rely on won’t be in the catalog, and even when an app’s supported, the connector may be limited in what it can actually do. The Zapier connector for Gemini Enterprise extends the options to 9,000+ apps, so you can access and act on your entire tech stack directly from your chat window.

Zapier also lets you securely bring Gemini’s capabilities directly into the workflows you already run, allowing you to build sophisticated end-to-end workflows across 9,000+ apps. Whenever a workflow calls for reasoning, content generation, or classification, AI by Zapier lets you drop a Gemini step right into the automation. This is how you blend AI with predictable, rule-based automation: Gemini handles only the parts that need intelligence, and everything else runs exactly the way you set it up. That gives you a level of reliability you can’t get from asking a chatbot to do it all.

Build automations from wherever you work. Describe the outcome you want, and Zapier connects your tools, runs the steps, and stays on the job after you close the chat. Combine AI with reliable, deterministic automation across 9,000+ apps. Get started for free.

How to use Gemini: FAQ

I’ve covered a lot of ground in this Gemini guide (maybe even too much ground?), but since Google is constantly evolving its chatbot, you might still have questions. Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked ones.

Can you use Google Gemini for free? 

Gemini is free to use. But if you want to use the most powerful model with higher limits to advanced features, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.

What’s the difference between Gemini and Google Assistant? 

Both Gemini and Google Assistant are AI chatbots, but they have key differences based on their intended use, features, and underlying technology. 

• Gemini is an AI chatbot that’s designed to conduct human-like conversations and process more complex queries—for example, you can ask it to draft a summary of a 500-page research paper or describe an image. 

• Google Assistant is primarily a voice assistant that’s embedded into a wide range of Google services and products, including Google Home and Android devices. Its intended purpose is to do quick, task-based interactions—for example, answer questions about the weather, perform calculations, and control smart home devices. 

How do I switch back to Google Assistant from Gemini? 

If you used Gemini to replace Google Assistant as your primary assistant on your Android device, it’s easy to switch back. 

1. Open your Gemini mobile app. 

2. Tap your profile picture (top-right corner). 

3. Tap Switch to Google Assistant.

4. Tap Google Assistant.

5. In the popup that appears, tap Switch to confirm you want to replace Gemini with Google Assistant. 

Can you delete Gemini chats? 

You can. Here’s how to delete individual Gemini chats from the web app.  

1. In the side panel, hover over the name of the chat you want to delete. 

2. Click the More icon, which looks like three dots stacked vertically (⋮).

3. Click Delete. 

4. In the confirmation window that appears, click Delete. 

Can Gemini do temporary chats? 

Yes—and it’s a helpful feature to use if you want to have a chat with Gemini without the conversation influencing Gemini’s future responses. 

To use it, click on the Temporary chat icon in the top-right corner of your chat (it looks like a dotted circle with a pencil). Then chat with Gemini as you normally would.

The temporary chat icon will automatically turn to an X. Click it to end temporary chats.  

Related reading:

This article was originally published in April 2023 by Elena Alston. The most recent update was in October 2026.

Source link