ⓘ Caleb Oquendo / Pexels
Google has added a file editor to the Gemini app. Documents, PDFs, presentations, spreadsheets and code generated by Gemini in a chat can now be opened and edited within the conversation. There is no need to download and fix them in another program. Google announced the feature on October 29 and says it’s “now available to all users in all languages in which the Gemini app is available.” No subscription is required. We tested it on November 1st with a free Google account in Germany and the editor was already active in the web version.
How the publisher works
Ask Gemini for a file and a preview will appear directly below its response. Our test file was a short PDF with a shopping list. Click in the text to edit it yourself. Highlight a passage to have Gemini rewrite just that part or to ask a question about it. A full-screen button opens the file in a larger editing view, and the finished PDF can be exported or saved to Google Drive.
Free accounts also get the editor, though Google has limited the free templates users can choose from October 9th. Google’s demo shows the intended use. You photograph your handwritten class notes, ask Gemini to turn them into a PDF study guide, then edit it yourself or ask Gemini to make changes.
PDFs on phones only
Mobile users get less. Android and iOS apps can only edit PDFs. Google Docs, Google Sheets, presentations, Markdown and TXT files, and code only work in the web version at gemini.google.com, so reworking a presentation means switching to a computer. All of Google’s examples also involve files created by Gemini. This is not a replacement for Acrobat.
What to keep out of these files
Changing in chat doesn’t change how Google handles your data. Anything you enter into these files is part of the conversation and is treated like any other Gemini chat. Google’s Gemini Apps Privacy Hub tells users: “Please do not enter sensitive information that you do not want a reviewer to see or for Google to use to improve our services, including machine learning technologies.” Chats reviewed by human reviewers are retained for up to three years even after you delete your activity, as explained above. Bank statements, job applications and medical letters should stay out of Gemini records. The editor works well for shopping lists, study notes, or the first draft of a presentation, and saves you from having to open another app.
I write about cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Cyber security is one of my regular topics, among others for Golem.de. At Notebookcheck, my focus is on practical AI for everyday users. I’ve been working directly with AI for years, most recently focusing on AI agents and their use in everyday work, and I try tools and models myself instead of just reading about them.
