How to Use Google Gemini: A Beginner’s Guide (Free, Phone, Chrome and Gmail)

Here is how to use Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, if you are starting from zero: sign in with your Google account, type or speak a question, and keep the chat going with follow-ups. This beginner’s guide walks through the free web version, the phone app, voice chats with Gemini Live, Gemini in Chrome and Gmail, and the privacy settings worth changing on day one.

What you need before you start

Gemini is free to try, but Google’s help pages list a few requirements:

• A Google account. A personal Google account works if you are 13 or older (or the minimum age in your country). Work accounts need a qualifying Google Workspace plan and users aged 18 or over; school accounts work only if the school admin has turned Gemini on. Accounts managed by Family Link can’t use the Gemini web app.
• A supported browser for the web version: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera or Edge.
• For the Android app: a phone or tablet with Android 9 or later and at least 2 GB of RAM. Android Go phones are not supported.
• For iPhone: the free Gemini app from the App Store.

You can try a few features at gemini.google.com without signing in, but you need to sign in to save your chats and use most tools.

How to use Gemini on the web (step by step)

1. Open gemini.google.com in your browser and sign in.
2. Click in the text box at the bottom and type what you want, as you would ask a helpful friend. For example: “Plan a 3-day trip to Chicago for a family with two kids, with one rainy-day option each day.”
3. To add a photo, PDF or other file, click Add files and choose it.
4. Click Submit. Gemini replies in a few seconds.
5. Keep going with follow-up questions (“make day 2 cheaper”, “turn this into a checklist”). Gemini remembers what you said earlier in the same chat.
6. To change a question you already asked, click Edit text next to it, change it and click Update. Gemini writes a new answer.
7. For a new topic, click New chat at the top left (open the Menu first if you don’t see it).

Gemini picks a model for each question on its own. If you are signed in, you can also choose one yourself from the model menu above the text box. What each paid plan adds is covered in our ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini plans comparison, so we won’t repeat the limits here.

Use a temporary chat for private questions

If you don’t want a chat saved in your history, click Temporary chat next to New chat before you type. Temporary chats need a personal Google account and don’t show up in your recent chats.

How to use Gemini on your phone

Android

1. Install or open the Gemini app from the Google Play Store and sign in with your Google account.
2. Type in the box, tap the microphone to speak, or use the add button to attach a photo or file.
3. On many Android phones you can also make Gemini your phone’s assistant, so it answers when you say “Hey Google”. If you still use Google Assistant, the app offers the switch when it is available for your phone.

A handy trick: point your camera at something and ask about it. Snap a photo of a plant, a confusing bill or a gadget’s error message, add it to the chat and ask “what is this?” or “what does this mean?”

iPhone and iPad

Download the Google Gemini app from the App Store, sign in and use it the same way: type, speak or add photos. Your chats sync with the web version when you use the same Google account, so you can start a question on your phone and finish it on your computer.

How to talk to Gemini with Gemini Live

Gemini Live is a back-and-forth voice conversation, more like a phone call than a chat. It works well for brainstorming out loud, practising a job interview or getting help while your hands are busy. It runs in the Gemini phone app, not in the web version.

1. Open the Gemini app and tap Live at the bottom (on Android you can also swipe left, or say “Hey Google, let’s talk Live”).
2. Start talking. You can interrupt Gemini mid-answer, just like a person.
3. Tap Camera to show Gemini what is in front of you, or Share screen to ask about what is on your phone screen. Tap them again to stop.
4. Tap Hold to pause (this turns the mic off), Mute to silence only your mic, or End to finish and read the transcript.

Custom Gems (see below) can’t be used inside a Live chat.

How to use Gemini in Chrome

On a Windows PC, Mac or Chromebook Plus, Gemini can sit right inside the Chrome browser and answer questions about the page you are reading: summarize a long article, compare products across tabs or explain a confusing paragraph.

1. Update Chrome to the latest version and sign in to Chrome with your Google account.
2. Click Ask Gemini at the top of the browser window.
3. Opt in the first time, then type your question about the page.

Google says Gemini in Chrome needs you to be 13 or older and in a supported country, doesn’t work in Incognito windows, and is still rolling out, so you may not see the button yet. Work and school accounts need their admin to switch it on.

How to use Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Sheets

This is where the free and paid versions differ most. According to Google’s Gmail help page, personal Gmail accounts get some Gemini features at no cost:

• Help me write: drafts an email from a short instruction (US only for free personal accounts).
• Suggested replies: quick reply ideas in English (US only).
• AI summaries of long email threads, available more widely.

Other Gmail tools, such as Proofread and the AI Inbox, need a Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra plan or an eligible Workspace plan. For Google Docs, Sheets and Drive, personal accounts need Google AI Pro or Ultra. When you have access, click Ask Gemini at the top right of Gmail or Docs to open it.

No paid plan? You can still use the free Gemini app as a helper: paste in a draft and ask it to rewrite, or describe a spreadsheet and ask for a formula. Our guide to getting Excel and Sheets formulas from AI has tested examples you can copy.

10 easy things to try first

Not sure what to ask? These everyday prompts show what Gemini does well:

1. “Explain how a heat pump works like I’m 12.”
2. “Write a polite email asking my landlord to fix a leaking tap.”
3. “Here’s a photo of my fridge. Suggest three dinners I can make tonight.”
4. “Summarize this PDF in five bullet points.” (attach the file)
5. “Make a weekly workout plan for a beginner with 20 minutes a day.”
6. “Quiz me on the capitals of Europe, one at a time.”
7. “Compare these two phones for battery life and camera.” (paste the specs)
8. “Turn these meeting notes into a to-do list with owners.”
9. “Translate this message into Spanish and keep it friendly.”
10. “What questions should I ask a car mechanic before agreeing to a repair?”

Tips for better answers

• Give context: who it is for, how long, what tone. “A 100-word birthday message for my boss, warm but professional” beats “write a birthday message”.
• Ask for a format: a table, a checklist, three options or a step-by-step list.
• Push back: if an answer is off, say what is wrong and ask again. Follow-ups are where Gemini gets useful.
• Check important facts: Gemini can make mistakes. For health, money or legal questions, confirm the answer on an official site.

Other Gemini features worth knowing

• Images: Gemini can create and edit pictures from a text prompt. Our Gemini AI image generator guide covers the steps, and you can borrow ideas from our Gemini photo prompts.
• Deep Research: for bigger questions, Gemini can read many web pages and write a longer report with sources.
• Canvas: a side-by-side workspace for longer writing or code that you edit together with Gemini.
• Gems: saved custom versions of Gemini with your own instructions, such as a “meal planner” or “email editor” you reuse.
• Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM): chats with your own documents. See how to use NotebookLM.

Wondering whether Gemini or ChatGPT suits you better? Read our Gemini vs ChatGPT comparison.

Gemini privacy settings to check on day one

By default, Google saves your Gemini chats to your account in a setting called Keep Activity. Here is how to control it:

1. On gemini.google.com, open Settings & help and choose Activity (or go to myactivity.google.com/product/gemini).
2. Turn Keep Activity off if you don’t want chats saved to your history. Google says it still keeps conversations for up to 72 hours to run the service and process feedback.
3. Or leave it on and change auto-delete: activity is deleted after 18 months by default, and you can pick 3 months, 36 months or no auto-delete.
4. You can also delete single chats or all your Gemini activity from the same page.

A simple rule: don’t paste passwords, bank details, ID numbers or private medical records into any AI chat, Gemini included.

Gemini not working? Quick fixes

• “Gemini isn’t available”: check your account. Under-13 personal accounts, Family Link accounts and work or school accounts without admin access are blocked.
• App won’t install on Android: your phone may be an Android Go model or run a version older than Android 9.
• No Live button: update the Gemini and Google apps, and make sure you are signed in. Live isn’t in the web version.
• No Ask Gemini button in Chrome: update Chrome, sign in, leave Incognito, and check you are in a supported country. It may not have reached your account yet.
• Answers seem out of date or wrong: ask Gemini to search the web and show sources, then check them yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini free to use?

Yes. The Gemini app and gemini.google.com are free with a Google account. Paid Google AI plans add higher limits, more advanced models and Gemini inside Docs, Sheets and Drive.

Can I use Gemini without signing in?

Partly. Google lets you try some features at gemini.google.com without an account, but you need to sign in to save chats and use most tools.

How do I use Gemini on my phone?

Install the Gemini app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, sign in, then type, speak or add photos. Tap Live for a voice conversation.

Does Gemini save my conversations?

Yes, while Keep Activity is on. You can turn it off, set auto-delete to 3, 18 or 36 months, or delete chats from the Activity page.

How is Gemini different from Google Search?

Search gives you links; Gemini writes an answer, keeps the conversation going and can draft, summarize, plan and explain. For facts that matter, check the sources it gives you.

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