How to Use Gemini: A Plain-English Guide for Beginners (2026)

Short answer: go to gemini.google.com or download the Gemini app, sign in with your Google account, and type what you need as if you were asking a helpful colleague. Say who it's for, what you want back and how long it should be. It's free to start. Keep private details out of your chats, and check anything important before you rely on it.

What is Gemini?

Gemini is Google's AI assistant. You type (or speak) a request and it writes, explains, plans or answers. It works in a web browser at gemini.google.com and as a mobile app on Android and iPhone (Gemini Privacy Hub). The web version is available in the UK and over 230 countries and territories (Gemini Help).

Is Gemini free?

Yes. You can use Gemini free with a normal Google account. Google also sells paid plans with higher limits and extra features. In the UK, Google AI Plus is £4.49 a month and Google AI Pro is £18.99 a month (Google One). Start on the free version. Most everyday jobs don't need more.

How do I get started?

1. Go to gemini.google.com on a computer, or install the Gemini app on your phone.
2. Sign in with your Google account. Google lets you use Gemini signed out, but your chats aren't then linked to your account (Gemini Privacy Hub), and you need to be signed in to save instructions as skills (Gemini Help).
3. Type your first request in the box at the bottom and press enter.

Gemini with a personal Google account is for people aged 13 or over (or the minimum age in your country), and some features, including skills, are 18 and over (Gemini Help).

What should I ask it first?

Pick a real job from this week rather than testing it with trivia. A few starters:

Plan five easy family dinners for this week. Two adults and two children aged 7 and 10, one of them won't eat fish. Budget about £50. Give me one shopping list grouped by supermarket aisle.

Rewrite this email so it sounds polite but firm. Keep it under 120 words and use UK spelling. [paste email]

Explain what this letter is asking me to do, in plain English, and list any deadlines. [paste letter]

The pattern is the same each time: the job, who it's for, any limits (budget, length, things to avoid) and the format you want back. Vague requests get vague answers. Our guide to why AI answers feel generic explains why, and it applies to Gemini too.

Can I upload photos and documents?

Yes. You can add a photo or a file to your message and ask about it, for example a picture of a school letter, a page of revision notes or a PDF. Google says it uses Google Lens technology to understand what's in an image and read the text (Gemini Privacy Hub). Ask a specific question, such as "What are the three things I need to do and by when?", rather than "What's this?".

How do I stop typing the same instructions every time?

Save them as a skill. A skill is a set of saved instructions Gemini can use in any chat, and it can switch one on automatically when it's relevant, or you can pick it by typing / in a chat (Gemini Help). To make one:

1. In the Gemini app or at gemini.google.com, open the menu and choose Customise, then Skills. Some accounts show it under Settings, then Skills instead (Gemini Help).
2. Choose Create, then Create manually to start from a blank template.
3. Add a name, a one-line description of when to use it, and your instructions. Then tap Create.

Skills don't need a paid plan, but you must be 18 or over, signed in, with Keep activity switched on (Gemini Help).

For now you may still see Gems, Google's older way of saving instructions, but they go away for personal accounts in November 2026 and Google will turn existing Gems into skills automatically (Gemini Help). Our guide to Gems becoming skills has the details.

Is Gemini good for studying?

It can be a patient study partner if you use it to understand, not to copy. Ask it to quiz you, explain a topic at your level, or turn your notes into revision cards. Upload your own class notes so it works from what you were taught. Always check formulas, dates and quotes against your textbook, because AI can state wrong things confidently. Google says Gemini "may produce inaccurate or offensive information" (Gemini Privacy Hub).

What should I keep private?

Google says some chats are read by trained human reviewers to improve its services, and asks you not to enter confidential information you wouldn't want a reviewer to see (Gemini Privacy Hub). In practice:

• Leave out bank details, passwords, account numbers and full addresses.
• Use first names or initials rather than full names when you write about other people.
• If you'd rather your chats weren't saved or used to improve Google's AI, turn off Keep activity in Gemini Apps activity, or use a temporary chat. Google still keeps those chats with your account for 72 hours so it can reply and keep the service safe (Gemini Privacy Hub).

Turning off Keep activity also turns off some features, including skills, so choose what matters more to you.

Can I trust what it tells me?

Use Gemini like a quick, well-read helper, not a final authority. Google itself says not to rely on Gemini for medical, legal or financial advice (Gemini Privacy Hub). For anything that matters, such as health, money, travel rules or dates, check the official source it points to.

What's the quickest way to get better answers?

Give Gemini a short, saved description of you and how you like things done, so you don't have to explain yourself every time. MakeASkill asks you a few quick questions and writes that for you, free, ready to paste into a Gemini skill. Make my Gemini skill