Google Gemini now lets users edit generated files in chat

In short: Google says Gemini users can now generate and edit several file types directly inside a Gemini chat.

What happened

Google has added new file editing tools to the Gemini app. Starting today, Gemini users can generate, preview, and edit files without leaving the chat.

The supported files include PDFs, Google Docs documents, Google Sheets spreadsheets, slide decks (presentation files), Markdown files (simple text with formatting marks), plain TXT files, and code. Google says you can open a file in a larger view, including a full-screen mode, and make changes from there.

Google also says you can select text inside a file and ask Gemini questions about it, or request edits. For example, you could highlight a table and ask Gemini to turn it into a graph, which is like asking a helper to redraw a chart for you based on the numbers.

There are a few limits at launch. PDF preview and editing works on both the web and mobile versions of Gemini. The other file types can only be edited in the web version for now.

Earlier this year, Google added the ability for Gemini to create and let you download files. This update builds on that by letting you make quick fixes and revisions in the same place you are chatting.

Why it matters

For everyday users, this could mean fewer steps when you are drafting something like a resume, a budget sheet, or a presentation. Instead of switching between apps to make small changes, you can stay in one window and treat Gemini more like a workspace where the document and the assistant sit side by side.

Source: The Verge AI