Gemini tutorial: setup, strengths, costs, mistakes, prompts

Sign in

gemini.google.com or the Gemini app, with a personal Google Account (needed for paid plans; some features 18+).

Settings worth changing

Gemini Apps Activity (myactivity.google.com): choose whether chats are kept. Gems: make a saved assistant with your instructions for a repeated task.

Google apps

Gemini inside Gmail, Docs and other Google apps comes with paid plans. On Free, attach files or Drive files to the chat.

Step 1: Sign in with a Google account

Google says paid plans need a personal Google Account that you manage yourself, and some features are 18+.

Step 2: Try the free features

Free includes Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas, Gems, and image generation and editing.

Step 3: Use it in Google apps

Gemini in Gmail, Docs and other Google apps comes with the paid plans.

Writing

Say who it's for, the length, and the tone, e.g. "Write a 100-word thank-you note to a customer, warm, no jargon." Then ask Gemini to shorten or rewrite it.

Research

Ask Gemini for sources, then open them. Don't rely on a summary you haven't checked.

Files

Upload only what you're OK sharing, and tell Gemini exactly what to pull out, e.g. "list every date and dollar amount in this PDF."

Good at

• Big uploads: up to 1,500 pages of documents or 30k-line code repos (Google)
• Working with your Google files and Gmail on paid plans
• Deep Research, Gemini Live voice and image editing on Free

Careful with

• Google itself says to check responses for accuracy
• Summaries of your inbox can miss emails: ask it to list sender + date so you can spot gaps

Limits

Refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly limit; AI credits can extend them. Plus = 2x Free, Pro = 4x Free (Google).

Refunds

No refunds for partial billing periods except where law requires.

Using the wrong Google account

Workspace (work) accounts are managed by an admin; paid personal plans need a personal account.

Not checking Drive answers

Ask for the file name and quote.

Inbox triage

"From my Gmail in the last 7 days, list emails that ask me a question I haven't answered. Sender, date, one-line ask. Don't draft replies."

Why: narrow time window, explicit output, no action.

Gem instructions

"You are my listing writer. Input: property facts. Output: 120-word listing, 3 bullet highlights, no claims not in the facts."

Gems

Gems are saved, reusable setups for tasks you repeat. They're included on Free.

Gemini Live

Voice conversation, included on Free.

Big files

Google says you can upload up to 1,500 pages of documents, or code repositories up to 30k lines.

Video

Video generation comes with the paid plans (Plus and above).

Plans

• Free: 15 GB of storage
• Google AI Plus: 400 GB of storage and 2x the Free usage limits
• Google AI Pro: 5 TB of storage and 4x the Free usage limits
• Google AI Ultra: $99.99/month (5x the Pro limits) or $199.99/month (20x the Pro limits)

US prices. The page we loaded didn't show Plus and Pro prices as text. Source: gemini.google/subscriptions.

Limits

Limits refresh every 5 hours until you reach a weekly limit. You can buy AI credits to extend them.

Refunds

Google gives "no refunds for partial billing periods, except as required by applicable law."

Check its work

Google itself says to "check responses for accuracy."