How to Use Gemini in Google Docs and Gmail: 20 Work Prompts

To use Gemini in Google Docs, open a document and click Ask Gemini at the top right, or use Help me write to draft from a short prompt. In Gmail, Help me write sits in the compose window and summaries appear at the top of long threads. Docs features need a paid Google AI plan or an eligible Workspace account.

This guide shows where each feature lives, what you get on each plan, and 20 prompts grouped by task: drafting, rewriting, summarizing and replying. If you also use ChatGPT or Claude, most of these prompts carry over, and our 50 copy-paste prompts by task cover the rest of a typical workweek.

Where does Gemini appear in Google Docs and Gmail?

Gemini is not one button. It shows up in a few places, and knowing them saves a lot of hunting:

• Ask Gemini (side panel): a button at the top right of Docs and Gmail that opens a chat panel beside your work. You type a request, and Gemini answers using the document or email you have open.
• Help me write: drafts new text from a prompt. In Docs it drafts or refines sections of a document. In Gmail it appears in the compose window and writes or reworks an email.
• The prompt bar in Docs: Google lets you ask Gemini to write, refine or edit selected text with a prompt in a bar at the bottom of the document.
• The @ menu in Docs: type @ in a document to insert a summary of its content.
• AI Overviews in Gmail: a short summary of a long email thread, shown when you open it.
• Suggested replies in Gmail: short, context-aware replies offered at the bottom of an email.

Google is moving some features out of the side panel and into the main screen. Its help page notes that some Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US may no longer see Ask Gemini in Gmail, because features like AI Overviews and Help me write now sit directly in the inbox and compose window. If a button is missing, check those in-line spots first.

Which Gemini features are free, and which need a paid plan?

This is where most confusion comes from. What you see depends on two things: whether you use a personal Google account or a work account, and which plan that account has. Here is the split, based on Google's Gemini in Workspace help page as of October 2026:

Three things to know before you pay for anything:

• Docs is the paywall. On a personal account, Gemini inside Google Docs needs Google AI Pro or Ultra. Google AI Plus covers Gmail but not Docs.
• The free Gmail features are US-only. Readers in the UK and elsewhere need a Google AI plan for Help me write in Gmail on a personal account.
• Work accounts depend on your employer. If you use Gmail through your company (Google Workspace), your admin controls which features you get. You also need to be 18 or older.

Prices and plan contents change often, so check the current figures on Google's AI plans page before you upgrade. Local prices vary by country.

How do you use Gemini in Google Docs, step by step?

Before you start, you need a Google account with Docs access to Gemini (see the table above), a browser on a computer, and a real document to work on. A half-finished draft is the best test, because you will see quickly what Gemini adds.

1. Open a document. Start a blank doc for drafting, or open an existing one for rewriting and summaries.
2. Find the entry point. On a blank page, look for Help me write. For an existing document, click Ask Gemini at the top right to open the side panel, or select some text and use the prompt bar.
3. Write a specific prompt. Say what you want, who it is for, and the format. "Write a project plan" gets a generic outline. "Write a one-page plan for moving our team newsletter from monthly to biweekly, with goals, owners and a four-week timeline" gets something you can use.
4. Review before you insert. Gemini shows a draft first. Use the refine options or type a follow-up such as "shorter" or "more formal" until it fits.
5. Insert and edit. Add the text to your document, then edit it like any first draft: check names, dates and figures, and swap in your own phrasing.
6. Summarize with the @ menu. In a long document, type @ and choose the summary option, or ask for a summary in the side panel.

Expected result: a usable first draft or summary in under a minute, which you then edit. Gemini works on the document you have open, so it can only use what is in that document unless you give it more context.

How do you use Gemini in Gmail, step by step?

Gmail has the most free features, especially in the US. The steps below work in Gmail on the web, and most features also appear in the Gmail app on phones.

1. Draft a new email. Click Compose, then select Help me write in the compose window. Type what the email should say, choose Create, and refine the draft until it fits.
2. Rework your own draft. Write a rough version yourself, then use Help me write to polish it. This keeps your facts and voice and lets Gemini fix the structure and tone.
3. Catch up on long threads. Open a long conversation and read the AI Overview at the top. It lists the key points so you can decide whether you need to read every message.
4. Reply faster. Check the suggested replies at the bottom of an email. Pick one as a starting point, then edit it before you send.
5. Ask questions across your inbox. If you see Ask Gemini, open the side panel and ask something like "What did the vendor say about the delivery date last week?" If you do not see it, use the in-line features above instead.

Expected result: less time on routine email, with every message still sounding like you. For more email templates that work in any AI tool, see these professional AI email prompts.

20 Gemini prompts for everyday work

The prompts below are written for Gemini in Docs and Gmail, but they follow the same pattern that works in any AI tool: task, context, material and format. Copy them, then change the details to match your work.

Drafting (Docs and Gmail)

1. Project plan: Write a one-page project plan for launching a customer feedback survey. Include the goal, three success measures, owners by role, a four-week timeline and the main risks. Use headings and short bullet points.
2. Meeting agenda: Draft a 30-minute agenda for a weekly team check-in. Include time slots, one owner per item and a final five minutes for blockers. Keep it to one screen.
3. Status update email: Write a short status update email to my manager. The website redesign is on track, the content review is two days late because of feedback delays, and launch is still set for the end of the month. Under 120 words, calm and factual.
4. Process document: Write a step-by-step process for submitting expense reports, for new employees. Number the steps, add a short checklist at the end and keep the language simple.
5. Introduction email: Write an email introducing two colleagues, Maya in marketing and Leo in sales, who should work together on a customer case study. Explain why in two sentences and suggest a 20-minute call.

Rewriting and editing

1. Make it shorter: Cut this section to half its length. Keep every fact, date and number. Remove repetition and filler phrases.
2. Fix the tone: Rewrite this email so it sounds firm but friendly. The client has missed two deadlines, and I need their files by Friday. Remove anything that sounds passive-aggressive.
3. Plain English: Rewrite this paragraph for readers outside our industry. Replace jargon with plain words, use short sentences and keep the meaning the same.
4. Turn notes into prose: Turn these bullet points into two clear paragraphs for an internal report. Keep the order of the points and do not add new information.
5. Proofread: Check this document for spelling, grammar and inconsistent formatting. List each issue with a suggested fix instead of rewriting the whole text.

Summarizing threads and documents

1. Thread summary: Summarize this email thread in five bullet points. Then list any decisions made, any open questions and anything someone asked me to do.
2. Document briefing: Summarize this document for someone with two minutes to read it. Give a three-sentence overview, then the five most important points.
3. Action items: From this document, list every action item with the person responsible and the deadline. If a person or deadline is not mentioned, write "Not stated" instead of guessing.
4. Compare versions: Compare the pricing section in this proposal with the figures in the email thread about it. List any numbers that do not match.
5. Catch-up after time off: I was out of office for a week. Summarize what changed in this thread, what is still open and what needs my reply first.

Replying

1. Polite decline: Write a reply declining this meeting request. Thank them, say I cannot join this week because of a deadline, and suggest a short call next Tuesday or Wednesday instead.
2. Ask for missing details: Reply to this email asking for the three details I need before I can start: the budget, the deadline and who approves the final version. Keep it under 80 words.
3. Follow-up with no response: Write a friendly follow-up to my email from last week that got no reply. Restate the one question I need answered and offer a quick call if that is easier.
4. Handle a complaint: Draft a reply to this customer complaint. Acknowledge the problem without blaming anyone, explain the next step and give a clear timeframe. Do not promise a refund.
5. Confirm next steps: Write a reply that confirms what we agreed in this thread: who does what and by when. Use a short bulleted list and end by asking them to flag anything I missed.

Two tips make these prompts work better. First, select the text you want changed before you prompt, so Gemini knows exactly what to work on. Second, save the prompts you reuse in a document of their own, so you can paste them in seconds. If you work in spreadsheets too, the same approach works for AI prompts for spreadsheet formulas.

What mistakes should you avoid with Gemini at work?

Most poor results come from a few habits, and each one has a simple fix.

The editing step matters most. Gemini is fast at producing a solid first draft, but the reader still expects to hear from you. A quick pass that adds your own phrasing and checks the facts is what turns a generated draft into a message you can stand behind. For posts where your voice matters even more, these prompts for LinkedIn posts show how to keep it.