Using Gemini Skills: How to Save Recurring Prompts and Prepare for the Switch from Gems

Do you find yourself typing "break down the decisions, owners, and deadlines" every time you organize meeting notes? If it’s a request you use often, you can save it once and use it whenever you need.

Google’s Gemini Skills is a feature that lets you store recurring work instructions. Instead of pasting a long prompt every time you chat, you can simply select and apply the skill you need. Existing Gems are also scheduled to be converted to Skills, so if you're a current user, it’s a good idea to check the transition schedule.

Want to create your first skill?

On the Gemini web interface on your computer, select Customize → Skills → Create → Create manually from the sidebar to enter your own name, description, and instructions. If you don't see "Customize," check the "More" menu first. Menu names may appear differently depending on your display language.

If you find it hard to fill out the form from scratch, you can also ask Gemini to create a skill for you in a chat. For example:

Create a meeting note organization skill. Extract decisions, owners, deadlines, and pending items from the input, and do not guess names or dates not present in the original text.

Review your saved instructions and modify them if the format isn't what you expected. Clearly defining "when to use it" and "the preferred order of results" makes it easier to use in the future.

Using it in a new chat

In a new chat input field, type /, select your skill, and attach your notes or paste the text. Google has announced that this shortcut is expected to change to @ in the future.

Active skills can also be applied automatically by Gemini for relevant requests. If you don't want a skill to trigger in certain situations, you can disable it on the Skills page. If your meeting notes contain personal information or company secrets, please check your organization's usage policy and sharing permissions before inputting them.

Remember, a skill remembers the organization method; it doesn't guarantee the accuracy of the meeting content. It's always best to cross-check owners and dates against the original source.

What happens to existing Gems?

According to Google, for individual Google accounts aged 18 and older, starting November 17, 2026, Gems will be converted to Skills, and existing Gems will become read-only. From that point on, you will not be able to use, edit, or create new Gems. You will have access to existing Gems until December 17.

Supported file attachments are expected to be migrated automatically, but not all files will be transferred. The file size limit for skills is 100MB, and certain files like audio, video, and older Office formats are not supported. If you have important data saved in existing Gems, it’s recommended to download it in advance and verify that nothing is missing after the conversion.

The transition schedule for company and school accounts is different. Google Workspace corporate and non-profit accounts are scheduled for March 2027, and educational accounts for June 2027.

Things to check before starting

To create and use skills, you must be 18 or older and have Gemini Apps Activity turned on while logged into Gemini. While available on the web, mobile app, and Mac app, the menus might differ based on your account and service availability.

Also, note that it doesn't apply to every Gemini feature. Google states that skills do not currently work in features like Canvas or Deep Research. If you don't see the desired menu or the feature isn't working, please check the account-specific requirements in the official documentation.

If your chat windows were getting long from typing the same explanations over and over, try turning just one frequent task into a skill. Saving it, testing it with real data, and refining the instructions as you go is a great way to start. 😄