Getting Started with Gemini

Google offers three distinct Gemini products with different setup flows. Find yours below and follow the steps.

Time: ~20 minutes for Part 1, ~10 minutes for Part 2 Requires: A Google account

Part 1 — Gemini Setup

Which Gemini Do You Have?

	Gemini (Personal)	Gemini in Workspace	Gemini Enterprise
Who it’s for	Anyone with a personal Google account	Organizations on Google Workspace	Large enterprises on Google Cloud
How you get it	Sign up at gemini.google.com	Admin enables it for your Workspace org	Admin provisions through Google Cloud
Plans	Free → Google AI Plus → Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo) → Google AI Ultra ($249.99/mo)	Bundled with Workspace Business, Enterprise, or Education plans	Separate Google Cloud product
App	Gemini app (web + mobile)	Same Gemini app (sign in with work account)	Separate standalone app
Key features	Full conversational AI, extensions, Gems, CLI	AI features in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet	Custom agents, enterprise search, third-party connectors

Gemini (Personal Account)

The full Gemini experience for individual users. Free tier available; paid plans unlock longer context, more models, and advanced features.

1. Create Your Account

Go to gemini.google/subscriptions and sign in with your Google account
Choose a plan — Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo) is recommended for the full feature set

The free tier works for exploration, but paid plans unlock advanced models (Gemini 2.5 Pro), longer conversations, and Gems (custom AI personas).

Official docs: Gemini Help Center

2. Install Apps

Web: Go to gemini.google.com in your browser
iOS: App Store
Android: Google Play

3. Configure Personalization

Go to gemini.google.com → click your profile picture → Settings
Find Personalization and review your preferences
Gemini automatically builds a profile from your conversations over time

Starter template — paste this into your first conversation to set your preferences:

I’m a [your role] in [your industry]. I’m learning to build AI-powered workflows and agents. I prefer concise answers with practical examples. When I ask about technical concepts, explain them in business terms first, then provide the technical details. Please remember this for future conversations.

Official docs: Gemini Help — Personalization

4. Enable Memory

Go to Settings (gear icon or profile menu)
Look for Saved Info and enable it
Review what Gemini has remembered periodically

Gemini builds memory from your conversations over time. You can also explicitly say “remember that I prefer…” to save specific preferences.

Official docs: Gemini Help — Personalization and memory

5. Enable Extensions

Extensions connect Gemini to Google services and third-party tools.

Go to Settings → Extensions
Enable the extensions you want — Google Workspace, Maps, YouTube, Flights, Hotels
Some extensions are on by default for paid plan users

Official docs: Gemini Help — Extensions

You’re Done When

Google account created and plan selected
Gemini accessible on web and mobile
Personalization configured with your role and preferences
Saved Info / memory enabled
At least one extension enabled

Gemini in Google Workspace

AI features embedded across Google Workspace apps — Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet. Your Workspace admin controls availability. Optional AI Expanded Access add-on provides higher usage limits.

1. Verify Access

Check with your IT admin to confirm Gemini is enabled for your organization
Look for the Gemini icon (sparkle/star) in the side panel of Gmail, Docs, Sheets, or Slides
If you don’t see it, ask your admin about your organization’s Workspace plan and Gemini settings

Official docs: Google Workspace Admin Help — Gemini

2. Access Gemini

Workspace users use the same Gemini app as personal users — just sign in with your work account.

Web: Go to gemini.google.com and sign in with your work email
Mobile: Download the Gemini app (iOS / Android) and sign in with your work account

3. Explore AI Features in Workspace Apps

Gemini appears as a side panel or inline suggestion across Workspace:

App	What Gemini does
Gmail	Draft replies, summarize threads, find information across emails
Docs	Write drafts, rewrite sections, summarize documents
Sheets	Generate formulas, organize data, create summaries
Slides	Generate slide content, create images, suggest layouts
Meet	Real-time captions, meeting summaries, note-taking

Look for the Gemini icon in the side panel or toolbar of each app.

Official docs: Get started with Gemini in Workspace

4. Configure Personalization

Personalization on Workspace accounts is admin-controlled — your options may be limited compared to personal accounts.

Go to gemini.google.com → Settings
Look for Profile — set your preferred name, job title, and industry if available
If your admin has enabled it, you can connect additional data sources

Automated memory may not be available on Workspace accounts. You can manually set preferences by telling Gemini “remember that I prefer…” in conversation.

You’re Done When

Confirmed Gemini is enabled for your Workspace account
Gemini accessible via web and mobile with your work account
Explored Gemini features in at least one Workspace app (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, etc.)
Profile / personalization configured (if available)

Gemini Enterprise

A separate Google Cloud product (formerly Google Agentspace) with enterprise search, custom agent builder, and third-party data connectors. Has its own standalone app — separate from the standard Gemini app.

1. Get Access

Gemini Enterprise is provisioned through Google Cloud by your organization’s admin.

Check with your IT admin to confirm your organization has Gemini Enterprise
Request access if you don’t have it — provisioning is done through the Google Cloud Console

Gemini Enterprise is currently invite-only for the standalone app experience.

Official docs: Gemini Enterprise | Compare editions

2. Install the Gemini Enterprise App

Gemini Enterprise has its own standalone app, separate from the standard Gemini app.

Web: Access through your Google Cloud Console or the enterprise portal your admin provides
iOS / Android: Download the Gemini Enterprise app (separate from the standard Gemini app) — your admin will provide installation instructions

3. Connect Data Sources

Gemini Enterprise connects to your organization’s tools and knowledge bases:

Connector	What it connects
Google Workspace	Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Sites
Confluence	Wiki pages and spaces
Jira	Issues, projects, and boards
SharePoint	Documents and sites
ServiceNow	Knowledge articles and incidents

Your admin configures which connectors are available. Once connected, Gemini Enterprise can search across all your organization’s data from a single interface.

4. Explore Agents

Gemini Enterprise includes an agent platform:

Pre-built agents — Ready-to-use agents for common enterprise tasks (IT help desk, HR FAQ, etc.)
No-code agent builder — Create custom agents that combine your data sources with Gemini’s capabilities
Enterprise search — Search across all connected data sources from one place

You’re Done When

Access provisioned by your Google Cloud admin
Gemini Enterprise app installed (web and/or mobile)
At least one data source connected (admin-configured)
Explored pre-built agents or the agent builder

Part 2 — Google Cloud & Developer Tools

Developer tools for building with Gemini models. These are optional — if you only need Gemini for conversations, you’re done after Part 1.

1. Install Antigravity IDE

Antigravity is Google’s AI-powered IDE — a VS Code fork built around an agent-first development workflow. Powered by Gemini, it features autonomous coding agents, parallel workspaces, and artifact-based transparency (task lists, plans, screenshots) so you can verify what agents are doing.

Download from antigravity.google/download — available for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Install and sign in with your Google account

Free during public preview with generous Gemini rate limits.

Official docs: Getting Started with Antigravity · Antigravity Developer Blog

2. IDE Extension — Gemini Code Assist

Use Gemini inside VS Code or Cursor. See AI Code Editor Setup for installation instructions.

3. Install Gemini CLI

Google’s command-line AI assistant. Works directly with your files and terminal — useful for coding tasks, file operations, and automation. Requires Node.js 18+ and a Google account.

Install:

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

Verify:

gemini --version

Official docs: Gemini CLI documentation

4. Add Skills (Gemini CLI)

After adding skills, you can say “edit this article for HBR quality” and Gemini CLI applies professional editorial standards automatically — no re-explaining your requirements each time.

Download skill folders from GitHub and place them in .gemini/skills/ or .agents/skills/ in your project root. Gemini CLI discovers them automatically.

→ How to Add Skills to Your Platform

5. Google Cloud & Vertex AI (Optional)

Google Cloud is the platform for deploying Gemini models at scale. Vertex AI is the ML platform within Google Cloud for training, tuning, and serving Gemini models via API — used for production workloads, custom model tuning, and enterprise integrations.

Go to console.cloud.google.com and create a project (or use an existing one)
Enable the Vertex AI API in your project
Try the Vertex AI quickstart to send your first API request

Most people don’t need this — Antigravity and Gemini CLI authenticate directly through your Google account.

Official docs: Vertex AI documentation · Google Cloud getting started

You’re Done When

Part 2 — Developer Tools:

Antigravity IDE installed and signed in (optional)
Gemini Code Assist IDE extension installed in VS Code or Cursor (optional)
Gemini CLI installed — gemini --version prints a version number (optional)
At least one skill installed or added via Gemini CLI (optional)
Google Cloud project created with Vertex AI API enabled (optional — for cloud workloads)