The Pulse
Gemini Adds In-Chat Editing for PDFs, Docs and Sheets
Gemini users can preview and edit PDFs in the app on web and mobile, while Google Docs, Sheets, slide decks, Markdown, TXT files and code are supported on the web. The feature lets users make edits directly, ask Gemini to refine files or hi
AI.info Team · Written with AI · fact-checked ·
PDFs are the only format Google says works on mobile
Gemini can now preview and edit files inside a chat, but Google’s October 29 announcement draws a clear line between mobile and web support. PDFs can be previewed and edited on both; Google Docs, Sheets, slide decks, Markdown, TXT files and code are supported on the web only.
Users can expand a file to full screen and make changes themselves, highlight a passage to ask Gemini a question, or ask the chatbot to refine the file. Google says the features are available to all Gemini app users in every language where the app is offered.
Editing follows April’s file-generation launch
Google introduced file creation in Gemini on April 29. At that time, users could prompt the chatbot to generate Google Workspace files, PDFs, Microsoft Word and Excel files, CSV, LaTeX, plain text, Rich Text Format and Markdown, then download most formats or export them to Drive.
“With just a prompt, Gemini can now create PDFs, Microsoft Word and Excel, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and more directly in your chat, meaning you can quickly move from a brainstorm to a complete file without ever leaving the Gemini app.”
— Maryam Sanglaji, Group Product Manager, Gemini App, wrote in Google’s April 29 announcement.
The new editing announcement lists a narrower set of formats, and does not name Microsoft Word or Excel. Google’s April list of formats that Gemini could create should not be read as confirmation that every one can now be edited in the chat. The newly announced editing support specifically names Docs, Sheets, slide decks, PDFs, Markdown, TXT files and code.
Google’s example starts with handwritten notes
Google’s demonstration shows a user asking Gemini to make a PDF study guide from uploaded handwritten lecture notes. The user can then edit the result manually, highlight specific sections and ask Gemini to change text or visuals, or ask follow-up questions about the file.
The workflow puts a lightweight editing step alongside Gemini’s existing file generation, rather than requiring users to move immediately into a separate editor for every revision. The announcement does not detail editing controls for each format or say whether the same set of actions works identically across documents, spreadsheets, presentations and code.
Web and mobile access differ by file type
For people working on phones, the distinction is practical: Google promises in-chat PDF editing on mobile, but directs users to the web for the other formats it names. On desktop web, Gemini can display those files in the chat, where users can expand them and either type changes or request revisions from the assistant.
The update joins file editing to a chat feature that already creates documents and spreadsheets. But the announcement’s format list matters: Microsoft Word and Excel files appeared in Google’s April generation announcement, while the October editing post names Google Docs and Sheets instead. Google’s stated availability is global across supported Gemini languages; its post does not promise in-chat editing for every file type Gemini can generate.