Google opens Gemini Skills, its custom commands, to free users

Google has opened Gemini Skills (saved instructions that Gemini reuses in any chat) to anyone over 18 with a personal Google account, including those without a subscription.

They save you from giving the same instructions over and over: applying your writing style, preparing meeting agendas or looking at a topic from several points of view. You use them by typing / and the name of the skill, Gemini can apply them on its own when they fit, and you can combine several. They can now also include reference files, such as PDFs or images.

They replace Gems, the custom assistants in Gemini, which Google will automatically convert into skills: in November for personal accounts, in March 2027 for Google Workspace business accounts and in June 2027 for education accounts.

The rollout is gradual, activity saving has to be turned on, and Workspace accounts will get them in the coming weeks.

We see something practical here for freelancers and small businesses: save once how you want your emails, proposals or meeting minutes, and apply it the same way every time.