Gemini now remembers how you like things written

Custom instructions for Gemini used to work only in Google Docs. From 2 September they also apply in Drive, Chat, Gmail, Sheets and Slides.

Google has widened where Gemini custom instructions apply. Until now you could save your preferences in Google Docs. From 2 September 2026 the same instructions carry into Ask Gemini in Drive, Ask Gemini in Chat, and the Gemini side panel in Gmail, Sheets and Slides.

Custom instructions are a saved note about how you want Gemini to answer: your style, your tone, your formatting preferences. You write it once instead of repeating it in every conversation. You can set it inside the apps, or under Settings and then Personalization. The rollout is gradual and can take up to 15 days for both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains.

For a midsize business the value is consistency. If your team keeps having to tell Gemini to write in Australian English, drop the bullet points, or keep the client name out of a summary, that correction now travels with them across Gmail and Sheets instead of dying at the end of one chat. New starters inherit a sensible default on day one.

One thing to plan for: Google says there are no admin controls for this feature. Each person writes their own instructions, so what you get is a personal preference, not a company policy. If you want a house style, write it down somewhere your team can copy from, then ask people to paste it in. Review what they have written every few months, because a stale instruction quietly shapes every answer after it.

This is a small setting with a wide reach. Ten minutes writing a good one will do more for the quality of your team's AI output than most new tools you could buy this month.