🎨 Gemini Canvas: Interactive Creation Space
Canvas is an interactive workspace where you and Gemini collaborate to write, code, design documents, slide decks and even basic apps. You can go from a blank slate to dynamic previews in minutes.
📝 Starting a Session
At gemini.google.com, click the Canvas button below the chat box. Enter a prompt describing what you want to create.
Example: "Create a five-slide presentation about the water cycle"
✏ Editing in Canvas
Edit text directly or ask Gemini to adjust length or tone. The toolbar allows formatting (headings, lists) and you can suggest edits.
For coding tasks, open the Code panel to debug or modify code.
🚀 Advanced Features
- Add Gemini-powered features to apps (text or image generation)
- Incorporate LaTeX for mathematical content
- Export documents as PDFs
Note: Many Canvas features require users to be 18 or older.
📚 Creating Quizzes, Flashcards & Study Guides
Gemini can generate interactive study materials to aid student practice:
Generating Study Materials
In Gemini Apps, try prompts like:
- "Create a quiz about Renaissance art"
- "Make flashcards about chemical bonds"
- "Create a study guide for Chapter 5 of To Kill a Mockingbird"
Tip: Start prompts with "Create a quiz/flashcards/study guide about..." You can add files as context (PDFs or notes) and the generated materials open in the Canvas panel.
❓ Interact with Quizzes
- Request hints
- Ask follow-up questions
- Move between questions
- Analyze your performance
- Generate more questions
🃏 Flashcard Options
- Shuffle cards
- Get audio playback via text-to-speech
- Restart the deck
Note: School accounts can't share quizzes or flashcards outside your domain.
🔍 Deep Research: AI-Powered Research Reports
Deep Research conducts in-depth research on almost any subject, producing detailed reports with citations. You can choose which sources (Google Search, Gmail, Drive, uploaded files) to include.
How to Use Deep Research
- Click Tools → Deep Research at the bottom of the chat
- Select your sources (Google Search, Drive, uploaded files)
- Ask your research question
- Review the report with citations
Requirements: You must be 18+ and signed in. There are daily limits on research requests; higher limits are available for Pro or Ultra subscribers.
Reports & Visuals: Reports provide citations and can include visuals or interactive simulations (with the Ultra plan). You can listen to the report using an Audio Overview or export it to Docs.
🎧 Audio Overviews & Podcasts
Turn any file—including Deep Research reports—into an audio podcast that you can listen to on the go.
- Standard education accounts are limited to 20 audio overviews per day
- To create one, open the report in Canvas and click Create → Audio Overview
💎 Gems: Custom AI Experts
Gems are personalized versions of Gemini tailored to specific topics. Create a Gem to act as a reading coach for struggling readers or a science tutor.
- Start with a Google-provided Gem or build your own
- No coding required
- Add instructions, context or sample documents to shape the Gem's expertise
Gem Ideas for Educators
- Reading Coach: Supports struggling readers with comprehension strategies
- Science Tutor: Explains concepts with real-world examples
- Math Practice Partner: Generates practice problems at various difficulty levels
- Writing Feedback Assistant: Provides constructive feedback on student essays
💻 Gemini in Workspace Apps
Gemini integrates directly into Google Workspace so you can use AI without leaving Docs, Sheets, Slides or Drive. In the side panel, Gemini can summarize, brainstorm, generate content and suggest next steps.
📄 Docs
Writing assistance, summarization, brainstorming, content generation
📊 Sheets
Organize data, create tables and formulas
🎬 Slides
Generate new slides, custom images, summaries
📁 Drive
Summarize multiple documents, surface key facts
📧 Gmail
Help me write, contextual smart replies
The side panel leverages Google's most capable models (Gemini 1.5 Pro) and automatically provides context-aware prompts. Access it via the spark button in the top right of each app.
✅ Tips for Intermediate Users
Best Practices
- Upload and combine sources: Add PDFs, spreadsheets or NotebookLM notebooks to give Gemini more context when generating quizzes or research reports.
- Use Canvas for drafts: Start creative projects—grant proposals, interactive timelines or coding examples—in Canvas, then refine them in the appropriate Workspace app.
- Tailor your Gem: When creating a custom Gem, include sample outputs, rubrics or reading lists to shape its personality and expertise.
- Know sharing limitations: Work/school accounts cannot share Canvas study materials outside the domain.
- Respect age requirements: Under-18 users have restricted access to certain features (image generation, code apps, research). Admins should configure age-based access settings accordingly.