Google has equipped the AI Gemini in Gmail, Google Docs, Drive, Slides, and Chat with the same features. For example, it is now possible to send an email to colleagues directly from a document without switching programs. The rollout has been ongoing since September 2, 2026, and the interface is initially only available in English.
One request is enough for multiple programs
So far, Gemini was limited to the respective program: texts were created in Docs, tables in Sheets, and email drafts in Gmail. Transferring a result to another program previously meant copying and pasting by hand.
As Google announces in its company blog, a new feature called Workspace Intelligence is meant to make this unnecessary. Gemini now recognizes connections across multiple programs and carries out tasks directly in the right target program. A single request in the side panel is enough, no matter which program it is started from. An email can be drafted from a Google document and sent directly to the team. A finished project document in Google Docs can be created on request from a Gmail thread, complete with open tasks. Gemini even puts together a first slide deck for Google Slides from chat messages and project files in Drive. The basis for this is Workspace Intelligence: it links content from mail, calendar, documents, and files that used to sit in separate drawers.
One example shows the time saved in the office
A typical case from sales: an employee revises the strategic overview for a customer project in Google Docs. Instead of switching to Gmail afterward, opening a new message, and typing the key points all over again, one sentence to Gemini in the side panel is enough: “Summarize this overview and send it as an email to my sales team.” Gemini picks up the tone and content from the document, suggests a finished draft, and sends it directly from Docs after confirmation. For sending individual emails, Gmail templates with Gemini have already been useful – what’s new is that the request for this can now also come from a completely different program.
Here is how to try out the new feature:
- Open a document, a spreadsheet, or an email for which a task is pending in another program.
- Click the Gemini icon in the top right of the side panel.
- Type the request as a sentence, such as “Send this summary as an email to my team.”
- Review Gemini’s suggestion and adjust it if needed.
- Confirm with one click – the email, spreadsheet, or slides are created directly in the target program.
Access requires a paid plan
The new feature is not free. Business accounts with Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, or Enterprise Plus, as well as personal accounts with a Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra subscription, get access. Free Gmail or Google accounts without an add-on subscription are left out. The rollout began on September 2, 2026, and is expected to reach all eligible accounts within about fifteen days, according to the company. The interface currently works exclusively in English, with more languages to follow. As Google’s support page for the side panel explains, Gemini opens via the “Ask Gemini” icon in the top right of Docs, Sheets, Drive, Gmail, Slides, and Chat. Anyone who already uses Gemini as a standalone Windows app already knows its access to Gmail and Drive from there – what’s new is that Gemini now switches programs on its own.
What will matter is whether Gemini reliably bridges the gap between programs, or whether people still end up fixing its suggestions by hand – so far, only the manufacturer’s own claims exist on this. Anyone working with sensitive customer or company data should first check internal AI guidelines, since Gemini automatically carries content across programs. For offices outside English-speaking countries, only the English interface can be used for now, until the announced language expansion arrives.
