Gemini Skills: How to Create and Use Them in Customize

If you use Gemini for the same jobs every week, you've probably typed the same instructions more times than you'd like to admit. Write it in my tone. Use British spelling. Keep it short. Follow the brand colours. Skills fix that. You save the instructions once, and Gemini applies them whenever a request matches.

Google has also just pulled its settings into one place, called Customize, where you manage skills and the apps Gemini connects to. I've written this guide from Google's own release notes and Gemini Apps Help pages, so the steps match the product. You'll also find three skills worth creating first, with the instruction text to paste.

What are skills in Gemini?

Google describes skills as reusable sets of instructions that tell Gemini how to handle specific tasks. Once a skill is saved, you don't have to retype your instructions or upload the same files again in every chat.

Three details make them more useful than a saved prompt:

• Gemini can apply them automatically. When your request matches an activated skill, Gemini uses it without you asking.
• You can combine them. Google's own example is pairing a writing-style skill with a brand-guidelines skill for a bigger job.
• Gemini can build one from your chats. If you've already explained how you like something done, it can turn that into a skill.

According to Google's help page, skills need you to be signed in, aged 18 or over, with Keep Activity switched on. You don't need a Google AI subscription to use them.

What is the new Customize panel?

In its release notes for the Gemini app, Google announced an easier way to set how Gemini behaves. Settings and connected apps now sit together under Customize in the menu. From there you can discover apps, add skills for repetitive tasks and connect more than 40 apps or services, so you can get things done in a single conversation.

Google says Customize is rolling out globally on the web, on mobile and in the Gemini desktop app for Windows and macOS, for every user tier. Most connected apps are available in English in the US, with selected apps in other English-speaking regions, Brazil and India.

If you can't see it yet, the rollout may not have reached your account. Help pages are still being updated, and some still point to older menus such as Settings.

How do I create a skill in Gemini?

On a computer, Google's steps are:

1. Go to gemini.google.com.
2. In the sidebar, choose Customize (you may need to choose More first).
3. Open the Skills tab.
4. Pick how to start: create it with Gemini, start from a recommended template, create one manually from a blank page, or upload a skill file you already have.
5. Give it a clear name and description, add your instructions, and save.

Names follow a simple pattern, lowercase words joined with hyphens, so something like brand-voice or weekly-report. The description matters too, because it's how Gemini decides when a skill fits your request. Write it the way you'd brief a new assistant: what the skill is for and when to use it.

How do I use a skill once it's saved?

Type a forward slash in the chat box and pick the skill from the list. Gemini can also apply activated skills on its own when your request matches. You can use more than one in the same chat.

To change a skill, open the Skills page and use the More menu next to it. Google lists options to deactivate or activate it, edit it with Gemini, replace it, download it or delete it. Deleting can't be undone, so download a copy first if you might want it back.

Three skills a small business should create first

These are the jobs I'd hand to skills straight away, because they repeat every week and the instructions rarely change.

Your brand voice. Everything you write sounds like you, without pasting a style guide each time.

Copy this prompt

Name: brand-voice
Description: Use whenever I ask for writing that customers will read, such as emails, posts, web copy or replies.
Instructions: Write as [your name] from [business], for [who you serve].
Tone: [warm, direct, plain English]. Spelling: [British / American].
Always: short sentences, contractions, one clear next step.
Never: [words you never use], exclamation marks in every line, jargon.

Customer replies. Consistent, friendly answers to the questions you get most.

Copy and paste this prompt

Name: customer-replies
Description: Use when I paste a customer message and ask for a reply.
Instructions: Thank them by name, answer the question in the first two sentences, then give one helpful next step.
If the message is a complaint, acknowledge it before anything else and don't make promises about timings.
Keep replies under [number] words and end with my sign-off: [sign-off].

A weekly report. The same structure every time, so you can compare one week with the next.

Copy this prompt

Name: weekly-report
Description: Use when I paste notes or numbers and ask for my weekly summary.
Instructions: Produce three sections: what moved, what stalled, what I'm doing next week.
Bullet points only, plain English, and flag anything that needs a decision from me.

What are connectors and connected apps?

Connected apps let Gemini use other apps and, with your permission, take actions in them. On a computer, you add one from Customize, then the Connectors tab. To call a connected app in a prompt, type @ and choose it. To remove one, use the More options next to it and disconnect.

Google notes that availability depends on your location, language and device, and that connected apps need Keep Activity switched on. My advice is to connect only the apps you'll use weekly. Fewer connections means fewer surprises.

Skills, instructions or Gems: which do I need?

They overlap, so it helps to separate them:

• Instructions for Gemini are your always-on preferences, such as your role or the way you like answers laid out. Google still lists them under Personal Intelligence in settings.
• Skills are for specific, repeatable tasks, applied when a request matches.
• Gems are custom versions of Gemini you set up for a purpose. Google says skills will replace Gems, and your Gems will be moved across to skills automatically.

If you already keep a set of standing instructions for ChatGPT, my custom instructions examples translate well into a first skill. If you also use Claude, the idea will feel familiar: Claude has skills too, built on the same principle of saved, reusable instructions.

Tools that work with Gemini skills

Skills are only as good as the material behind them. Keep your brand guidelines and templates in Google Docs or Google Drive so they're easy to update. Canva is handy for the visual side of a brand skill, Notion or Trello for the processes you want written down, and Grammarly or Hemingway Editor for checking that the output still reads clearly. If you use several assistants, ChatGPT and Claude can work from the same written instructions, so one well-written skill becomes a brief for all of them.

If you'd like help turning your processes into skills your whole team can use, this is how I work with business owners.

Frequently asked questions

What are skills in Gemini?

Skills are reusable sets of instructions that tell Gemini how to handle specific tasks. Gemini can apply them automatically when a request matches, and you can combine several.

How do I create a skill in Gemini?

On gemini.google.com, open Customize in the sidebar, go to the Skills tab and create one with Gemini, from a template, manually or by uploading a skill file. Add a name, description and instructions.

Do I need a subscription to use Gemini skills?

No. Google says skills don't need a Google AI subscription, but you must be signed in, aged 18 or over, with Keep Activity switched on.

Where is Customize in Gemini?

Customize sits in the Gemini menu and brings together skills, settings and connected apps. Google is rolling it out on web, mobile and the desktop apps for Windows and macOS.

Are skills replacing Gems in Gemini?

Yes. Google says skills will replace Gems as the tool for tailoring instructions, and Gems will be migrated into skills automatically.