Prompts for Gemini’s new file editor: PDFs, spreadsheets and docs
Gemini now edits files inside the chat. Vague requests cause too many changes, so these prompts are short, specific and say what the AI must not touch.
Since October 29, Gemini can edit files inside the chat: PDFs in the mobile app, and Docs, Sheets, presentations, Markdown, TXT and code on the web. You can select a passage and ask for a change to just that part, which changes how you should write the request: the more specific, the less the AI touches what you didn’t want changed.
One rule for all of them: say what must not change.
Fix one detail
In the selected passage, replace [old information] with [new information]. Don’t change formatting, sentence order or any other detail in the document.Make it shorter
Cut the selected paragraph to 3 sentences at most, keeping every number and proper name exactly as written.Spreadsheet
Table to chart
Turn the selected table into a [bar / line / pie] chart showing [what you want to see]. Keep the column labels as they are and add a short title.Naming the chart type stops the AI from picking one that doesn’t fit the data.
Find errors
Check the [name] column and list values that look out of pattern or duplicated. Don’t fix anything; just list the rows and the reason.Document
Proofread without rewriting
Proofread this document for spelling, grammar and punctuation only. Don’t swap words for synonyms or reorder sentences. List every change at the end.Asking for the list of changes is what lets you check the work without rereading everything side by side.
Summarize a long file
Summarize this document in 5 points covering what I need to decide or do. For each point, cite the page or section it came from.One caution
Google hasn’t said whether edited files save to Drive automatically or whether there’s a size limit. Test with a copy first. And for contracts or official documents, use Gemini to review and understand, never to change clauses without reading the full result.
Day to day, the proofreading prompt with a change list saves the most time. The chart prompt impresses the most. And the "don’t change" line at the end of every request is what separates a useful edit from a headache.
