Gemini in business: the guide to getting started (Workspace, Gems, 2026)
Guide published on November 7, 2026, compiled from the Google Workspace help center for administrators, the Google Workspace Updates blog and our October 2026 price checks. Google updates Gemini monthly: the settings and names described here are those from early November 2026.
For a company using Google Workspace, Gemini isn't a tool to purchase: it's already included in subscriptions since early 2025, in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and the Gemini app itself. The work therefore consists of verifying the editing, making half a dozen adjustments in the admin console, setting up data rules, then building Gems for each department and training the teams. Gemini Enterprise, despite its misleading name, is something else entirely: an agent platform sold separately by Google Cloud. This guide walks you through the steps, outlining essential default values, the first ten use cases to propose, and the most common mistakes.
The essentials in five lines
- Gemini in Google Workspace is included in the Business and Enterprise editions; Business Starter only provides limited access, Business Standard opens it in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet.
- The data Data processed by Gemini in an eligible edition is neither reviewed by humans nor used to train models outside your domain without permission.
- The settings These are done in the administration console, under Generative AI: access by organizational unit, conversation history (18 months by default), Gem sharing (enabled by default).
- The Gems These are personalized assistants, shareable like a Drive file: it's the key tool for configuring Gemini by profession.
- Gemini Enterprise is a separate agent platform, starting at $21 per seat, useful especially for searching in tools outside of Google.
Gemini in business: three different things under the same name
The confusion stems from the name. When we talk about "Gemini in business," we can refer to three offers that have neither the same scope, nor the same price, nor the same buyer.
| Gemini in Google Workspace | Gemini Enterprise | Google AI Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Gemini integrated with Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Drive and the Gemini app | A search and agent platform across all company tools, Google or otherwise. | A personal subscription to Gemini |
| Who buys it? | Already included in the Workspace subscription | Sold by Google Cloud, in addition | An individual or a self-employed person |
| Price | From €6,80 to €21,10 excluding VAT per user per month with an annual commitment (Business editions) | Starting at $21 per seat per month (Business edition) | 21,99 € per month |
| For employees? | Yes, that's the starting point. | Yes, for advanced cases. | No: no administration console or commitment to company data |
The rest of this guide focuses on the first case, that of the vast majority of organizations. Detailed pricing for the three offers is available in our guide. Gemini Award in 2026.
What Gemini does in Google Workspace
| Or | What Gemini allows | Example in business |
|---|---|---|
| gmail | Summarize a thread, write or rephrase a response, find information in the inbox | Summarize a thirty-message exchange with a supplier before a meeting |
| Docs | Write a first draft, rewrite, summarize, draw on other Drive files | A draft framework document based on three reports |
| sheets | Create tables, formulas, analyze and comment on data | A budget tracking spreadsheet with formulas and monthly commentary |
| Slides | Generate slides, images, resume a document | A committee presentation based on a Docs note |
| Meet | "Take notes for me": report and next steps, available in French since March 2025 | The minutes of a steering committee meeting are automatically sent to participants. |
| Gemini app | Conversation, file analysis, deep research | Sector monitoring with sourced reporting |
| Gems | Personalized assistants with instructions and shareable reference files | A Gem "Responding to calls for tenders" for the entire sales team |
| Gemini Notebook | The old NotebookLM: working on a corpus of documents, with answers citing sources. | A notebook containing all the quality procedures |
| Workspace Studio | Create agents that automate tasks in Workspace, without coding, starting December 2025 | An agent who sorts incoming requests and prepares a standard response |
Step 1: Check your Workspace edition
Since the beginning of 2025, Google no longer sells a separate Gemini module; it has integrated it into its editions, raising the price accordingly. What your employees have therefore depends on the edition they subscribe to.
| Edition | Price excluding VAT per user per month (annual) | Gemini included |
|---|---|---|
| business starter | 6,80 € | Limited access: Gemini in Gmail and the Gemini app, with limits |
| Business Standard | 13,60 € | Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet, Gemini Notebook, Gems, note-taking in Meet |
| BusinessPlus | 21,10 € | Like Standard, but with enhanced security and archiving |
| Enterprise | Quote only | Gemini full version, advanced controls |
The most common scenario in SMEs is the Business Starter version: employees see Gemini in Gmail, but not in Docs or Meet, and conclude that the tool is limited. Before any deployment, check the edition for each user group. Upgrading teams that draft and lead meetings to Business Standard costs an additional €6,80 (excluding VAT) per month per person. Business editions are limited to 300 users.
Step 2: Make the settings in the administration console
Gemini settings are located in the Admin console, under the Generative AI menu, and require the Gemini Settings Administrator role. They apply to the entire organization, an organizational unit, or a group; group settings override unit settings. Changes typically take effect within 24 hours.
| Setting | Default value | Our recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini application (service status) | Activated for adult users with an eligible license | Open it first to a pilot unit, then expand |
| Eligible license-free access | disabled | Leaving it disabled: without eligible editing, conversations do not benefit from the same protections. |
| Application conversation history | Activated, stored for 18 months (choice: 3, 18 or 36 months) | Align it with your archiving policy |
| History and deletion in Workspace applications | According to the organization | Set an automatic deletion period (90, 540, or 1080 days) and decide whether the user can delete it themselves. |
| Sharing Gems | Enabled, according to Drive sharing rules | Keep it, but make sure that external sharing of Drive is properly controlled. |
| Public links to a conversation | Disabled (setting open in March 2026) | Leave them disabled |
| Gemini in Chrome | According to Chrome Enterprise policy | Decide explicitly: it is not covered by multiple conformity certifications |
| Note-taking in Meet | According to the edition | Activate it, with a rule on participant information. |
Step 3: Establish the rules on the data
In an eligible edition, Google guarantees that content processed by Gemini will not be reviewed by humans or used to train models outside your domain without permission. This is the guarantee missing from personal Google accounts, where conversations can be reviewed to improve services. The first rule is therefore simple: for work, use Gemini with your work account, never with a personal Gmail account.
The second rule relates to how Gemini works within Workspace: it accesses files that the user has access to. If a Drive folder containing payroll information is mistakenly shared with the entire company, Gemini can use it to respond to anyone. Gemini doesn't grant any additional permissions, but it makes visible what was improperly shared. Before opening the system, auditing overly broad sharing permissions on Drive is the most effective security measure.
Next come the rules common to all assistants: what data can be shared, the verification of all figures and references before dissemination, transparency regarding the use of AI, and informing participants when Meet takes notes. Our AI charter template writes them in fifteen articles, and our article AI hallucinations explains how to check effectively.
Step 4: Build Gems by Profession
A Gem is a pre-configured Gemini assistant: instructions, reference files, and a tone. It's created once, shared like a Drive document, and everyone can use it without having to explain the context again. Sharing has been possible since September 2025; recipients can use, copy, or modify the Gem according to the granted permissions. The only limitation: a Gem can only be shared if its knowledge base consists of files imported from or from Drive.
| Team | Gem to build | Reference files |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial | Prepare a business proposal | Standard offers, customer references, price list |
| Human Resources | Answering employee questions, reviewed by the team | Company agreements, teleworking policy, welcome booklet |
| Finance | Write the commentary for the monthly report | Reporting rules, comments from previous months |
| Communication | Define a message for the intranet, LinkedIn and the newsletter | Editorial guidelines, key language |
| Project Management | Draft the committee minutes using the in-house template | Template, examples of validated reports |
A GEM's guidelines are written like a memo to a new colleague: who we are, who we write for, what we expect, what we never do. Our guide Prompt engineering provides the method. To go beyond the Gem and automate an entire task, see Create an AI agent within a company.
Step 5: Use Gemini Notebook for reference documents
NotebookLM became Gemini Notebook in July 2026, without changing its core principle: it aggregates a collection of documents, and Gemini responds based solely on these sources, citing the relevant passage. For a company, it's the most reliable tool for querying a corpus of documents: procedures, framework agreements, product documentation, and regulatory texts. The risk of fabricating information is lower than in a free-flowing conversation, and each response can be verified with a single click.
Three uses work particularly well: a notebook for each major project (a call for tenders, a reorganization project), a procedures notebook for new employees, and a monitoring notebook that compiles studies from a specific sector. Gemini Notebook also generates summaries, review questions, and audio summaries, useful for familiarizing oneself with a topic before a meeting.
Step 6: Train the teams and measure usage
Many organizations using Workspace have been paying for Gemini since 2025 without any change in habits: the tool is there, discreet, in a side panel that no one opens. Adoption doesn't come from the license, but from practical use in real-world scenarios. That's the purpose of our Gemini training in companies, which anchors Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Meet, then builds Gems by profession on the participants' folders.
Next, measure at 30 and 90 days, using the usage reports from the administration console: the percentage of active users each week, the applications where Gemini is used (Gmail alone, or also Docs, Sheets, and Meet), and the number of Gems shared and used. A successful deployment is indicated by the third metric: when teams share their Gems, the tool has become a collective tool.
The first ten use cases to propose
- Summarize a long Gmail thread and write the reply.
- Take notes from a Meet meeting and send the minutes.
- Draft a first draft of a note in Docs using Drive files.
- Analyze a table in Sheets and draw three conclusions.
- Convert a Docs note into a Slides presentation.
- Launch a Deep Research for sector monitoring.
- Querying a corpus of procedures in Gemini Notebook.
- Prepare for a meeting based on recent exchanges and documents.
- Create and share a Gem for a recurring team task.
- Translate and adapt a document for a subsidiary.
Our Library of prompts by profession provides for each one a text ready to copy, with the steps to follow in Gemini.
The most common mistakes
- Review Gemini on Business Starterwhere it is only present in Gmail and the application, then conclude that it is useless.
- Open access to Drive shares without auditing Documents that were poorly shared become findable by simply asking a question.
- Allow employees to use their personal Gemini account for work, without the protections of professional publishing. Our Shadow AI kit help to address these uses.
- Buy Gemini Enterprise first, before bringing to life what Workspace already contains.
- Create individual Gems that will never be shared : everyone does their neighbor's work.
- Enable note-taking in Meet without warning the participants, both internal and external.
Should we switch to Gemini Enterprise?
Gemini Enterprise, launching in October 2025 as a replacement for Google Agentspace, is justified in two situations: you want your employees to search for and interact with non-Google tools (Microsoft 365, Salesforce, ServiceNow) from a single entry point, or you want to deploy agents organization-wide with a marketplace and centralized governance. For writing, summarizing, meetings, and Gems, the Workspace edition covers the essentials. If you're hesitating between Gemini and another assistant, see our comparison. Gemini or ChatGPT: which one to choose in 2026? and our guide ChatGPT Business in business.
F.A.Q
Is Gemini included in Google Workspace?
Yes. Since the beginning of 2025, Gemini has been integrated into the Business and Enterprise editions without any additional modules to purchase. Business Starter only provides limited access; starting with Business Standard, Gemini works in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet.
What is the difference between Gemini for Workspace and Gemini Enterprise?
Gemini in Workspace is the assistant integrated into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet, included in the subscription. Gemini Enterprise is a separate platform sold by Google Cloud, starting at $21 per seat, for finding and deploying agents across all enterprise tools.
Does Gemini use company data for training?
No, in eligible editions of Workspace: content is neither reviewed by humans nor used to train models outside your domain without permission. This is not the case for personal Google accounts.
What is a Gem in Gemini?
A Gem is a customized Gemini assistant, with its own instructions and reference files, created for a recurring task. It is shared with colleagues like a Drive file.
How to disable Gemini for certain employees?
In the administration console, under Generative AI menu and then Gemini application, the service status can be set by organizational unit or by group. The change generally takes effect within 24 hours.
Is NotebookLM included in Workspace?
Yes, under its new name, Gemini Notebook, adopted in July 2026. It is part of the Google Workspace services and benefits from the same data protections as other applications.
Sources
- Google Workspace Help Center, activate or deactivate the Gemini application, accessed November 7, 2026.
- Google Workspace Help Center, manage Gemini conversation history in Workspace.
- Google Workspace Updates, sharing Gems in the Gemini app, September 18, 2025.
- Google Workspace Updates, Sharing Gemini conversations via public link, March 4, 2026.
- Google Workspace Updates, NotebookLM becomes Gemini Notebook, July 16, 2026.
- Clubic, Google Meet launches automatic note-taking in French, March 12, 2025.
- Google Workspace, Introducing Google Workspace Studio, December 2025.
- NextStart.AI, Gemini Award in 2026, 31 October 2026