Gemini Gems stop working Nov. 17 for personal accounts 18+. Here's how to move them to skills
For personal Google accounts 18+, Gemini Gems go read-only Nov. 17 and are removed Dec. 17. Some files won't move to skills.
The skim
- Deadline: On Nov. 17, Gems in personal Google accounts (18+) become read-only. You can still open them, but you can't use or edit them, or create new ones.
- Final cutoff: On Dec. 17, Google removes Gems from the Gemini app entirely, including any files that didn't carry over.
- What to do: Google will convert Gems to skills automatically, but audio, video, GitHub, old Office (.doc/.xls/.ppt) and archive files won't move. Download those now.
What's changing
Google is replacing Gems, its saved custom assistants in the Gemini app, with skills: saved instructions you can call from any chat by typing / plus the skill's name (Google says that will change to @). Gemini can also apply a skill on its own when it looks relevant, and you can stack several in one conversation.
Google's Gemini Apps Help page lays out the dates for personal accounts held by people 18 and older:
- Nov. 17, 2026: Gems transition to skills and become read-only.
- Dec. 17, 2026: Gems are removed from Gemini Apps.
Personal accounts for people under 18 move "at a later date," per Google. Workspace business, enterprise and nonprofit accounts follow in March 2027, and education accounts in June 2027. Google's Opal mini-app experiment and Gems by Google Labs also shut down in November.
What carries over, and what doesn't
Google says it will recreate your Gems as skills with supported files. Two limits matter:
- 100MB per skill. If a Gem's files exceed that, Google removes the largest files first until it fits.
- Unsupported files are dropped: GitHub files, audio, video, legacy .doc/.xls/.ppt, and archives like .zip, .rar and .7z.
Skills also don't yet work with several tools Gems could use, including Canvas, Deep Research, Guided Learning, and video and music creation. Google says sharing and adding files from Google Drive or Gemini Notebook are coming to skills "in the coming weeks," so a Gem you share with others may not behave the same right away.
How to move a Gem yourself
You don't have to wait. On a computer at gemini.google.com, Google's steps are:
- Open the sidebar, click Gems (under More if needed), then Edit next to the Gem. Download each file under Knowledge.
- In a new tab, go to Customize > Skills > Create > Create manually, paste the Gem's name, description and instructions, and click Create.
- To add files, download the skill's .zip, put its SKILL.md in a folder named exactly like the skill (lowercase with hyphens), add your files, then use Replace skill to upload the folder.
Uploading skill files currently works only on the Gemini web app and the Mac app, Google says.
Why it matters
If you built a Gem for your writing style, a recurring meal plan or a study helper, the automatic move should handle the basics. The risk is the attachments: unsupported files will not transfer, so a Gem built around recordings or a zipped folder won't bring them along. Check those before Dec. 17, when the originals disappear.
Sources: Google Gemini Apps Help, Google blog, Google Workspace Help.
