What you see, and why
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You can open a Gem but not chat with it or edit it | Personal account, from November 17, 2026: Gems turn into skills and become read-only | Use the skill: Customize, then Skills, or type / and its name in a chat |
| Your Gems are gone | Personal account, from December 17, 2026: Gems are removed from Gemini Apps | Use the skills. Files Google did not carry over are gone unless you downloaded them |
| Gems left the side panel on a work or school account | From November 17, 2026 Google moves them to Settings in the Gemini app, where they keep working until at least March 1, 2027 (business) or June 1, 2027 (education) | Open Settings in the Gemini app |
| A Gem's file is missing from its skill | Google leaves out audio, video, .doc, .xls and .ppt files, archives and GitHub files, and drops the largest files above 100 MB | Download the missing files before December 17, 2026: export a Gemini Gem |
| A tool your Gem used no longer works | Create video, Create music, Canvas, Deep research and Guided learning do not work with skills for now | Use that tool in a chat without the skill |
| Skills are not offered to you | Skills need you to be 18 or over, signed in, with Keep Activity on. Under 18, Google moves Gems to skills at a later date | Check your age setting and Keep Activity |
| The chats you had with a Gem are hard to find | Skills have no page that lists their chats: chats with a skill sit in the side panel with the others | Look in the side panel, or in My Activity, Gemini Apps |
| A Gem by Google Labs is gone | Gems by Google Labs and Opal go away in November, and Google says the Labs Gems do not move into skills | Nothing carries over; keep any output you need |
The personal-account dates, the file list, the tools and the 100 MB rule are on Google's transition page (About the transition from Gems to skills). The work and school timetable is on Google's Workspace admin page (About the transition from Gems to skills (Workspace admin help)), and the age and Keep Activity rules are on the skills page (Create and manage skills for Gemini Apps).
Find the skill Google made from your Gem
- On gemini.google.com, click Customize in the sidebar (if you don't see it, click More first), then Skills.
- In a chat, type / and pick the skill. Google says @ is coming as the shortcut.
- Gemini can also use a skill on its own when your request fits, as long as the skill is turned on. Up to 100 skills can be on at a time.
Before November 17
Google's pages give no shutdown for personal Gems before November 17, 2026, so a Gem that fails earlier is not the retirement. Check that you are signed in to the account that made the Gem; Gems on personal accounts are for people 13 or over, or the age that applies in your country (Use Gems in Gemini Apps). Then use the time to save it: until November 17 you can still use and edit a Gem, and copy anything from its editor.
Download what Google leaves out
Google says you can download your files from Gems until December 17, 2026: open the Gem and the new skill side by side, and download the files that did not transfer. After December 17 the Gems and their files are no longer in Gemini Apps (About the transition from Gems to skills). Google Takeout keeps a copy too: its Gemini item holds your Gems data, and My Activity, Gemini Apps holds your chats (Download your Gemini Apps data).
Skillcase packs a Gem in your browser: it marks each file Google's move leaves out, keeps every file in one backup, and makes a skill for Gemini, with Word files turned into text, and one for Claude and ChatGPT.
Pack your Gem before December 17
Paste your Gem's name, description and instructions, add its knowledge files, and download one backup that keeps every file, a skill for Gemini with Word files turned into text, and a skill for Claude and ChatGPT. Skillcase marks the files Google's move leaves out. Free, in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.
Questions
Why can't I use my Gemini Gem anymore?
On personal Google accounts, Google makes Gems read-only on November 17, 2026, when they turn into skills. You can open a Gem but not use or edit it. Use the skill instead: Customize, then Skills, or type / and its name in a chat.
Where are my Gemini Gems?
On a personal account, the skills Google makes from them are on the Skills page, and the Gems themselves are removed on December 17, 2026. On a work or school account, Google moves Gems to Settings in the Gemini app on November 17, 2026, and they keep working there.
Can I still download my Gem's files?
On personal accounts, Google says until December 17, 2026. Open the Gem and its new skill side by side and download the files that did not transfer.
Do Gems stop on work or school accounts?
Not in 2026. Google gives no sooner than March 1, 2027 for business, enterprise and non-profit accounts, and no sooner than June 1, 2027 for education. Then the remaining Gems become draft skills.
Sources: Google: About the transition from Gems to skills; Google Workspace: About the transition from Gems to skills (Workspace admin help); Google: Create and manage skills for Gemini Apps; Google: Let skills in Gemini tackle your most repetitive tasks; Google: Use Gems in Gemini Apps; Google: Download your Gemini Apps data. Last checked: October 28, 2026. Skillcase is an independent tool by Peak Apps Studio and is not affiliated with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or Ollama.