The Gemini app for Windows: 10 quick prompts to use with Alt + Space

Google released a Gemini app for Windows 10 and 11 on 10 September 2026. Google's announcement says you can "press Alt + Space on your PC at any time to open Gemini over your active work". It can also make images with Nano Banana and videos with Gemini Omni, and connect to Gmail and Google Drive. You download it from gemini.google/desktop.

A shortcut like this changes how you prompt. You're in the middle of something, so you don't want a long conversation. You want one short prompt and a usable answer. Here are ten that work well.

How to use it well

Copy the text you're working on first (Ctrl + C), then press Alt + Space, paste and add your instruction. Gemini can't see your screen by default, so pasting is the reliable way to give it context. 9to5Google noted that the app is close to the web version for now, with more native features promised later.

Keep every prompt to one job. "Fix this email" works better than "fix this email and also plan my week".

For email

1. Check the tone before you send

Read this email. Does it sound [polite / firm / friendly]? Point out any line that could sound rude, then give me a fixed version with the same length.

[PASTE EMAIL]

Based on our email tone check prompt.

2. Reply in three lines

Write a reply to this email in 3 short lines. I want to say [YOUR ANSWER, e.g. yes, but Friday instead of Thursday]. Keep my usual friendly tone.

[PASTE EMAIL]

3. Follow up after a meeting

Turn these rough meeting notes into a short follow-up email: what we agreed, who does what, and by when.

[PASTE NOTES]

The meeting follow-up prompt has a longer version.

For documents

4. Summarise a long page

Summarise this in 3 bullet points, each under 20 words. Then tell me the one thing I need to act on, if any.

[PASTE TEXT]

5. Fact-check a claim

Is this statement correct? Answer yes, no or partly, explain in two sentences, and tell me what I should double-check myself.

"[PASTE CLAIM]"

Always check important facts yourself. Gemini can be wrong, especially with numbers and dates.

6. Make it shorter

Cut this paragraph to half its length. Keep every fact and my wording where possible.

[PASTE PARAGRAPH]

For spreadsheets

7. Write a formula

I'm in Excel. Column A has [WHAT, e.g. dates], column B has [WHAT, e.g. sales amounts]. Write one formula that [GOAL, e.g. totals sales for March only] and explain it in one line.

The Excel formula helper works in Google Sheets too.

8. Explain a formula someone else wrote

Explain this formula step by step in plain English, then tell me if anything in it could break.

[PASTE FORMULA]

For slides

9. Outline a presentation

Give me a 6-slide outline for a [LENGTH]-minute talk about [TOPIC] for [AUDIENCE]. For each slide: a title under 6 words and 2 bullet points.

Our presentation outline prompt goes further with speaker notes.

10. Make a picture for a slide

Create a clean, realistic photo for a presentation slide about [TOPIC]. Landscape 16:9, plenty of empty space on the [LEFT/RIGHT] for text, soft natural light. No text, no logos.

Asking for empty space means you can put your slide title on top without covering the subject.

Where to go from here

Read our ChatGPT productivity prompts for more work shortcuts, and the ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini comparison to see where each assistant is strongest. All of these prompts are free in the productivity collection and the Gemini prompts page, and the prompt builder can make a custom one for your own task.

Quick checklist

• Copy the text first, then press Alt + Space.
• One job per prompt.
• Say the length and tone you want back.
• Check facts and numbers yourself.
• Ask for empty space in slide pictures.

Prompts to try

Browse all 1560 prompts →