Where do I turn the Gemini app on or off for my staff?

In the Google Admin console, go to Menu, then Generative AI, then Gemini app, and select Service status. You need the Gemini Settings administrator privilege.

Can I turn Gemini on for only some Workspace users?

Yes. In the Gemini app settings you can choose an organizational unit or configuration group in the side panel. Google says group settings override organizational unit settings.

How long does a Gemini admin setting take to apply in Workspace?

Google says changes can take up to 24 hours, though they often apply sooner. Android users also need the Search and Assistant service setting turned on.

How to Set Up Gemini in Google Workspace for Your Team

By the end of this guide your staff will have Gemini working inside the Google Workspace apps they already use. You will know which plan to choose, how to add users, and which admin switches to check. This guide covers the Workspace route, not a personal Gemini account.

Before you start

Choose one owner for the Google Admin console. This person adds users and controls the Gemini settings. For some actions they need a specific administrator privilege, such as User management or Gemini Settings.

Have your business domain and a list of staff names and emails ready. Decide whether everyone gets Gemini or only some teams.

On the Workspace pricing page, the plan decides how much of Gemini you get. Prices below are per user per month, billed monthly, and the page shows an introductory discount until February 2027.

Plan	What it adds for a team	Price as listed
Starter	Gemini assistant in Gmail and Chat, with Gemini in other Workspace apps marked limited	$7.00 after the discount period
Standard	Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Vids, Drive, Meet and Chat	$14.00 after the discount period
Plus	The same Gemini features as Standard	$22.00 after the discount period

Starter, Standard and Plus support up to 300 users and list a 14-day free trial. Check the pricing page for the price you will see at checkout.

Create the account and workspace

Open the Workspace pricing page.
Pick Starter, Standard or Plus and use the Try now button.
Follow the sign-up prompts. The page says you can add users after you sign up.
Sign in to the Google Admin console with the account you created.

Google says the price is shown before you finish sign-up, so review it before you confirm.

Invite your team

Google calls this adding a user. Follow the Admin Help steps.

In the Admin console, go to Menu, then Directory, then Users.
Click Add new user.
Enter the first and last name.
Enter the primary email address. Pick a domain from the dropdown if you have more than one.
Add a secondary email address so the person can receive their account details.
Click Add New User.
Choose Copy Password to share it another way, or Preview And Send to email the details.
Click Done.

Under Manage user’s password, organizational unit, and profile photo you can place the user in an organizational unit. That matters later if you want Gemini on for only some teams.

Set the admin and data settings

Google lists several controls on its page about Gemini features in Workspace subscriptions. The most useful ones for a small business are these.

Gemini app. Turn it on or off. This does not affect other AI features.
Gemini Notebook. Turn it on or off as an additional service.
Google Vids. Turn it on or off.
AI meeting notes. Control whether users let Google AI take notes in meetings.
Workspace smart features. Turn them on or off.

To change the Gemini app setting, follow Google’s steps.

In the Admin console, go to Menu, then Generative AI, then Gemini app.
Select Service status.
Select On for everyone or Off for everyone, or choose an organizational unit or configuration group in the side panel.
Save your changes.

On data, Google’s Gemini FAQ says licensed users’ submissions are not reviewed by human reviewers or used to train generative AI models. It also says prompts and generated content are stored with your Workspace content and not shared outside your organization.

Connect your other apps

Gemini works inside the Workspace apps you already have, so there is little to connect. Google says existing controls such as data regions policies and Data Loss Prevention apply automatically. The FAQ also says Gemini cannot act on email and files that are encrypted with customer-controlled keys.

In Docs, you can ask Gemini to reference other Drive files. Admins can control where Gemini searches for content, and Google links a guide for that from the Docs help page. For Slack or CRM tools, check Google’s Workspace Marketplace listing for the add-on you want.

Tasks to try first

Summarize a long document

Use this when a proposal or policy is too long to read before a meeting. Open the file in Google Docs, click Ask Gemini at the top right, and paste this.

Summarize this document for a busy owner. Give me five bullets, then a list of decisions I need to make. Quote the page or section for each decision.

Draft a customer email

Use this when you need a polite, clear reply fast. Use Gemini in Gmail and fill in the brackets.

Draft a reply to this customer. They are unhappy about [issue]. Apologize once, explain what we will do, and ask for [one detail]. Keep it under 120 words and do not promise a date.

Build a simple tracker

Use this when you track jobs or leads in a spreadsheet by hand. Open a new Google Sheet, ask Gemini, and send this.

Create a table to track sales leads. Columns: name, company, source, last contact date, next step, owner, and status. Add a dropdown for status with New, Contacted, Quote sent, Won and Lost.

To compare Gemini with other options, read how to choose an AI assistant for your team. Settings can take up to 24 hours to reach every user, so test with a second account before you announce the rollout.