Google quietly added a new file generation capability to the Gemini app, and you can already use it to create TXT, Markdown, PDF, CSV, config files, and more — all within a chat. You can even bundle multiple files into a ZIP for a single download. Google hasn't officially announced the feature; users discovered it through testing and spread the word on social media.
Based on user screenshots, Gemini generates files by executing code in a Python sandbox at /home/bard/. The sandbox has its own working directory, and files persist across multiple turns of conversation. You could, for example, ask Gemini to create five separate files, then in a subsequent turn request a ZIP — and Gemini will recognize and process the files it created earlier. The feature also supports directly generating Google Docs and Google Sheets, but not Slides yet.
Previously, Gemini's code execution was limited to running Python scripts and returning text or Matplotlib plots — no file export. This update lets Gemini deliver the outputs of code execution as downloadable files, finally catching up to Claude's existing file handling capabilities.
The update arrives as Google is reportedly preparing a new Gemini model, teased by Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian as coming "very, very soon."