1In one sentence
Gemini can keep facts about you between chats in two ways, instructions you write yourself and things it learns from past chats, and on top of that it can read your Google apps (Personal Intelligence); every part of this is a switch you control.
2New words
- Instructions for Gemini (called Saved info in some countries) — facts and preferences you type in once: "I run Sam's Bakery", "short answers", "use metric". Applied to every new chat.
- Memory — Gemini learning about you from your saved chats. Formerly called "past chats". On by default for adults with Keep Activity on.
- Personal Intelligence — the umbrella page (Settings & help, then Personal Intelligence) that holds Memory, Instructions and Connected apps (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Photos, YouTube, Search, Maps).
- Keep Activity — the master switch for saving chats. Off means no memory and no Drive files.
- Temporary chat — a chat that is not saved, not used for memory, and deleted after 72 hours.
- Tasks (earlier called Scheduled actions, then Spark) — on Pro and Ultra, a Task button next to Chat above the message box lets you say "every Monday at 8, send me five post ideas" and it runs on its own. Not offered in the EU, UK or Switzerland yet.
3Why you would want it
Without memory, every chat starts with a stranger. With a few instructions, every answer is already about your bakery, your tone, your units. The trade-off is privacy: memory only works if your chats are saved, and connected apps mean Gemini can read your email. Set it deliberately, not by accident.
4Try it now
- At gemini.google.com, click Settings & help, then Personal Intelligence.
- Open Instructions for Gemini (or Saved info). Click Add and type: I run a small bakery called Sam's Bakery. I prefer short answers in plain language. Save.
- Open a new chat and ask: Suggest one promotion for next week. It should talk about a bakery without being told.
- Ask: What do you know about me? Read the answer. Delete anything wrong.
- Look at the Memory switch and the Connected apps list. Turn off anything you do not want. Note where Temporary chat is in the New chat menu.
5What you will see
The Personal Intelligence page with three sections and on/off switches, and your new instruction listed. In the new chat, a bakery-specific answer.
6Watch out
- Turning Memory off stops future learning but does not erase what is in old chats. To make it forget something, delete the chats that contain it (Settings & help, then Activity). Chats older than 18 months are auto-deleted unless you change that.
- The "remember this" command in chat and the memory summary page are US-only and paid at the time of writing. Everywhere else, use the Instructions page.
7Go further
Read Chapter 1.16 to write prompts so clear that Gemini needs very little memory to get it right.