Gemini Desktop App 2026: Download for Windows and Mac
Yes, Gemini has a free desktop app for Windows and Mac. Download it at gemini.google/desktop, run GeminiSetup.exe on Windows or drag Gemini into Applications on a Mac, and sign in with your Google Account. It needs Windows 10 or later, or an Apple Silicon Mac on macOS 15 Sequoia or later, plus 8 GB of RAM and 200 MB of disk space. Press Alt + Space on Windows or Option + Space on Mac to open it over any app (Google Gemini Apps Help, October 2026). Google released the Mac app on April 15, 2026 and the Windows app on September 10, 2026.
This guide covers how to download and install the Gemini app on each system, what it needs, the shortcuts, what the desktop app does that gemini.google.com in a browser does not, how it differs from Gemini in Chrome, work and school accounts, and how to remove it. Every step and requirement comes from Google's own Gemini Apps Help articles, the Gemini desktop page and Google's launch posts, read on October 25, 2026. Where Google says a feature is Mac only or still rolling out, we say so.
By Adi Leviim, Co-Founder at Infi Developments. 7+ years building AI productivity tools. Last reviewed October 25, 2026 against Google's Gemini Apps Help and the Gemini desktop page.
Is There a Gemini Desktop App?
Yes. Google makes a native Gemini app for Windows and for macOS, both free to download. Before 2026, Gemini on a computer meant gemini.google.com in a browser. Google launched the Mac app on April 15, 2026, saying "the native macOS app is available to all Gemini users on macOS versions 15 and up, globally, at no cost," and the Windows app on September 10, 2026, "available today globally for Windows 10 and 11." Google's desktop page says the app is available in every country and language where the Gemini app is supported.
Price: the app is free. Google's desktop page adds that selected features need a Google AI subscription and are for users 18 and over.
Age: Google's Mac launch post says the macOS app is available to Gemini users aged 13 and over.
Accounts: a personal Google Account, or a work or school account where the administrator has turned Gemini on.
Gemini Desktop App System Requirements
Windows needs Windows 10 or later; Mac needs Apple Silicon and macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Both need 8 GB of RAM and 200 MB of free disk space. These are the figures in Google's Gemini Apps Help articles for each system.
Requirement
Windows
Mac
Operating system
Windows 10 or later (Google's launch post names Windows 10 and 11)
macOS Sequoia (15.0) or later
Processor
x64 or ARM64
Apple Silicon (Intel Macs are not listed)
Memory
8 GB of RAM or more
8 GB of RAM or more
Disk space
At least 200 MB
At least 200 MB
Internet
Stable connection required
Stable connection required
Download
gemini.google/desktop, GeminiSetup.exe
gemini.google/mac, a .dmg installer
If your Mac has an Intel processor or runs macOS 14 or earlier, Google does not list it as supported, so use gemini.google.com in your browser instead.
How to Download and Install Gemini on Windows
Download GeminiSetup.exe from gemini.google/desktop, run it and sign in. These are the steps in Google's "Use the Gemini app for Windows" article.
Open GeminiSetup.exe and follow the instructions on screen.
Open your Start menu and select Gemini.
Sign in with your Google Account.
After that, press Alt + Space to open Gemini over whatever you are working on, or launch it from the taskbar or the Gemini icon in the system tray. When an update is ready, Google says a notification appears at the bottom right when you open Gemini; click Restart to update to install it.
How to Download and Install Gemini on Mac
Download the .dmg from gemini.google/mac, drag Gemini into Applications and sign in. These are the steps in Google's "Use the Gemini app on Mac" article.
Click Download for Mac. The installer (.dmg) goes to your Downloads folder.
Open the .dmg file.
In the window that appears, drag the Gemini icon into your Applications folder.
Open Applications and double-click Gemini.
Sign in with your Google Account if prompted.
Press Option + Space for the mini chat or Option + Shift + Space for the full chat; you can change both in the app's settings. To check for updates, open Gemini, click Gemini in the menu bar and choose Check for Updates. Google warns that some features may not work if the app is out of date.
What the Gemini Desktop App Does That the Website Does Not
The desktop app opens over any program with a shortcut, and on Mac it can see your screen, dictate into other apps and work with local files. Everything else you use Gemini for is the same, because the app signs in to the same account. Google's Windows launch post says "inside the new app, you can access everything you use Gemini for already."
A shortcut from anywhere: Alt + Space on Windows, Option + Space on Mac, so you can ask a question without switching to a browser tab.
Share your screen (Mac): Google's desktop page says you can share your screen context "by pressing both Command keys," and the Mac help article describes Add files and tools, then Share window.
Speak to Window (Mac): hold the fn key and talk; Google says Gemini cleans up your words and adds them, or a response, to the active window. Google notes it "is rolling out over time, so it may not be available to you yet."
Tasks with local files (Mac): Google's desktop page says you can organize and synthesize local files into Google Docs and Sheets with Tasks.
Google Antigravity (Mac): open Google's coding tool in one click from the app.
Windows today: the shortcut, the taskbar and system tray icon, and the same chat, Gmail and Drive help and image generation with Nano Banana. Google says more native capabilities "will roll out to Windows over time."
Gemini Desktop App vs gemini.google.com vs Gemini in Chrome
There are now three ways to use Gemini on a computer, and they share one chat history. Google's desktop FAQ says that as long as you are signed in to the same Google Account, "your chat history and memory will sync across all devices."
Gemini desktop app
gemini.google.com in a browser
Gemini in Chrome
What it is
A native app for Windows and Mac
The Gemini website
Gemini built into the Chrome browser, opened with Ask Gemini
Open it with
Alt + Space or Option + Space
A browser tab
The Ask Gemini button at the top of Chrome
Sees
Your window or screen when you share it (Mac)
What you paste or upload
The web page or tabs you share
Install needed
Yes, 200 MB
No
No, but you opt in to Gemini in Chrome
Works with browser extensions
No
Yes
Not applicable
Chat history
Synced with your account
Synced with your account
Synced with your account
The desktop app is best for quick questions in the middle of other work. The website is still where you manage a long history, because it is the version browser extensions can add tools to.
Can You Use AI Toolbox With the Gemini Desktop App?
Not inside the app itself: AI Toolbox is a browser extension, so it works on gemini.google.com in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera or Arc. Because the desktop app syncs your chat history with the website, the chats you start in the app also appear on gemini.google.com, where AI Toolbox can search, file and export them. It is a separate product with its own free plan and does not change your Gemini plan.
Managing Gemini chats
Native Gemini (app or website)
AI Toolbox Free (on gemini.google.com)
AI Toolbox Premium
Search inside every message
Gemini's chat search
Full-text search, first 5 matching conversations
Unlimited, with exact match, role and date filters
Folders
Notebooks group chats with sources; no nested folders
2 folders, unlimited subfolders
Unlimited folders
Export a chat to a file
Single responses to Google Docs or Gmail; Google Takeout for everything
TXT, one chat at a time
TXT, Markdown, JSON, PDF, many at once
Delete many chats at once
One at a time, or everything in a date range from Gemini Apps Activity
Using Gemini on your desktop every day? AI Toolbox adds full-text search, folders and export to gemini.google.com, covering the chats you start in the desktop app too. 40,000+ users, 4.7/5 on the Chrome Web Store. Add AI Toolbox to Chrome
Gemini Desktop App for Work and School Accounts
The Windows app is on by default for every Google Workspace organization that has Gemini enabled, and there is no separate setting for users. Google's Workspace Updates post of September 11, 2026 says the app "is controlled by the Generative AI settings in the Workspace Admin console," and is available to all Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers and personal accounts. On a work or school account, you can use the app only if your administrator has turned Gemini on and your license includes Gemini Apps; Google's Mac help article links to the license check.
How to Uninstall the Gemini Desktop App
Remove it like any other program: Google does not document an off switch inside the app. On Windows 11, open Settings, Apps, Installed apps, find Gemini and select Uninstall (on Windows 10 the list is under Settings, Apps, Apps and features). On a Mac, quit Gemini and drag it from Applications to the Trash. Removing the app does not delete your chats, which stay in your Google Account. To turn Gemini off in other places, or to delete your history, see how to turn off Gemini and how to delete Gemini chat history.
Limitations and What Google Does Well
Google documents the desktop app clearly: requirements, install steps, shortcuts and update steps are all on its help pages. The gaps are in parity. The Windows app does not yet have the Mac app's window sharing, Speak to Window, local file Tasks or Antigravity launcher, and Google gives no date beyond "over time." Intel Macs and macOS 14 are not supported. Usage limits are the same as on the website and depend on your plan; our Gemini usage limits guide explains them. And because it is a native app, extensions that improve gemini.google.com do not run inside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a Gemini app for Windows?
Yes. Google released the Gemini app for Windows on September 10, 2026. It is free, runs on Windows 10 or later on x64 and ARM64 PCs with 8 GB of RAM, and opens over any program with Alt + Space. Download GeminiSetup.exe from gemini.google/desktop and sign in with your Google Account.
Is there a Gemini app for Mac?
Yes. Google released the Gemini app for Mac on April 15, 2026. It is free and needs an Apple Silicon Mac on macOS 15 Sequoia or later with 8 GB of RAM. Download the .dmg from gemini.google/mac, drag Gemini into Applications, and press Option + Space to open it.
Is the Gemini desktop app free?
Yes. The app is free to download and use with a Google Account. Google's desktop page says selected features need a Google AI subscription and are available to users 18 and over, and your usage limits follow your Gemini plan, the same as on gemini.google.com.
What is the Gemini desktop shortcut?
Alt + Space on Windows. On a Mac, Option + Space opens the mini chat and Option + Shift + Space opens the full chat. You can change the shortcut keys in the Gemini app's settings.
Does the Gemini desktop app sync with my phone and the website?
Yes. Google's desktop FAQ says that as long as you are signed in to the same Google Account, your chat history and memory sync across desktop, web and mobile, so a chat started in the app appears on gemini.google.com and in the Gemini mobile app.
Does the Gemini app work on Intel Macs?
Google lists Apple Silicon and macOS 15 Sequoia or later as requirements, so Intel Macs and older macOS versions are not supported. On those computers, use Gemini at gemini.google.com in a browser, which has the same chats and plan.
Can I use browser extensions in the Gemini desktop app?
No. The desktop app is a native program, not a browser, so Chrome extensions do not run inside it. Extensions such as AI Toolbox work on gemini.google.com in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera or Arc, and because chats sync, they can still reach the conversations you start in the app.
Bottom Line
The Gemini desktop app is a free, fast way to ask Gemini something without leaving your work: install it from gemini.google/desktop, sign in, and press Alt + Space or Option + Space. Mac users get the most native tools today, and Windows is catching up. For finding, organizing and saving a long Gemini history, keep gemini.google.com open in your browser, where your desktop chats sync too.
A Full Stack Developer with 7+ years of experience building AI productivity tools. Leads product development and frontend architecture for AI Toolbox, the Chrome extension suite (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Claude modules) that helps users search, organize, and export their AI conversations.
Liked this guide? Get the next one first.
Join 40,000+ readers getting practical prompts, new features, and subscriber-only deals. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.
New features and product updates before anyone else
Time-saving prompts and workflows for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok
Adi Leviim