Create and edit documents and slides in Canvas

Canvas is a dedicated, interactive tool within Gemini Enterprise that helps you create AI-generated documents and slide presentations from your conversations. You can work on your documents and slides side-by-side with your chat, without needing to switch between applications.

Before you begin

Before users can use Canvas in Gemini Enterprise, complete the following setup tasks:

Turn on the feature toggle

For users to be able to use the Canvas feature, a Gemini Enterprise administrator must turn on the Enable canvas toggle in the web app feature management settings. For more information, see Manage web app features.

Add Canvas permissions to a custom IAM role

Ensure users have the required permissions for Canvas:

• Predefined roles: Users accessing Gemini Enterprise with standard roles like roles/discoveryengine.user don't need to make any changes, as the necessary permissions are included in the predefined roles.

• Custom roles: For users accessing Gemini Enterprise using custom IAM roles, you must add the immersiveArtifacts permissions to the custom role. Without these permissions, users cannot use Canvas. Canvas requires the following permissions:

  • discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.create
  • discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.delete
  • discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.export
  • discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.get
  • discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.list
  • discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.navigate
  • discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.update

  The permissions required for Canvas are in alpha. Permissions in alpha can't be added using the Google Cloud console. Instead, use the gcloud CLI. For example, to add these permissions to an existing project-level custom role, run the following command:

  gcloud iam roles update ROLE_ID \
    --project=PROJECT_ID \
    --add-permissions=discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.create,discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.delete,discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.export,discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.get,discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.list,discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.navigate,discoveryengine.immersiveArtifacts.update
  

  For more information about managing Gemini Enterprise IAM roles, see Access control with IAM.

Create a document or a slide in Canvas

To create a document or a slide in Canvas:

1. Sign in to the Gemini Enterprise web app.

2. Start a new chat.

3. Click Tools or type / in the chat box. A list of shortcuts appears.

4. Select Canvas, or enter a prompt that implies creating a document or slide.

5. Enter a prompt.

6. (Optional) To upload files or an image with your prompt, click + Add files.

7. Click Submit. The document or the slide presentation opens in the Canvas editor on the right.

Source citations

To view the references and search results used to generate documents, click Sources directly under the AI's response.

For slides, a final Image Sources slide is automatically included, containing all the metadata for the images used in your deck.

Edit a document in Canvas

You can edit a document in the following ways:

• Direct edits: In the Canvas space, you can manually add, edit, or delete text, change formatting like headings, bold, and italics, and create bulleted and numbered lists. Changes are auto-saved.

• AI-powered edits: At the bottom right of the Canvas panel, use the Change length and Change tone sliders for global adjustments to tone and length, or provide detailed chat feedback for more specific edits.

• Highlight to edit: To refine a specific section of text, highlight it and enter your instructions in one of two ways. You can type directly into the Ask Gemini box that appears next to your selection, or use the main prompt box to tell Gemini Enterprise how you want that section rewritten.

You can also use the undo and redo options on the toolbar to navigate between different saved versions of your document.

Edit a slide in Canvas

To open and edit a slide presentation in Canvas:

1. Go to the chat where you generated the slides.
2. Click Open.
3. In the chat box, enter your suggestions to update the slides.

4. Click Submit.

Export documents and slides from Canvas

You can export documents and slides from Canvas to download and edit it in your preferred application.

Limitations

The following limitations apply when using Canvas:

• Regionalization: Only Global, EU, and US regions are supported.
• Mobile support: Canvas is not supported on the mobile app. It is only available on the web app.

Quota consumption

Canvas queries and regular Gemini Enterprise app chat queries are counted in the same way and share the same quota.

Gemini Enterprise app displays the Usage limit reached error message when you chat with the assistant or use Gemini Enterprise features in either of the following scenarios:

• Your project reached its monthly spend cap.
• Your project exceeds its pooled quota limit for a specific feature and your Gemini Enterprise administrator hasn't enabled overages.

This error affects only the feature that reached its limit. You can continue using other features that have remaining quota.

Best practices

When generating content in Canvas, follow these best practices:

• For complex documents and presentations, provide clear and detailed prompts, with other Gemini Enterprise knowledge artifacts as sources and template references.

• Always review and edit the AI-generated content to ensure that it meets your requirements.

Instructions for administrators

This section is for administrators.

Canvas is generally available. Administrators must review the following technical constraints and available controls:

• Account and regional limits: Canvas is available in the global, US, and EU regions. It is available for users of Gemini Enterprise – Business edition, Standard and Plus editions.

• Administrative controls: Canvas is disabled by default. Administrators can review and test it before they choose to turn it on.