Google Chrome just gave its Gemini side panel a feature it should’ve had years ago

Google Chrome's Gemini side panel is adding a file upload option under the Add attachments menu, allowing users to attach documents and ask Gemini to summarize or extract information without leaving the browser. The feature, spotted by X user Leopeva64 and confirmed by Android Authority, arrives years after Microsoft Edge's Copilot sidebar supported file uploads, making Google a late entrant to the capability.

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more. https://www.androidauthority.com/external-links/ Google Chrome just gave its Gemini side panel a feature it should've had years ago Sep 3, 2026 — 6:22 AM ET - Chrome’s Gemini side panel is finally gaining the ability to upload files directly through the Add attachments menu. - You can hand Gemini a document and ask it to summarize, explain, or find specific information without leaving Chrome. - It’s a useful addition, but Google is surprisingly late to the party, as Microsoft Edge’s Copilot sidebar has supported file uploads for years. Gemini has been steadily working its way into just about every corner of Google’s ecosystem https://www.androidauthority.com/stuck-in-google-3673636/ . You can summon it across Google apps https://www.androidauthority.com/hidden-google-apps-2026-3695150/ , use it on Android phones https://www.androidauthority.com/best-android-phone-3563254/ , and even have it sitting alongside whatever you’re doing in Chrome. But despite all of that integration, the Gemini side panel in Chrome has been missing a surprisingly basic feature: the ability to upload a file. That finally appears to be changing. X user Leopeva64 https://x.com/Leopeva64/status/2095395491827572857?s=20 spotted a new file upload option inside the Gemini side panel in Chrome, tucked under the Add attachments menu. I checked Chrome on my own laptop, and the option is showing up there as well. It sounds like a small addition, but it could make Gemini in Chrome https://www.androidauthority.com/gemini-in-chrome-on-android-3699994/ considerably more useful. Instead of relying only on the webpage you currently have open or typing everything into a prompt, you can now hand Gemini a file directly. Say you have a PDF sitting on your laptop and just want the important bits. You could attach it and ask Gemini to summarize it, pull out a specific detail, or explain a confusing section without leaving Chrome. This could turn the Gemini panel into something you might actually want to keep open while you work. What’s surprising is how long Google took to get here. Microsoft Edge https://www.androidauthority.com/why-microsoft-edge-best-browser-3570091/ has offered file uploads through its Copilot sidebar for years, so Google is hardly breaking new ground here. Considering how aggressively Gemini has been woven into Chrome lately, attaching a local file feels like functionality that should have arrived much earlier. Still, late is better than never. If you already use Gemini while browsing, being able to throw a document into the conversation without jumping between tabs or opening another Gemini window removes one more bit of friction, and that might be enough to make Chrome’s side panel genuinely useful more often. Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy https://www.androidauthority.com/android-authority-comment-policy/ before posting.