Gemini API now reads legacy PowerPoint and OpenDocument files
The Gemini API accepts PPT, ODP and ODS files as direct input, and tools can now hand office documents, audio and video back to the model.
Google widened the file types the Gemini API accepts as input, according to its changelog, updated today. PowerPoint 97-2003 (.ppt), OpenDocument Presentation (.odp) and OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods) files can now be sent directly, alongside existing support for DOCX, PPTX, XLSX and XLS.
The handling isn’t identical across formats. Legacy Word 97-2003 (.doc) files, like .ppt and .odp, are processed as page images rather than parsed text. For .ods spreadsheets, the model only reads data and formulas from the first sheet. A second change landed the same day: tools can now return Office and OpenDocument files, audio and video back to the model, through the GenerateContent API’s function response parts and the newer Interactions API’s function-result steps, using inline data or a Files API URI.
Why it matters: if you’re building a document pipeline for Gemini and have been converting old .ppt, .odp or .ods files to modern formats before upload, you can drop that step. For agent builders, tools no longer have to shuttle rich media through text descriptions. They can pass the file straight back to the model.
The caveat: page-image processing for .ppt, .odp and .doc means the model sees a rendering, not extracted text, and multi-sheet .ods files only get read past their first sheet.