Code blocks collapse into plain text. Tables fall apart. Bold and italic disappear. I went through every option available and documented exactly what breaks and what doesn't.
1. Manual copy-paste (everyone's default)
Paste into Word: gray backgrounds, broken tables, lost structure.
Paste without formatting (Ctrl+Shift+V): bold, code, tables — all gone.
Either way, formatting loses.
2. Print to PDF (Ctrl+P → Save as PDF)
Exports the entire browser UI — menus, avatars, input box included.
Long code blocks get cut mid-page. Looks nothing like a clean document.
3. Gemini's built-in "Export to Docs" button
Only exports single responses, not the full thread.
Useless for long research sessions. Tables still shift on complex layouts.
4. Share link
Creates a read-only public URL — not a file.
Doesn't solve the export Gemini chat to document problem at all.
5. Google Takeout
Exports full history as raw HTML or JSON.
Technically complete, practically unreadable for day-to-day work.
6. Chrome extension (the only one that actually works)
After going through all of the above, I built Gemini Exporter — a Chrome extension that exports Gemini chat to Word, PDF, Google Docs, or Notion while preserving everything: code blocks, tables, headings, math notation, full conversation structure.
One click. Nothing leaves your browser for Word and PDF exports.
More info: https://backrun.co/gemini-exporter