How to Get Started With Google Colab for Learning to Code
Nyaradzo
April 10, 2026
Google just made it significantly easier to learn to code.
They added something called Learn Mode to Google Colab, and it turns Gemini (their AI) into a personal coding tutor that guides you through problems step by step instead of just handing you the answer.
No downloads. No setup. No credit card. Just a browser and a Google account.
Here's how to get started.
What Is Google Colab?
Google Colab is a free, browser-based coding environment. You go to colab.research.google.com, sign in with your Google account, and you're writing Python in seconds.
No installing Python. No configuring your terminal. No "which version do I need?" rabbit holes. It runs entirely in your browser, and Google handles all the setup behind the scenes.
If you've ever gotten stuck trying to set up a coding environment before you even wrote a single line of code, this eliminates that problem entirely.
How to Activate Learn Mode
Once you're inside a Colab notebook, you'll see a Gemini chat window. Learn Mode is toggled on directly from that chat window.
That's it. One click and Gemini switches from "let me write that code for you" to "let me teach you how to write that code yourself."
What Learn Mode Actually Does
This is the part that matters.
Without Learn Mode, you ask Gemini a coding question and it gives you a block of code to copy and paste. You run it, it works, and you learned nothing. Sound familiar?
With Learn Mode on, Gemini does something different. Instead of solving your problem for you, it:
- Breaks down complex topics into step-by-step instructions
- Explains the underlying concepts so you understand why the code works, not just that it works
- Guides you through the solution rather than handing it to you
It's the difference between someone giving you directions and someone teaching you how to read a map.
Use the Practice Notebooks
Google also dropped two ready-to-go practice notebooks to get you started:
- List exercises - Practice working with Python lists (adding, removing, sorting, and looping through data)
- String exercises - Practice manipulating text in Python (slicing, formatting, searching, and transforming strings)
The Gemini agent in these notebooks is preprogrammed to use Learn Mode, so you don't even need to toggle it on. Open a notebook and start working through the exercises. When you get stuck, ask Gemini and it will guide you through the problem without giving away the answer.
These two topics (lists and strings) are foundational. Almost every Python program you'll ever write uses them.
Why This Matters
Most people who try to learn to code with AI end up in a cycle: ask the AI, copy the code, run it, repeat. They feel productive but they're not actually learning anything.
Learn Mode breaks that cycle. It forces you to think through the problem yourself, with guidance. That's how you actually build the skill.
And the fact that it's completely free, runs in your browser, and requires zero setup means the only thing standing between you and learning Python is opening a tab.
Go to colab.research.google.com and start with one of the practice notebooks. You'll be writing real Python in minutes.
Happy coding!
