Claude now works inside Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Anthropic launched Claude for Google Workspace in public beta on 6 October 2026, bringing Claude into Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides as a sidebar add-on, and adding new connectors so you can create and edit Google files directly from Claude chat. Access is included with all paid Claude plans: Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise.

Two ways in, one set of files

The integration works in two directions, and it helps to understand both before deciding how you’ll use it.

The Claude for Google Workspace add-on starts from inside a file. Install it from the Google Workspace Marketplace, open a document, spreadsheet, or presentation, then go to Extensions > Claude > Open Claude. A sidebar appears next to your file. Claude can read what’s in the file, see what you’ve selected, and make edits directly in place. One install covers all three apps.

The Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides connectors work the other way around. You start in Claude chat and ask Claude to create or edit a Google file. Claude reaches into your Drive and does the work from there. On Team and Enterprise plans, an owner or primary owner needs to enable these connectors before anyone else can use them.

Both routes end up editing the same files, so you pick whichever starting point suits the task.

What Claude can actually do in each app

In Google Docs, Claude can fix a sentence or reformat a heading without disturbing surrounding text. For larger rewrites, it presents edits as suggestion cards in the sidebar, each one highlighting the specific passage it wants to change. You review and apply or dismiss each card individually.

In Google Sheets, Claude can write formulas, build pivot tables, generate native charts, and add new tabs. For heavier data work like cleaning or merging, it can offload the job to Python and return the results to your spreadsheet.

In Google Slides, Claude builds new slides using your deck’s existing layouts and themes, so additions look consistent with the rest of the presentation. It also checks its own output for overlapping elements, content that runs off the slide, or text that’s hard to read.

Two edit modes let you control the pace. “Ask before edits” requires your approval before each change. “Accept all edits” lets Claude work through a task without stopping. You choose based on how much you want to supervise the session.

All changes Claude makes appear in Google’s version history, so there’s a record of what was modified and when.

What this means for you

If you use Google Workspace and pay for a Claude plan, you no longer have to copy text out of a document, paste it into Claude, copy the response back, and paste it in again. The sidebar removes that loop entirely.

For individuals, the main gain is fewer context switches. Claude sees exactly what’s in your open file and can act on it without you describing what’s there or manually transferring anything.

For teams and enterprise organisations, the picture is broader. Administrators can deploy the add-on across an entire Google Workspace domain or to selected groups from the Google Admin console, which means consistent access without asking everyone to install it individually. Enterprise customers retain their existing compliance controls, including the Compliance API, customer-managed encryption keys, and OpenTelemetry audit export. The integration fits into existing governance rather than requiring a separate track.

The competitive context

Google Workspace already includes Gemini, with its own sidebar assistant built into Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Anthropic is asking Workspace customers to add a competing assistant to Google’s own environment, and Google is letting them do it through the Marketplace.

That matters because it removes the implicit constraint that if your files live in Google, your AI assistant has to be Gemini. Organisations that have already standardised on Claude, or that prefer it for specific tasks, can now use it where the work actually happens rather than working around the file boundary.

Claude previously connected to Gmail, Calendar, and Google Docs to read context from those sources. The new add-on and connectors go further by enabling direct editing, not just reading.

A few things to know before you install

The add-on works in Chrome, Edge, and Safari. Firefox is not supported in this beta.

When you use the add-on, Claude can access only the file you’ve opened it in, plus any connectors you’ve enabled. The scope is narrow by design. When you edit files from Claude chat using the connectors, Claude can reach any file your Google Drive permissions allow, so the access scope is broader.

The sidebar carries your full Claude account context, including whichever model you’re on, any connectors you’ve set up, and any skills available in the main Claude app. One thing it does not support is third-party inference through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, or Azure AI Foundry. The extension requires a direct Claude account sign-in, so if your organisation routes Claude through one of those platforms, this integration is not available to you in this beta. Claude for Microsoft 365 does support those platforms.

There is a 6-minute cap on individual operations and a 20-attachment-per-message limit. Claude cannot share files or change file ownership.

Getting started

Install the add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace. Open any Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide, go to Extensions > Claude > Open Claude, and sign in with your Claude account. Anthropic’s help centre guide covers the full setup and both edit modes in detail.

If you’re an admin, you can deploy it to your domain or to specific groups from the Google Admin console without waiting for users to install it themselves.