Last updated: October 8, 2026
The quick answer
Anthropic has launched Claude for Google Workspace, a public beta add-on that opens Claude in a sidebar inside Google Docs, Sheets and Slides so it can draft, analyze and edit the file you’re working on. It’s included with all paid Claude plans, installs from the Google Workspace Marketplace, and by default shows every change for your approval before it’s applied. Free Claude users don’t get it.
What happened
On October 6, Anthropic released Claude for Google Workspace in public beta. It works in two directions. Inside a Google file, you open Claude from the Extensions menu, and it appears next to your document, spreadsheet or presentation, where it can read the open file, see what you’ve selected and make changes. From Claude’s own app or website, you can paste a link to a Google file, or ask Claude to create a new Doc, Sheet or Slides deck, and edit it alongside the conversation.
Anthropic describes specific jobs for each app. In Docs, Claude drafts and tightens writing and presents changes as suggestions you can accept or dismiss. In Sheets, it helps build financial models, analyze data and pull in live figures from connected sources. In Slides, it builds new slides using your deck’s existing layouts, edits selected content and flags elements that overlap.
The add-on works in Chrome, Edge and Safari. Access is included with paid plans; no separate price has been announced.
What changes for you
If you already pay for Claude and work in Google’s apps, you no longer need to copy text back and forth between tabs. Claude can see the file’s structure and formatting, and Anthropic says it follows your deck’s theme and heading styles while keeping surrounding formatting intact.
The most important setting is how edits are approved. The default, “Ask before edits”, shows proposed changes so you can review them. There is also an “Accept all edits” option that lets Claude finish a larger task without stopping for confirmation each time. That is faster, but it means changes land in your file before you have read them, so it’s best saved for copies or low-stakes work.
It also brings Claude closer to what Google offers with Gemini inside Workspace. If you’re comparing options, our recent explainer on Gemini model access changes for Free, AI Plus and AI Pro users covers Google’s side.
How to set it up
- Check your plan. You need a paid Claude plan. On work accounts, your Google Workspace admin may control whether the add-on can be installed.
- Install it. Find Claude for Google Workspace in the Google Workspace Marketplace, or ask your admin to deploy it to your domain or group.
- Review permissions. Google lists what the add-on can access before you allow it. Inside the add-on, Claude can reach its sidebar, the file you opened it in and any connectors you turn on.
- Open it. In a Doc, Sheet or Slides file, go to the Extensions menu and launch Claude.
- Keep “Ask before edits” on at first. Get a feel for the quality of its changes before letting it apply edits automatically.
Privacy and safety checks
- Know the wider reach from Claude’s app. When you edit Google files from Claude on the web or desktop, Anthropic says Claude can reach any file your Google Drive permissions allow, not just one document.
- Check which terms apply. Consumer plans follow Anthropic’s Privacy Policy; Team and Enterprise plans follow its commercial terms.
- Use version history. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides keep earlier versions, so you can roll back if an AI edit goes wrong.
- Review your data settings. Our guide to Claude’s voice data training setting shows where to find Claude’s privacy controls.
Who it affects and who it doesn’t
| You are… | What it means |
|---|---|
| A paid Claude user with a personal Google account | You can install the add-on and try it now |
| On a Claude Team or Enterprise plan | An owner may need to enable the Docs, Sheets and Slides connectors first |
| Using a work Google account | Your Workspace admin controls who can install it |
| A free Claude user | Not included |
| Mostly using Microsoft Office | Not affected; see our look at Copilot’s Excel Canvas |
Also new today: GPT-6 and Intelligent UI are rolling out to all ChatGPT plans.
FAQ
Is Claude for Google Workspace free?
It doesn’t cost extra, but it requires a paid Claude plan. Free accounts aren’t included in the beta.
Can Claude change my documents without asking?
Not by default. “Ask before edits” is the standard mode. Claude only applies changes on its own if you switch to “Accept all edits”.
Does it see all my Google Drive files?
Inside the add-on, Claude works with the file you opened it in plus any connectors you enable. When you work on Google files from Claude’s own app, it can reach whatever your Drive permissions allow.
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