You can now use Claude right inside Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. On October 6, 2026, Anthropic released two features. One is a sidebar extension that opens inside a Google file, and the other is a connector that creates and edits Google files from a Claude conversation. The names are similar, but where you start and how the work flows differ.
The Claude sidebar that opens inside a Google file
With the Workspace extension, you open Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides and choose Extensions > Claude > Open Claude from the top menu to start. In the sidebar you can ask questions about the file you currently have open and what you've selected, and ask it to edit the same file. In Docs it polishes sentences and formatting, in Sheets it works with formulas, pivot tables, and charts or tidies up data, and in presentations it creates or edits slides based on existing material and layouts.
How edits are confirmed depends on your settings. With the default Ask before edits, change proposals appear as approval cards and are applied after you allow them. If you choose Accept all edits, ordinary edits can be applied without approving each one. So rather than understanding it as "every edit always applies after approval," it is more accurate to keep the default setting and the auto-accept setting distinct.
Creating and editing Google files from a Claude conversation
The second flow uses the Google Drive connector inside a Claude conversation. You can paste the link of a connected Google file into the conversation for Claude to reference, or ask it to create a new Docs, Sheets, or Slides file. Where supported, the file opens in a panel beside the Claude conversation so you can view and edit the content together. The files it can reach follow Google's sharing permissions and the connector settings your organization allows.
To sum up, the extension opens a Claude sidebar inside a Google file, and the connector pulls in Drive files or creates new ones from a Claude conversation. If you looked at Claude's existing Google Drive and Gmail connection features, you can compare them with the Claude Gmail and Drive connector guide.
Plans and conditions to check before installing
Anthropic describes both features as betas and says they are for all paid Claude plans, including Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise. To start, install the Claude app from the Google Workspace Marketplace, launch the extension in Docs, Sheets, or Slides, and sign in with your Claude account. If your Google Workspace admin restricts Marketplace app installs or keeps an allowlist, you may need admin approval.
On Team and Enterprise for organizations, an admin may also have to enable the Google connector. So a paid plan doesn't mean you can use every feature right away regardless of your organization's install policy or file sharing permissions. If Marketplace installation is blocked, ask your admin whether the app is allowed, and if you can't connect a file inside a Claude conversation, check your organization's connector settings and your Google sharing permissions.
If you also use the feature that previews Markdown files in Google Drive and edits them in their original format in Docs, see the guide to Google Drive Markdown preview and Docs editing. That feature is Google's own file preview and editing support and is separate from the Claude sidebar integration.