Claude moves into Google Docs, Sheets and Slides: it works right inside your file

What happened: On 6 October 2026 Anthropic launched Claude for Google Workspace in public beta. It is an add-on that opens in a sidebar next to your document, spreadsheet or presentation. Claude can see the open file and your current selection, and can edit the file directly. Alongside it came connectors for Google Docs, Sheets and Slides (also beta): with them you start in a Claude chat and Claude creates or edits the file from there. The add-on is available on all paid Claude plans.

What it means for you: Until now you had to copy text into a chat and paste the result back. Now the AI works where you already work:

• Documents — select a paragraph and write "shorten this and simplify it for the client". Claude can rewrite the text in place, or propose edits as suggestion cards you accept or reject one by one.
• Spreadsheets — "add a column with monthly totals by category and turn it into a chart". Claude writes the formulas, builds a pivot table, a chart and a new tab.
• Presentations — "turn this outline into five slides using our template layouts". Claude builds the slides and checks that elements don't overlap and text stays readable.
• From chat — paste a file link or ask for a new one, and Claude works on it without you switching windows.

Claude's access follows your existing Google sharing permissions: it can't see anything you can't.

How to get started:

1. Install the add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace.
2. In an open file choose Extensions → Claude → Open Claude.
3. To work from chat, turn on the Docs, Sheets and Slides connectors. On Team and Enterprise plans an organization owner has to enable them first.
4. Admins of a company Google account can deploy the add-on to the whole domain or selected groups from the Google Admin console.
5. Start with a small task on an unimportant file, such as adjusting the tone of one email or adding a formula to a copy of a spreadsheet.

Watch out for:

• The default setting is Ask before edits: every change appears as a card and waits for your approval. We recommend keeping it. The principle "AI proposes, the human approves" matters doubly in spreadsheets, where a wrong formula isn't obvious at a glance.
• "Accept all edits" applies changes without pausing. At most, use it for drafts, not for shared documents or financial spreadsheets.
• Both features are still in beta and behavior may change. Check availability and plan terms with the provider.
• Before letting AI into a company account, talk to IT: the add-on works with the contents of shared files.

Details are in the official announcement.