Add Claude to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for your whole team

Juliana

3 days ago

5 min read

If your team writes proposals in Docs, builds models in Sheets, and puts decks together in Slides, you've probably watched people copy text into Claude, copy the answer back, and lose formatting along the way. Claude for Google Workspace removes that step. It adds a Claude sidebar inside the file you're already working in.

The short version: one install from the Google Workspace Marketplace covers Docs, Sheets and Slides. A Google Workspace admin can push it to everyone or only to chosen groups, and each person then signs in with their own Claude account. This guide walks through choosing the right install, rolling it out, and fixing the usual snags.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tv5VvQBHjc

What is the Claude for Google Workspace add-on

The add-on is a sidebar that reads and edits the file it's opened in. Ask it to tighten a section in a Doc, add a summary tab to a Sheet, or draft new slides in a deck, and it works on that file.

A few things it's easy to confuse it with:

It doesn't create other files in Drive. Anthropic is clear that the add-on can't open, create or copy other files. If you want Claude to create new Google Docs, Sheets or Slides from the Claude app, that's a separate set of connectors, also in beta. On Team and Enterprise plans, an owner has to turn those on first.
It isn't the Google Drive, Gmail or Calendar connectors you use at claude.ai.
It isn't "Claude for Sheets." That's an older Marketplace listing that runs on an Anthropic API key and only works in Sheets. The one you want is simply called Claude.

Before you start

You'll need three things:

A paid Claude plan. The add-on is in beta on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise. It isn't available on the Free plan.
The right Google permissions. Either your Google account is allowed to install Marketplace apps, or a Google Workspace super admin installs it for you.
A supported browser. Chrome, Edge or Safari. Firefox isn't supported.

Choose admin install or individual install

The Marketplace offers two ways to install. Which one is open to you depends on your Google Workspace settings, not your Claude plan.

	Admin install	Individual install
Who can do it	A Google Workspace super admin	Any user whose admin allows Marketplace installs
Who gets it	Everyone, or chosen groups or organizational units	Just that person
Best for	Rolling it out to a team or a pilot group	Trying it yourself, or a solo account

If you run the agency and want the whole team on Claude, admin install is the cleaner choice. Nobody has to hunt for the right listing, and you decide who has it. One condition: you need to be a super admin in Google Workspace. If someone else holds that role, they'll do this part.

If you'd rather start small, scope the install to one group first and widen it later.

Admin install, step by step

Sign in to the Google Admin console as a super admin.
Go to Apps, then Google Workspace Marketplace apps, then Apps list.
Click Install app and search for Claude. Check that it's the listing named Claude, not Claude for Sheets.
Choose Admin install, then Continue.
Pick Everyone at your organization, or Certain groups or organizational units, and finish the install.

Give it time. Google says changes can take up to 24 hours to reach everyone. Admin install works even if you've blocked staff from installing Marketplace apps themselves.

If you'd rather let people opt in, there's a middle path. Set Marketplace access to allow only allowlisted apps, then add Claude to the allowlist. Staff can install it themselves, and nothing else gets through.

To remove it later, go back to Apps list, select Claude, and choose Uninstall app.

Individual install, step by step

You can install from the Claude listing in the Google Workspace Marketplace, or from the install link on Anthropic's announcement. You can also do it from inside any Doc, Sheet or Slides file:

Open the file and go to Extensions, then Add-ons, then Get add-ons.
Search for Claude.
Open the listing named Claude and check that it's published by Anthropic.
Click Install, then Allow.

One install covers all three apps.

Open it and sign in

In any Doc, Sheet or Slides file, go to Extensions, then Claude, then Open Claude.
Google asks for two permissions: one to show the sidebar, and one to view and manage the files the add-on is used in. Allow both.
Sign in with your Claude account. SSO works if your Claude org uses it.

To check that it works, open a short Doc and ask Claude to summarize it in three bullets at the top. With the default settings, you'll see the proposed change and approve it before anything is written.

What your team can do once it's on

Inside the sidebar, people get the models, connectors and skills their Claude organization already allows. Connectors that are enabled show up in the + menu. New connectors are still added at claude.ai, and your Claude admins decide which ones are available. If you haven't set those limits yet, our guide to setting Claude connector limits for your team is the place to start.

A few details worth sharing with your team:

Edit modes. "Ask before edits" is the default, and it's a sensible one while people learn. "Accept all edits" lets Claude write without stopping. Some actions always need approval, like inserting a web image, adding a link, or removing someone's access. Claude can't share the file or change its owner.
Version history. Edits are made in place under the user's name, so you can see and restore them in File, then Version history.
Chat history stays local. Conversations are saved in the browser for each file and don't sync between devices.
Data. The add-on is covered by your Claude terms, and Anthropic says the content isn't used for training. It isn't covered for HIPAA, and zero data retention isn't available, so keep that in mind for sensitive work.

In our walkthrough, we had Claude draft a quick setup guide in a Doc, and it turned a pasted URL into a proper link. That's a good example of the kind of small cleanup it's useful for.

Troubleshooting

Claude isn't in the Extensions menu. Reload the file. If you used admin install, the rollout can take up to 24 hours, and the person has to be in a group or organizational unit you selected.
"This application is not allowed by your administrator." Your Workspace blocks user installs. Ask a super admin to do an admin install, or add Claude to the Marketplace allowlist.
Every action fails. You're probably signed in to more than one Google account in the same browser. Use a browser profile with only your work account.
Nothing loads in Firefox. Switch to Chrome, Edge or Safari.
It won't work on a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file. Convert it to a Google Docs, Sheets or Slides file first.
"Claude for Google Workspace needs a Claude account." Sign in with an account on a paid Claude plan. API keys aren't supported.
A long task stops partway. A single operation is capped at six minutes, and the sidebar has to stay open while Claude works. Break big jobs into smaller requests.