Claude for Google Sheets: How to Install and Use the New Claude Add-on (2026 Guide)

Claude for Google Sheets is now an official option. On 6 October 2026, Anthropic launched Claude for Google Workspace in public beta, an add-on that opens Claude in a sidebar inside Google Sheets, Docs and Slides and lets it read your spreadsheet, write formulas, build pivot tables and charts, and edit cells after you approve the changes. This guide explains what you need, how to install it step by step, what Claude can and cannot do in Sheets, how it handles your data, and how it compares with the older API-based extension and with Gemini.

Last updated: 15 October 2026. Requirements, steps and limits below were checked on 15 October 2026 against Anthropic’s announcement, its Help Centre and its developer documentation. The add-on is in beta, so features may change. We have not tested it ourselves; this guide is based on Anthropic’s documentation.

What Is Claude for Google Sheets?

There are now three ways to use Claude with Google Sheets, and they are easy to confuse:

Most people searching for Claude for Google Sheets want the new add-on, so that is the focus of this guide. Anthropic says it is “now in public beta on all paid Claude plans”.

What You Need Before You Start

• A paid Claude plan: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. The free plan is not supported. Claude Pro costs $20 a month, or $17 a month billed annually, plus tax; our Claude pricing guide compares the plans.
• A Google account that can install Google Workspace Marketplace apps. On a work or school account, your administrator may need to allow it.
• A supported browser: Chrome, Edge or Safari. Anthropic says Firefox is not supported.
• A Claude account login. The add-on does not accept API keys, Amazon Bedrock or Google Vertex AI sign-ins.

How to Install Claude for Google Sheets

1. Open the Google Workspace Marketplace and find the listing called Claude (Anthropic links to it from its Claude for Google Workspace page).
2. Click Install, choose your Google account and approve the two permissions Google shows you.
3. Reload any open files. One installation covers Sheets, Docs and Slides, but files that were already open need a refresh before the menu appears.
4. Open a spreadsheet and go to Extensions > Claude > Open Claude. You can also press Alt+/ (Option+/ on a Mac) and type “Claude”.
5. Sign in with your Claude account in the sidebar. Connectors are optional.

For organisations, Google Workspace administrators can install Claude for everyone or for selected groups from the Google Admin console. Anthropic notes that uninstalling it as an admin removes it for all users.

What Claude Can Do in Google Sheets

According to Anthropic, Claude can read the open sheet and the cells you select, then:

• write and fix formulas, including errors such as #N/A from a VLOOKUP;
• explain how a total or other result is calculated;
• clean up data, for example by normalising date formats;
• build pivot tables and native Google Sheets charts;
• add new tabs and build spreadsheet models, including sensitivity tables;
• pull a range into Python for joins or data cleaning, then write the results back to the sheet;
• read reference files you attach to the sidebar, such as PDFs, CSVs or Office files.

It can also simply answer questions about a sheet without changing anything. Edits are made in place under your name, so they appear in the file’s version history.

Example prompts to try

These are our own examples, based on the capabilities Anthropic lists:

• “Explain how the total in cell F42 is calculated and check whether any rows are missing.”
• “Convert all dates in column B to DD/MM/YYYY and flag any that cannot be read.”
• “Fix the #N/A errors in column D and tell me which product codes have no match.”
• “Create a new tab with a pivot table of sales by region and month, plus a column chart.”
• “Using the attached CSV, build a Q3 budget versus actuals tab and highlight lines over budget.”

Control What Claude Changes: Approval Modes

You decide how much Claude can do on its own:

• Ask before edits (default): Claude shows each planned change as an approval card, and suggested edits appear as highlighted cells that you accept or reject.
• Accept all edits: Claude applies ordinary content changes without stopping.

Even in Accept all edits mode, Claude pauses for anything involving links, external images, web addresses or file access. These show a “Security review” label and cannot be set to always allow. For important or shared spreadsheets, keep the default mode and make a copy before large changes. Our AI agent security guide explains why reviewing an AI’s actions matters.

Using the Google Sheets Connector in Claude

The second route starts in the Claude app instead of in Sheets. Paste a link to a Google Sheets file, or ask Claude to create a new spreadsheet, and it can create or edit the file from the chat. Anthropic says this works best when you need a new file or your work spans several files. Claude’s access follows your existing Google sharing permissions, and on Team and Enterprise plans an owner or primary owner must enable the connectors first.

When you are signed in to the sidebar, it also offers the same models, connectors and skills you have in Claude. Anthropic’s example is pulling account history from Salesforce and call notes from Google Drive to build a quarterly business review.

The Older Claude for Sheets Extension and =CLAUDE()

Before the new add-on, Anthropic’s developer documentation described a separate “Claude for Sheets” extension for running Claude inside cells. It uses an Anthropic API key, entered under Extensions > Claude for Sheets > Open sidebar > Settings, and provides two functions:

=CLAUDE(prompt, model, params...)
=CLAUDEMESSAGES(conversation)

This suits bulk tasks such as classifying hundreds of rows, but every call is billed per token through the API, and the documentation says you must re-enter your API key in each new spreadsheet. It is a different product from the paid-plan add-on described above.

Limitations to Know

• Beta: features and limits may change.
• Open file only: Claude works on the file you have open and cannot download or export files, such as PDFs.
• Keep the sidebar open: each operation has a six-minute limit.
• Connected Sheets: Claude cannot read or edit BigQuery Connected Sheets tabs.
• No automation: Claude cannot create triggers, custom menus or scheduled refreshes.
• Attachment limits: up to 20 files per message, 30 MB per document and 10 MB per image.
• No Firefox, no voice dictation.
• Not for health data: Anthropic says the add-on does not support Zero Data Retention or HIPAA-ready use and advises against using it with protected health information.

Privacy and Data

Anthropic’s Help Centre explains what happens to your data:

• The open file’s content, your messages and attachments are sent to Claude to generate responses.
• Anthropic says it does not use this content for training, and inputs and outputs are deleted within 30 days.
• Team and Enterprise use falls under Anthropic’s Commercial Terms and Data Processing Addendum; Pro and Max use falls under the Consumer Terms and Privacy Policy.
• Chat history is stored in your browser for each file, is not synced and can be cleared in the sidebar settings.
• The add-on does not request access to Drive, Gmail, Calendar or contacts.

For UK and EU businesses handling personal data, a Team or Enterprise plan gives you the commercial terms and data processing addendum, which are more suitable for client data than a personal plan.

Claude vs Gemini vs Excel for Spreadsheets

• Gemini in Google Sheets: Google includes Gemini in Docs and Sheets with Google AI Pro (£18.99 a month in the UK), and Sheets also has an =AI() function on eligible plans. Our Gemini pricing guide compares the plans.
• Claude for Excel: if your spreadsheets live in Microsoft Excel instead, Anthropic offers a separate Claude for Excel add-in. Our guide on how to use AI in Excel explains it alongside Copilot and ChatGPT.
• Specialist tools: finance teams can compare options in our guide to the best AI tools for accountants.

If you already pay for Claude and want it inside the spreadsheets you use, the add-on avoids a second subscription. If your team lives in Google Workspace and already pays for Google AI, test Gemini first.

Troubleshooting Claude in Google Sheets

• No Claude menu under Extensions: reload the spreadsheet after installing, and check you are signed in to the Google account that installed it.
• Install blocked: on a work or school account, ask your Google Workspace admin to allowlist or deploy the add-on.
• Sidebar will not sign in: use your Claude account, not an API key, and confirm you are on a paid plan.
• Works in Chrome but not Firefox: Firefox is not supported; switch to Chrome, Edge or Safari.
• Long task stops: each operation has a six-minute limit, so split big jobs into smaller steps.

If Claude itself is down or showing errors, our guide to fixing Claude not working covers status checks, usage limits and login problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Claude for Google Sheets free?

No. The add-on is in beta on paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise). The older Claude for Sheets extension uses a pay-per-token API key instead.

How do I open Claude in Google Sheets?

After installing the Claude add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace, open a spreadsheet and choose Extensions > Claude > Open Claude, or press Alt+/ (Option+/ on Mac) and type “Claude”.

Can Claude edit my Google Sheets directly?

Yes. By default it asks for approval before each edit, and changes appear in the file’s version history under your name. You can switch to Accept all edits, but links, external images and file access always need approval.

Does Claude for Google Sheets work in Firefox?

No. Anthropic lists Chrome, Edge and Safari as supported browsers.

Does Anthropic train on my spreadsheets?

Anthropic’s Help Centre says it does not use content from the add-on for training and deletes inputs and outputs within 30 days.

Is Claude or Gemini better for Google Sheets?

It depends on what you already pay for. Gemini is built into Google AI Pro, while Claude for Google Sheets suits people who already use a paid Claude plan. Test both on a copy of the same spreadsheet.

Conclusion

Claude for Google Sheets brings Claude’s analysis directly into your spreadsheets: install the Claude add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace, open it from the Extensions menu, sign in with a paid Claude account and start by asking questions before letting it edit. Keep the default approval mode for important files, remember the beta limits, and choose a Team or Enterprise plan if you work with client data.

Sources: Anthropic – Claude now works with Google Docs, Sheets and Slides; Anthropic Help – Use Claude in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides; Claude for Google Workspace; Google Workspace Marketplace – Claude; Claude developer docs – Claude for Sheets; Claude pricing; Let’s Data Science.