Connecting your Google Drive and Gmail

So far Cowork has worked inside folders on your computer. Connectors let it reach the services you already live in, like Google Drive and Gmail, so the work does not stop at your desktop.

What a connector does

A connector is a permission you grant. Once you connect Google Drive, Cowork can pull a document from Drive into a draft it is writing. Once you connect Gmail, it can summarize a long thread or find the message you half-remember. The point is to keep your real material in reach instead of copying and pasting it in by hand.

How to set one up

1. Open the connectors area in the Claude app.
2. Choose the service, for example Google Drive or Gmail.
3. Sign in to that service and approve the access it asks for.

From then on, you can ask Cowork to use it: "find the budget doc in my Drive and summarize the latest version."

Stay in control

Connectors reach into private accounts, so treat them with a little care:

• Connect only what you need. You do not have to wire up everything at once. Add a connector when a task actually calls for it.
• Read what you are granting. The approval screen tells you what Cowork will be able to see. Skim it.
• You can revoke any time. If you stop needing a connection, remove it. Access ends when you say so.
• Keep "Ask before acting" on. The same setting that protected your files protects your accounts. Cowork still checks before it does anything.

With connectors set up, you have the full picture of what Cowork can do. If you want more control and you are ready for a little terminal, the Claude Code track is next.