Apps & Extensions¶
Part of A Hitchhiker's Guide to AI for the Humanities
Don't Panic
These are optional integrations. You do not need any of them to use Claude effectively. They are worth knowing about if you already work in these applications. All are relatively new and may change.
Contents¶
Claude in Chrome¶
Claude in Chrome is a browser extension that lets Claude see your browser, read web pages, click buttons, fill forms, and navigate sites. It is the closest thing to "screen awareness" in Claude's product line, but limited to browser content rather than your full desktop.
When a humanities scholar might use it¶
If your research involves working across digital archives, library catalogues, or online collections, Claude in Chrome can navigate, extract, and synthesise information across multiple tabs. It can also help with data extraction from web interfaces, form-filling, and navigating complex institutional portals.
For example:
- Extracting structured data from an online catalogue or database
- Summarising and comparing articles across multiple open tabs
- Navigating an unfamiliar institutional portal to find specific records
- Collecting references from a digital archive into a structured format
How to install¶
Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store. Available for Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers. See Getting started with Claude in Chrome and Simplify your browsing experience.
Limitations¶
- Browser only -- Claude in Chrome cannot see your desktop, local files, or other applications. For file access, use Cowork.
- No Projects, memory, or MCP connectors.
- Chrome only -- not available for Firefox, Safari, or other browsers.
- Usage counts towards your overall Claude limits.
Claude in Excel¶
Claude in Excel is a Microsoft Excel add-in that puts Claude in a sidebar within your spreadsheet. Claude can read multi-tab workbooks, explain formulas with cell-level citations, edit cells while preserving formula dependencies, create pivot tables and charts, and debug errors.
When a humanities scholar might use it¶
If you work with structured data in spreadsheets -- prosopographical databases, survey results, catalogue data, quantitative analysis -- Claude in Excel lets you ask questions about your data and get help with formulas and organisation without leaving the spreadsheet.
For example:
- "Create a pivot table showing inscription counts by province and century"
- "Find inconsistencies in the date column and suggest corrections"
- "Explain what this formula does" -- Claude cites specific cells
- "Add a column that categorises each entry by [your criteria]"
How to install¶
Install from the Microsoft 365 add-in store within Excel. Available for Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers. Currently in beta. See Use Claude in Excel.
Limitations¶
- Shares usage limits with all other Claude products.
- No VBA or macro support.
- Chat history is not retained between sessions.
- Beta -- features may change.
Claude in PowerPoint¶
Claude in PowerPoint is a Microsoft PowerPoint add-in. Claude reads your slide masters, layouts, fonts, and colour schemes, and can build or edit slides while maintaining your template formatting. It produces native, editable charts and diagrams rather than static images.
When a humanities scholar might use it¶
Useful for preparing conference presentations, teaching slides, and lecture materials. The template awareness is genuinely helpful: Claude can produce slides that match your department or institutional branding without you having to fix formatting after the fact.
For example:
- "Create a 20-slide presentation summarising this paper for a conference audience"
- "Add a timeline slide showing the key dates from this chapter"
- "Restructure slides 5--10 to follow the argument more clearly"
How to install¶
Install from the Microsoft 365 add-in store within PowerPoint. Currently available for Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers. Research preview. See Use Claude in PowerPoint.
Limitations¶
- Not available on Pro -- requires Max or higher.
- Research preview -- features and availability may change.
- Usage counts towards your overall Claude limits.
Other integrations¶
Claude in Slack¶
Claude can be integrated into Slack workspaces. Most relevant for research teams using Slack for collaboration. Individual scholars are unlikely to need this. See the Claude Help Centre for details.
Connectors Directory¶
Claude supports interactive connectors for tools like Google Drive, Google Calendar, Gmail, Notion, and more. These are accessed through the Chat interface and allow Claude to read from and interact with external services. A scholar connecting Claude to Google Drive -- to search and reference documents stored there -- is a realistic use case. Browse available connectors at claude.ai/directory.