What are ChatGPT plugins?

First, what does “plugin” mean?

In software, a plugin adds an ability to something you already use. A website might use a booking plugin to let visitors arrange appointments.

The idea is similar in ChatGPT. A plugin adds tools, instructions, or a combination of the two for a particular job.

You may see those parts called apps and skills. An app connects ChatGPT to a service, such as Google Drive. A skill gives ChatGPT instructions it can reuse, such as a checklist for reviewing an article. A plugin can contain either or both.

Let me connect that to something real

I used ChatGPT while building this website, with Sites helping turn my instructions into pages I could open and review.

I described what I wanted, opened the pages, and asked for changes. I checked the site on my phone too. The article text needed to be bigger, so we changed that. Then there was the writing. Some of it needed another pass because it didn’t sound like me.

The plugins helped ChatGPT carry out parts of the work. I still had to explain what I wanted and check what came back.

For your first go, let’s use Google Drive to find and summarise a document. Choose something you recognise: notes, a project plan, or a document you wrote. And please, you don’t need five plugins before starting. One useful connection is enough.

How to install a ChatGPT plugin, step by step

These steps follow ChatGPT on the web. I’ve included the different labels you might see, because the screens can vary between accounts.

1. Open the plugin directory

Open ChatGPT. In the left sidebar, select Customize, then Plugins. If Plugins is listed directly in your sidebar, open it there. You can also open the plugin directory directly.

This is where you browse the plugins available to your account. If your account shows Apps instead, use the app options shown there.

2. Search for Google Drive

Type Google Drive into the directory’s search box, then open its listing.

Read the description and check the included apps and supported tasks. For this example, you need to find and read documents. A familiar service name doesn’t mean every feature of that service is included.

3. Install the plugin

On the plugin’s listing, select Install plugin, if shown, or its add (+) control. Follow the installation prompts. If the plugin is already installed, move on to its connection setup.

Installation adds the plugin to ChatGPT. Connecting lets it work with the outside account. Those are separate steps, even when the screens appear one after another.

4. Connect the account you actually need

If you see Connect for Google Drive, select it. When Google asks you to sign in, choose the account holding the document you want to use.

Personal account? Work account? Check before continuing. It’s a small detail, but connecting the wrong account can leave ChatGPT unable to find the file.

Some plugins ask you to connect during installation. Others ask when you first use them. Follow the connection prompts when they appear.

5. Review the access and finish connecting

Read the requested permissions. Check the account, service, and access being granted, then complete the authorisation steps you intend to allow. Return to ChatGPT when setup finishes.

Some plugins need no outside account. An organisation may also provide an existing connection. Follow the setup shown in your account; you won’t always get a separate sign-in screen. Official installation guidance.

Now, how do you actually use it?

Start a new chat after installation. In the message box:

1. Type @.
2. Start typing Google Drive.
3. Select the plugin under Plugins in the menu.
4. Write what you want ChatGPT to do, then send the message.

Select the actual menu entry. Simply typing the name as ordinary text doesn’t necessarily select the plugin.

Plugins can work in Chat and Work, depending on what is available to your account. You can use the available experience for this first document task. OpenAI’s selection instructions show the @ menu.

Give it a request you can check

Open your chosen Google Doc and copy its name. Replace the brackets in this prompt before sending it:

The name tells ChatGPT where to look. The summary is the result you want. The last instructions explain what should stay untouched.

You don’t need complicated prompt language. You do need to say enough for the task to make sense. If several documents have the same name, add another detail, such as the folder or subject.

Open the result before moving on

Check the source link first. Is it the document you meant? Then compare the summary with the original. Look at names, dates, decisions, and anything ChatGPT marked as unclear.

This is why I suggested a document you know. You can recognise whether the answer represents it accurately.

For an edit later, explain the change and request a preview: “Show me the proposed changes before applying them.” Tools have different approval settings, so make your instruction clear and inspect the result.

If your screen looks different

Can’t find the plugin? Check what your account offers. Plans, organisational settings, and device requirements can affect availability.

A Desktop only label means the plugin requires the desktop app. Seeing its listing on your phone doesn’t make that plugin usable there.

Installed, but the file isn’t found? Check the connected account, the document name, and whether that account can open the file.

If ChatGPT cannot perform an action, check the plugin’s supported tasks. A longer prompt cannot add a feature the plugin doesn’t provide. OpenAI’s plugin overview covers availability and requirements.

Get comfortable with this part first

Once you’ve chosen a plugin, installed it, connected the right account, and tried a task you can check, you have a useful starting point.

Try a follow-up on the same document. Ask for a shorter summary or a list of unanswered questions. See how a clearer request changes the result.

Then we can get into the website-building process, with the tools already explained.

Product references checked November 2, 2026. Further reading: getting started with ChatGPT Work.