ChatGPT Connectors: What They Are and How to Use Them (2026)
ChatGPT connectors are the links that let ChatGPT read and use your other accounts, such as Google Drive, Slack or GitHub. OpenAI now calls them apps, and you add them from Settings, then Plugins. You sign in to the service, approve what ChatGPT may do, and can disconnect at any time.
ChatGPT connectors let the chatbot work with the accounts you already use, so you can ask it to find a file in Google Drive, look up a Slack message or check your calendar without copying and pasting anything. OpenAI's help centre now calls them connected apps, and they sit inside the Plugins area of Settings.
That name change trips people up. Older guides talk about Settings, then Connectors, while newer versions of ChatGPT show Plugins, and some older mobile apps still say Apps. The idea is the same in every case. This guide explains what connectors are, how to connect one, what each permission setting means and how to keep control of your data.
By the end you will know how to connect Google Drive, how to stop ChatGPT acting without asking and how to disconnect an app. For the basics of the tool itself, start with What Is ChatGPT?. For the wider system that bundles apps with skills, see What Are ChatGPT Plugins?.
In this guide
What are ChatGPT connectors?
A connector is a link between your ChatGPT account and an outside service. Once you sign in to that service and approve access, ChatGPT can use what it finds there as context for your request. Depending on the app, it can search and reference information, show maps or cards inside the chat, or take supported actions such as creating or updating something.
Three words get mixed up, so here is the difference:
Connector: the older name for a connection to one outside service.
App: OpenAI's current name for that same connection.
Plugin: a package that can hold one or more apps, plus skills. Installing a plugin may start an app's setup, but it does not skip any sign-in or workspace approval.
One point matters more than any name. A connector never gives ChatGPT new access. It can only reach what the account you connected can already open.
Which apps can you connect?
OpenAI's help centre publishes setup guides for these services. What ChatGPT can do with each one depends on the app and on the account you connect.
App | What it is for |
Google Drive | Find files and work with Google Docs, Sheets and Slides |
SharePoint and Box | Reach files your account is authorised to open |
Outlook | Email and calendar |
Slack and Microsoft Teams | Look up messages and use chat in your work |
GitHub and GitLab | Connect code repositories |
Notion | Reference pages from your workspace |
Availability depends on your ChatGPT plan, region, workspace, role and the interface you use, so an app you read about may not appear for you. If you cannot see one, check the plan and workspace before assuming something is broken. Our guide to ChatGPT limits by plan shows what each tier includes.
How do you connect an app to ChatGPT?
Connecting takes a couple of minutes. The steps below follow OpenAI's current help pages.
Open Settings, then Plugins. Select the app or the plugin that includes it. Some older iOS and Android versions show Apps instead.
Select Install plugin if you see it. This can start the connection flow.
Select Connect and continue the setup flow if prompted.
Sign in to the right account. Pick the account that already has the files you want to use.
Review the permissions the service asks for, then approve them.
If you see a message saying ChatGPT needs all requested permissions when connecting Google apps, select Try again, then Select all on Google's screen. To connect fewer Google apps, select Select fewer apps. You still have to approve every permission for the apps you chose.
Test the connection with a plain request, such as: Find my project brief in Google Drive and summarise the next steps.
How do you use a connected app in a chat?
Describe the task in a normal conversation. You can mention an app with an @, or select the plus button and choose it from the menu. ChatGPT may also use an app by itself when your request fits. Prompts that work well, taken from OpenAI's Google Drive guide:
Find the latest project plan in my Google Drive and summarize the next steps.
Compare the two budget spreadsheets I shared last week.
Use the launch notes in my Google Drive to draft a short customer update.
Some apps also work as sources in deep research. Eligible users can set up a task in Work that runs when a supported app receives an event, such as a new Gmail message, a new Slack channel message or GitHub pull request activity. If an action needs approval, the task pauses until you review it.
App use can count toward your plan limits, and the app provider may set limits of its own.
What do the permission settings mean?
Permissions decide when ChatGPT asks before it reads from an app or changes something. Depending on your account and the app, you may see four options:
Always ask: ChatGPT asks before reading information or making changes.
Allow read actions: ChatGPT can read without asking but asks before making changes.
Allow low-risk actions: low-risk actions are approved automatically, and higher-risk ones may need confirmation or be refused.
Allow all actions: supported actions can run without another prompt. This carries elevated risk.
Actions that send a message, edit or delete a file, change sharing settings or spend money are the ones to keep behind a prompt. Permissions only change when ChatGPT asks. They do not give an app any new access.
To set a default, open Settings, then Plugins, then Permissions. To change one account, open the menu beside it, choose Settings and pick a permission. Approval cards offer Deny and Allow once, and sometimes Always allow for an eligible personal account.
What happens to your data?
Once you enable an app, it may be able to see information from your ChatGPT conversation as context. If Memory is on, it may also use relevant memories. Apps can see the basic details a website sees, such as IP address, device type, language and approximate location. Each app handles that data under its own terms and privacy policy.
ChatGPT can also use what it finds in an app as context for later answers, and may remember it if Memory is on, unless the app or source restricts that. Our guide to how to delete ChatGPT memory shows how to review what it holds.
On training, OpenAI says it does not use information accessed from apps to train models by default for Business, Enterprise and Edu. For Free, Plus, Go and Pro, it may do so if Improve the model for everyone is on. For the wider picture, read Is ChatGPT safe?.
A sensible rule: connect the narrowest account that does the job, avoid linking an account full of files you would not want summarised, and review what is connected from time to time.
What changes with a work or school account?
In a managed workspace, an administrator controls much of this. Plugin installation, app availability, role permissions and your sign-in to the service are separate controls. In ChatGPT Business many apps are on by default, but administrators can change access. If an app shows Disabled by admin, ask your administrator to review it.
The service itself may need to approve the app too. For Google Drive, a ChatGPT administrator controls which actions are available, while a Google Workspace administrator controls whether OpenAI's app is trusted for the permissions those actions need. Those can be different people.
A ChatGPT Enterprise organisation can also stop work accounts being connected from personal workspaces. If that blocks you, switch to an authorised workspace. Connecting a personal account does not unlock files that only your work account can see, and connecting a work Microsoft account does not turn your ChatGPT account into a managed workspace.
Why is my connector not working?
The app is missing. Check your plan, region and workspace, and whether an administrator has enabled it.
It uses the wrong account. Under Settings, then Plugins, review the account shown. Use Connect another account if it is offered.
It says all permissions are required. Select Reconnect and approve every permission the selected apps need.
Files are missing. Confirm the connected account can open the file directly in Google Drive, then start a new conversation.
A file shows up but cannot be read. Finding a file name does not mean ChatGPT read the contents. Paste the file link and ask it to read that specific file.
How do you disconnect an app?
Open Settings, then Plugins, and select the app. If Connected accounts appears, open the menu beside the account and select Disconnect. Otherwise use Connection or the plugin's menu. Disconnecting stops future access through that account.
It does not delete existing conversations, saved files or memories, so review those separately. Disconnecting your last account can remove some related plugins from your installed list, and uninstalling a plugin can disconnect every account connected through it. Google and Microsoft also let you remove access from your account settings on their side.
Frequently asked questions
Are ChatGPT connectors free?
Connecting an app is part of ChatGPT, but whether you can use a given app depends on your plan, region and workspace. The service you connect may have its own cost, and using an app can count toward your plan limits.
What is the difference between a connector and a plugin?
A connector, now called an app, links ChatGPT to one outside service such as Google Drive or Slack. A plugin is a package that can hold one or more apps plus skills, which are reusable instructions. Some plugins include only skills and connect to nothing.
Can ChatGPT read my Google Docs, Sheets and Slides?
Yes, through the Google Drive app, which covers all three. It can only use files that the Google account you connected can already open.
Can ChatGPT change or delete my files?
Only if the app supports the action, your workspace allows it and you granted the matching Google permission. ChatGPT may ask you to confirm first. Keeping the permission on Always ask is the safest setting.
Does OpenAI train on information from my connected apps?
For Business, Enterprise and Edu, OpenAI says it does not use information accessed from apps to train models by default. For Free, Plus, Go and Pro, it may do so if the Improve the model for everyone setting is on.
Where did the Connectors setting go?
OpenAI's help centre now points to Settings, then Plugins. Some older versions of the mobile apps still show Apps, and older guides mention a Connectors page. The feature is the same.
The bottom line
ChatGPT connectors turn the chatbot from something you paste text into into something that can work with your own files and messages. The setup is short, the permission settings are clear, and you can disconnect at any point. Start with one app, keep permissions on Always ask while you learn what it does, and widen them only when you trust the result.
If you are still deciding which tier suits you, our guide to ChatGPT limits by plan is a good next step. Then explore more guides on whatischatgpt.co.uk.
