How to Install the Helperbird Google Docs Add-on for Your School
One install puts Helperbird inside Google Docs, Slides and Sheets for everyone. Here is how to do it from the Google Admin console, and why it is separate from the browser extension.
On this page
This guide shows administrators how to put Helperbird inside Google Docs, Slides and Sheets for everyone in their school or district.
It takes about five minutes.
It Is One App for Docs, Slides and Sheets
There is one Helperbird add-on, and installing it covers all three editors.
You do not install a Docs version, then a Slides version, then a Sheets version. Install it once and Helperbird appears in all of them. What shows in the sidebar simply adapts to the file the user has open.
It Is Not the Browser Extension
This is the part that catches people out, so it is worth being clear.
Helperbird comes in two separate pieces. You need both, and they are installed in two different places.
| Browser extension | Google add-on | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Websites and PDFs | Inside Google Docs, Slides and Sheets |
| Comes from | Chrome Web Store | Google Workspace Marketplace |
| Installed from | Devices → Chrome → Apps & extensions | Apps → Google Workspace Marketplace apps |
Installing one does not install the other. They are separate products from separate stores. Force installing the extension does nothing for Google Docs, and your subscription key does not bring the add-on across either.
If your extension rollout is stuck for some users, that does not hold this up. The two are completely independent, so you can install the add-on today regardless.
How to Install It
Step 1
Go to admin.google.com (opens in a new tab) and open Apps → Google Workspace Marketplace apps → Apps list.
This is a different section from Devices → Chrome → Apps & extensions. If you are in the Chrome section, you are in the wrong place.
Step 2
Click Add app, then Google Workspace Marketplace.
Step 3
Search for Helperbird and click the listing.
Step 4
Click Admin install.
Not Individual install. Individual install only covers your own account. Admin install is what covers your users.
Step 5
Choose who gets it. Either Everyone at your organization, or Certain organizational units or groups and pick your units.
Select your staff and student units both, if you want both to have it.
Step 6
Tick the agreement box and click Finish, then Done.
That is it. It usually reaches users within minutes, though Google allows up to 24 hours.
What Your Users Do Next
Nothing. There is nothing for them to install, and no account to create.
To open it, they:
- Open a Google Doc, Slides presentation or Sheet
- Click Extensions in the top menu
- Choose Helperbird, then Open Helperbird
The Helperbird sidebar opens beside their file.
About Your Subscription Key
The add-on is free to install, and the core tools work without a subscription.
For the Pro tools inside the sidebar, the key is entered in the sidebar itself. Open Helperbird, open the Pro tile, paste the key in and click Save.
The add-on cannot read your Chrome policy. A
subKeypushed through Devices → Chrome → Apps & extensions applies to the browser extension only. The add-on is a Google Workspace app and has no access to that policy.
For a school rollout, the easiest route is a single link carrying your key so nobody has to type anything. Contact us and we will set one up for your domain.
If Something Is Not Working
Helperbird is not in the Extensions menu
Check you clicked Admin install rather than Individual install, and that the user's organizational unit was included. Then have them reload the editor tab. Allow up to 24 hours for a new Marketplace app to reach everyone.
Students see an "18 and over" or blocked message
Google Workspace for Education blocks Marketplace apps for users designated as under 18 until an administrator installs them. Admin installing, as above, clears it. Full explanation: Helperbird blocked for students under 18
The extension works but Google Docs does not
That is expected if you have only installed the extension. Follow the steps above.
Our domain only allows approved Marketplace apps
Helperbird needs adding to that allowlist first. The setting is under Apps → Google Workspace Marketplace apps → Settings.
Settings are not carrying between the extension and the add-on
They never do. The two store their settings separately, by design.
Related Guides
- Helperbird Blocked for Students Under 18
- How to Install the Helperbird Add-on for Google Docs and Slides
- How to Use the Helperbird Add-on for Google Docs
- How to Install and Use the Helperbird Add-on for Google Slides
- How to Use the Helperbird Add-on for Google Sheets
- How to Set Helperbird JSON Policy in Google Admin
- How to Verify and Troubleshoot a Helperbird Managed Deployment
Need Additional Help?
If the add-on is not appearing for your users, contact the Helperbird support team. We are happy to jump on a call and go through the Admin console with you.
Printed from the Helperbird Help Center · Updated October 3rd, 2026
Questions? We are happy to help — helperbird.com/support