You can access and start installed and authorized add-ons
directly from the application the add-on extends.

## Start a Google Workspace add-on

Google Workspace add-ons that you have installed automatically appear in the [host
application](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/guides/glossary#host_or_host_application)
interface as a column of icons (under icons for Google products like
Calendar, Keep, and Tasks). The host application
represents each add-on by a small icon; this icon is
specified in the add-on's
[manifest](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/concepts/workspace-manifests).

Clicking an add-on icon opens the
add-on interface, and clicking the icon again hides the
interface. The location of the icon depends on the client (desktop or mobile).

### On desktop

An icon for each Google Workspace add-on a user has installed appears in the
right-nav of the Google Workspace
[host application](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/guides/glossary#host_or_host_application).
An icon is only presented if that Google Workspace add-on has been enabled for
use with that host in its
[manifest](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/concepts/workspace-manifests).

![Google Workspace sidebar showing installed Google Workspace add-on icons](https://developers.google.com/static/workspace/add-ons/images/workspace-addons-using.png)

When a user clicks a Google Workspace add-on icon, a corresponding trigger
fires to build the initial [homepage](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/concepts/homepages) for
the add-on. Once the homepage card is constructed, the
add-on returns it to the host application for display.
If the add-on doesn't define a homepage, a default card
is presented instead.

If you open an add-on that isn't fully authorized, it
prompts you to [authorize](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/how-tos/authorizing-addons) it.
After you review and authorize the requested permissions, the
add-on homepage appears, and you can then begin
interacting with it.

You can close the add-on UI at any time by clicking the
add-on icon again (or clicking the icon of a different
add-on), or by clicking the
icon in the
add-on header.

#### Gmail compose

![Compose UI add-on location](https://developers.google.com/static/workspace/add-ons/images/compose-addon-location.png)

Google Workspace add-ons can [extend the Gmail compose
UI](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/gmail/extending-compose-ui), which provides
add-on functionality from Gmail's
"compose message" window. For these add-ons, the
add-on icon appears in the horizontal row at the bottom
of the compose window. The add-on icons are placed to
the right of the standard icons for message formatting, attaching files, and so
forth.

#### Calendar conference solutions

Google Workspace add-ons can add one or more [conference
solutions](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/calendar/conferencing/overview#conference_solutions)
to the Google Calendar event interface. These solutions don't appear as a card
interface; rather, they appear as conferencing options in Google Calendar's
built-in **Edit event** interface.

Calendar represents each add-on
conferencing solution by a name and a small icon, each specified by the
[`calendar.conferenceSolution[]`](https://developers.google.com/apps-script/manifest/calendar-addons#Calendar.FIELDS.conferenceSolution)
fields in the add-on's
[manifest](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/concepts/workspace-manifests).

When you select an add-on's conference solution,
Calendar asks you to
[authorize](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/how-tos/authorizing-addons) the
add-on (if you haven't already), and may ask you to
further authorize the third-party conferencing system the
add-on connects to. After authorizing, you can freely
select any of the add-on conference solutions for your
events.

### On mobile (Gmail only)

![Icons for installed add-ons appear at the bottom of a Gmail message on mobile.](https://developers.google.com/static/workspace/add-ons/images/mobile-addon-location.png)

On mobile, the Google Workspace add-ons that extend Gmail have icons that
appear as a horizontal row at the bottom of the open message or draft.
Clicking an icon opens that interface at the bottom of the message.

For Google Workspace add-ons that [extend the Gmail with compose
actions](https://developers.google.com/workspace/add-ons/gmail/extending-compose-ui), the
add-on icons appear in the compose view's top-right
menu.

## Start an Editor add-on

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** Editor add-ons are only available on desktop clients, and not on mobile.

Most Editor add-ons create one or more menu items in the
**add-ons** menu of the editor. It's a best practice to create at
least one menu item for an Editor add-on to serve as
the initial launch point that explains the add-on's
purpose and usage. Selecting one of the add-on menu
items causes some functionality of that add-on to
start; often add-ons use menu items to open the main sidebar or
dialog that represents the primary add-on interface.

Google Forms doesn't use the same menu bar as the other editors. Instead, you
can find Forms add-on menu items by
clicking the
icon in the upper left of the
Forms editor interface. Forms
add-ons only extend the form editor, not the forms that are sent
out to for replies.