Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant built into Excel. Instead of hunting for the right formula or menu, you describe what you want in plain language: “show sales by region as a chart” or “add a column that calculates profit”. This guide explains what Copilot in Excel can do, how to get good results, and where it still needs your eyes.
Quick answer
Open your workbook, click Copilot on the Home tab, and type a request such as “Summarise the key trends in this data” or “Add a column that calculates profit as Sales minus Cost”. Copilot suggests formulas, charts, pivot tables and insights. Always check its formulas and numbers before you rely on them.
Who can use Copilot in Excel?
Copilot in Excel is available on eligible Microsoft 365 plans, including business plans with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence and some personal and family plans. Availability, features and limits change often, so check Microsoft’s current plan details. It works in Excel for Windows, Mac and the web, and works best with files saved to OneDrive or SharePoint.
Get your data ready first
Copilot understands well-organised data much better:
- Format your data as a Table (Ctrl + T).
- Use one clear header row, with names like “Sales” and “Region”, not “Column1”.
- Avoid merged cells, blank rows and totals in the middle of the data.
What Copilot in Excel can do
1. Explain and analyse your data
- “What are the three biggest trends in this data?”
- “Which product had the highest growth compared to last quarter?”
- “Are there any unusual values or outliers?”
2. Write formulas for you
- “Add a column that calculates profit margin as a percentage.”
- “Add a column that shows ‘Overdue’ if the due date is before today and status is not Paid.”
- “Look up each product’s price from the Prices sheet.”
Copilot shows the formula and explains it before you insert it. This is a great way to learn functions like XLOOKUP and SUMIFS.
3. Create charts and pivot tables
- “Show total sales by month as a line chart.”
- “Create a pivot table of sales by region and product.”
Copilot usually adds these on a new sheet so your data is not touched. Want to understand what it built? See how to make a pivot table.
4. Highlight, sort and filter
- “Highlight the top 10 customers by revenue.”
- “Highlight rows where stock is below 10 in red.”
- “Sort by due date, oldest first.”
5. Clean and reshape data
- “Split the Full Name column into first and last name.”
- “Remove extra spaces from the Customer column.”
- “Find duplicate invoice numbers.”
Newer features: Agent Mode and the COPILOT function
In 2026 Microsoft added two more powerful options for eligible users:
- Agent Mode: Copilot can carry out multi-step work in the workbook, such as building a model, a summary sheet or a report from your data, while showing the steps it takes. It is aimed at larger or more complex tasks.
- The
=COPILOT()function: a formula that uses AI inside a cell, for example to classify customer feedback as positive or negative, or to summarise a comment. Because results come from AI, they can vary; avoid using it for calculations that must be exact.
These features are rolling out over time and may not appear on every plan or version yet.
Tips for better results
- Be specific: name the columns and the result you want.
- One task at a time: ask, check, then ask the next step.
- Ask “why”: “Explain how this formula works” helps you learn and catch mistakes.
- Keep a copy: save a version before big changes, or use Undo.
Limits to keep in mind
- It can be wrong: check formulas on a few rows by hand before sharing results.
- Messy data gives messy answers: clean the data first (our Power Query tutorial helps).
- Company rules apply: follow your organisation’s policy for confidential data.
No Copilot? Use any AI assistant
You can get similar help by describing your data to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and asking for a formula. Prompts 23–30 in our 50 AI prompts for office work are written for exactly this.
FAQ
Does Copilot work with files on my computer?
It works best with files saved to OneDrive or SharePoint. If the Copilot button is greyed out, save the file to OneDrive and turn on AutoSave.
Can Copilot work in Arabic?
Copilot supports many languages, including Arabic, for prompts and responses. Results are usually best when column names are clear.
Will Copilot replace learning Excel?
No. Knowing the basics helps you ask better questions and spot mistakes. Copilot is fastest in the hands of someone who understands their data.