Excel has come a long way since its early days. What started as a basic spreadsheet program is now the go-to tool for organizing and analyzing data worldwide. Over the years, Microsoft has added game-changing features like pivot tables, macros, and Power Query that have completely changed how people work with information.
Now, Excel is taking its biggest step forward yet with a new feature called Copilot. This AI tool works directly inside your spreadsheet cells on Windows and Mac computers, letting you skip complicated formulas and just tell Excel what you want in plain English.
How Does Copilot in Excel Work?
The concept is simple: instead of building hard-to-remember formulas, you can type what you need using everyday language. The AI figures out what you want and gives you the results right away. When your data changes, the results update automatically without you having to do anything extra.
Here’s the basic format: =Copilot("tell it what you want", [your data range])
The best part? Your data stays inside Excel, so everything updates on its own when you make changes. No need to run new commands or refresh anything.
What Can You Do With It?
Microsoft suggests several ways businesses can use Copilot:
- Sort through customer feedback – Great for support teams and marketing departments
- Create content ideas – Generate SEO keyword lists or write messages in different styles
- Turn data into summaries – Convert long spreadsheets into easy-to-read reports
- Build lists and tables – Quick prototypes and project plans
You can also mix Copilot with regular Excel functions like IF and SWITCH, giving you even more ways to work with your data.
Current Limits
Like any new technology, Copilot has some restrictions right now. It can’t pull live data from the internet or access your company’s internal files. Dates show up as text instead of proper date format, and you’re limited to 100 requests every 10 minutes.
Microsoft says these limits will be relaxed in future updates, and they’re planning to add support for cloud data connections.
Who Can Use It Now?
Copilot is currently available to users in Microsoft’s Beta Channel who have a Copilot license. You’ll need:
- Windows: Version 2509 (Build 19212.20000) or newer
- Mac: Version 16.101 (Build 25081334) or newer
- Web version: Coming soon
This update represents a major shift in how Excel works. Just like pivot tables changed data analysis in the 1990s, Copilot could transform how people use spreadsheets by making AI tools accessible to everyone, not just tech experts.
The success of this feature may push more companies to upgrade their Microsoft licenses to include Copilot access. For businesses that rely heavily on data analysis, the time savings could justify the extra cost.
Excel’s evolution from a simple calculator to an AI-powered analysis platform shows how workplace software continues to get smarter. Whether Copilot becomes as essential as other Excel features remains to be seen, but early signs point to a fundamental change in how we’ll work with spreadsheets going forward.
