01Copilot modes on iPad and iPhone: edit mode is rolling outVerified
On iPad, chat and plan modes are available and edit mode is rolling out. On iPhone, chat mode is available and edit mode is rolling out. Android supports chat mode.
- Open Copilot in Excel.
- If you want Copilot to edit, check which modes your device supports.
- If edit mode is not yet available on iPad or iPhone, analyze in chat mode and edit in Excel on Windows, Mac, or the web.
The source says only that edit mode is rolling out, so timing may vary by device and environment. Confirm availability in your own environment.
Supporting passage from the source
Chat and plan modes. Edit mode support is rolling out to production.
02Add calculated columns in plain languageVerified
Describe a calculation and Copilot adds columns or rows that compute values from existing data. Naming the columns you want analyzed gives more accurate results.
- Select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of Excel
- Describe the column to add, naming the source columns
- Select a cell in the new column and check the formula and ranges
Add a column that divides the 'Subjects with event' column by the 'Analysis set N' column to give the incidence rate as a percentage to one decimal place.
Open the generated formula and check its ranges and rounding. Also check how blank or zero rows are handled.
Supporting passage from the source
Copilot can create new columns or rows that calculate values from your existing data, and explain how each formula works.
03Have Copilot explain a formulaVerified
Select a cell with a formula and ask Copilot to explain it. Useful when you inherit a workbook built by someone else.
- Select the cell containing the formula
- Select the Copilot icon
- Ask Copilot to explain the formula in the selected cell
Explain the formula in the selected cell, including which sheets and ranges it references and any conditions it evaluates.
The explanation may not match what the formula actually does. Compare it with the formula bar and test with sample values.
Supporting passage from the source
Select a cell with a formula, and then ask Copilot to explain the formula in the selected cell.
04Create charts and PivotTables by describing themVerified
Describe the chart or PivotTable you want and Copilot builds it. Specify the fields for rows and columns and the aggregation.
- Select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of Excel
- Ask for a chart or PivotTable, naming the row and column fields and the aggregation
- Check the PivotTable field settings and the source range
Create a PivotTable on a new sheet with the sum of medical information inquiries, with month in rows and product name in columns.
Confirm the source range and field settings. Do not include personally identifiable information in inquiry data.
Supporting passage from the source
Ask Copilot to create charts and PivotTables, or to highlight, sort, and filter your data.
05Highlight, sort, and filter with a promptVerified
Describe the highlight, sort, or filter you want; Copilot describes the change in the chat pane and applies it when you select Apply.
- Select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of Excel
- Describe the highlight, sort, or filter
- Read the change described in the chat pane and select Apply
- Check the result on the sheet
Highlight in yellow the rows where the 'Incidence rate' column is 5% or higher, and sort by incidence rate from highest to lowest.
After applying, confirm the threshold and sort column are what you intended. Highlighting is not a determination; use the criteria defined in company procedures for reporting.
Supporting passage from the source
Copilot describes the change in the chat pane, and you select Apply to see it in your sheet
06Get answers computed with Python-based analysisVerified
Ask a question about your data and Copilot computes the answer with Python-based analysis; a follow-up suggestion opens advanced analysis mode for deeper work. The 2026-08-25 release notes add running Python when editing with Copilot, with results written into the workbook.
- Select the Copilot icon to open the chat pane
- Type your question in natural language
- Expand the code block to see how the answer was computed
- For deeper work, select the suggestion Get deeper results using advanced analysis mode
- Select Stop advanced analysis to end it
Using the attendee counts by region and month in this table, list the three regions with the highest year-over-year growth for the same month, and show how you calculated it.
Unstructured data is not supported; organize data as a table or table-like range first. Direct answers do not modify the workbook, and inserted static tables or images do not refresh. Do not use these calculations in place of approved statistical analyses.
Supporting passage from the source
Copilot uses Python-based analysis to interpret your question, identify relevant data in your workbook, and compute a response.
07Ask Copilot to explain workbook change historyVerified
In shared workbooks, ask Copilot who changed what. It can summarize important changes, highlight edits by person or by Copilot, undo specific edits, and trace what broke a formula.
- Open Copilot in the shared workbook
- Ask for a summary of changes for a period and focus
- Optionally ask Copilot to highlight changes by a person or by Copilot
- If a formula broke, ask what change caused it and review the proposed restore
Summarize the important changes from the past week. Focus on formula or reference edits, structural changes, and changes affecting broad ranges or many cells.
Before undoing edits or restoring formulas, confirm the target changes. Keep any change records required for audits under the company's document-control procedures.
Supporting passage from the source
combines Excel's understanding of workbook history with Copilot's reasoning capabilities to enable users to understand and review changes
08Turn repeatable tasks into custom skillsVerified
Write the steps for a recurring task in a SKILL.md file and store it in a dedicated OneDrive folder; Copilot follows it. Skills are English-only and require the Office display language to be English.
- Set the Office display language to English
- Open the Settings menu (...) in the upper-right corner of the Copilot pane
- Select Manage skills > Custom skills
- Select Create OneDrive folder, then Open skills folder
- Add a folder containing a SKILL.md with name, description, and instructions (the folder name must match the skill name)
Use the ae-table-check skill on this sheet: confirm that every percentage equals the count divided by the N in the header, and list mismatched rows without changing any cells.
English only; not available with a Japanese display language. Assign an owner and a reviewer so that skill instructions stay consistent with company SOPs.
Supporting passage from the source
Skills with Copilot in Excel are only supported in English. Your Microsoft Office display language must be set to English to access skills.
09Open previous Copilot in Excel conversations from chat historyVerified
The menu icon in the upper left of the Copilot in Excel pane opens previous conversations, listed most-recent first, so work can continue where it left off.
- Open the menu icon in the upper left corner of the Copilot in Excel pane
- Pick a conversation from the list, sorted with the most recent at the top
- Select it to view and continue from that conversation
Past chats may still reference sensitive information. In shared workbooks, confirm who can view the pane before opening chat history.
Supporting passage from the source
Chat history helps users pick up where they left off with Copilot by preserving past conversations and sessions. To access chat history, use the menu icon in the upper left corner of the Copilot in Excel pane to open your previous conversations. Conversations are listed based on recency, with your most recent chat at the top of the list. Select a conversation from the list to view it. This feature rolled out in August.
10Jump to workbook changes directly from the Copilot chat responseVerified
Copilot in Excel chat responses now include links that jump directly to the changed sheets, tables, ranges, or objects in the workbook.
- Send a prompt to Copilot that modifies the workbook
- Look for the highlighted link in the chat response
- Click the link to navigate to the changed sheet, table, range, or object
- Review the change at the destination
Create a new sheet with a table summarizing sales by region from this promotional material performance data
Navigating via the link does not confirm the values or logic are correct — a person must still verify the figures. Copilot's edits are a starting point, not a final check.
Supporting passage from the source
In the Copilot chat response, there now is a link you can click that will take you directly to changes in the workbook. Previously, you would need to locate the change in the response and navigate in the sheet on your own.
11See which edits came from Copilot in the Show Changes paneVerified
The Show Changes pane in Excel now shows attribution cards indicating which edits or suggestions came from Copilot, separating them from manual changes.
- Open an Excel workbook with Copilot edits
- Select the Review tab, then click Show Changes
- Look for Copilot attribution cards indicating AI-generated changes
The attribution card only shows where Copilot changed something, not whether the change is correct — a person should still verify the content, especially for review-sensitive work.
Supporting passage from the source
Previously, Copilot activity was not visible in the Show Changes pane. Now, the pane includes on-card attribution showing when Copilot made edits or suggestions. This transparency helps users track AI contributions alongside manual changes.
12Turn workbook data into an interactive canvas with a promptVerified
A prompt turns workbook data into an interactive canvas. It stays connected to the workbook, so it updates as the data changes.
- Tell Copilot which workbook data to use and what the canvas is for, such as a status report
- Review the canvas that Copilot produces
- Ask Copilot through conversation to change the layout or surface a different insight
Using the case enrollment table in this workbook, create an interactive canvas for the Medical Affairs monthly status report. Make progress by site and delayed items easy to see at a glance.
The aggregation or display may contain errors. Check against the figures in the source workbook and have a person confirm before sharing. If the data is confidential, confirm the audience and how sensitivity labels apply.
Supporting passage from the source
With a simple prompt, Copilot can transform your workbook data into a polished, interactive canvas.
13Describe the data you need and let Copilot fetch it (get data)Verified
Instead of building Power Query queries yourself, describe the data you need, where to pull it from, and how it should be shaped.
- Describe the data you need to Copilot
- State where to pull it from and how it should be shaped
- Review the data that Copilot brings in
Bring in the table of inquiry counts by facility from the shared internal workbook and shape it into monthly columns.
Check that the source and the imported content match your intent by comparing with the original data. For confidential data, confirm access rights and sensitivity labels on the source, and have a person do the final check.
Supporting passage from the source
With get data, this becomes a conversational experience. Simply describe the data you need, where to pull it from, and how it should be shaped, and let Copilot do the work.
14Invoke the clean data skill with @clean-dataVerified
The clean data skill inspects data for extra spaces, inconsistent formats and dates, duplicates and wrong data types, explains the issues, and proposes fixes you can select from.
- Use @clean-data in your prompt to Copilot, or select it from the Skills menu.
- Read the issues Copilot found and why they matter.
- Select which proposed fixes to apply.
@clean-data In the case report list table, check for inconsistent facility names and duplicate rows, and propose fixes.
Save the original workbook before applying fixes. Follow internal rules for data that could identify patients. A person checks the values after applying.
Supporting passage from the source
To invoke this skill, use @clean-data in your prompt to Copilot or select it from the Skills menu.
15Review Copilot's plan in Excel plan mode before it editsVerified
Copilot in Excel has edit, plan, and chat modes. In plan mode, Copilot generates a plan first, so you can review and confirm the approach before it starts.
- Select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of Excel.
- Copilot opens in edit mode by default, so switch to plan mode.
- Submit your request; Copilot presents a plan.
- Read the plan and confirm the approach before work starts.
- To stop at any time, select the Stop button on the right side of the chat input field.
I want to match the Case Summary sheet and the Site Master sheet by site code and build a table of counts per site. Before editing anything, show me the steps as a plan.
A person should check the plan against the actual workbook data and verify the results against the source data. Follow your company's information-handling rules for confidential data.
Supporting passage from the source
Plan mode creates a structured approach to completing tasks. Instead of immediate actions, Copilot generates a plan so you can review and confirm the approach before starting.
16Record a recurring task as a reusable skill (skill recorder)Needs check
With skill recorder, you show Copilot how you handle a recurring task; Copilot follows each step and turns it into a reusable skill.
- Use skill recorder in Excel and show Copilot the recurring task, or describe it.
- Copilot turns the steps into a skill.
- Use the skill the next time the task comes up.
The text does not describe the UI or how to start it, so the steps are an outline only. Compare the skill's results with the manual results. Check handling rules before trying it on workbooks with confidential data.
Supporting passage from the source
With skill recorder, you can show Copilot how you handle a recurring task. As you work, Copilot follows each step and turns it into a reusable skill.