Copilot in Excel

What it does

Copilot in Excel brings Microsoft’s AI directly into the spreadsheet, aimed at the large base of existing Excel users who want AI help without switching tools. It covers everyday formula work through natural-language formula creation and the in-cell =COPILOT() function, and extends into more advanced territory with Python in Excel for statistical analysis and Agent Mode for multi-step, goal-driven edits across a workbook.

Because it’s licensed as part of the broader Microsoft 365 Copilot product, it tends to make the most sense for organizations already invested in that ecosystem rather than as a standalone purchase. For heavier data-analysis needs it can substitute for some lightweight scripting, but users who need live connections to external data sources or a more purpose-built AI-native spreadsheet experience may want to pair it with, or choose instead, a tool built specifically around that.

Ideal users

• Excel users on Microsoft 365 who want AI formula and analysis help inside their existing workbooks
• Analysts who want to run Python-based statistical or forecasting work without leaving Excel
• Teams already paying for Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses who want to use it for spreadsheet work, not just Word and Outlook

Who should avoid it

• You're not licensed for Microsoft 365 Copilot — it's an add-on cost on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription, not a free Excel feature
• You work primarily in Google Sheets — the closest equivalent there is Gemini in Google Sheets
• You need a lightweight, low-cost way to get AI formulas without a full Copilot license — an add-on like Formula Bot or Numerous.ai is cheaper

Key features

• Natural-language formula creation and automatic formula completion as you type
• The =COPILOT() function for calling an AI model directly from a cell, referencing other cell data in the prompt
• Agent Mode — a multi-step assistant that plans and executes edits across a workbook (building sheets, formulas, charts) from a natural-language goal
• Python in Excel for AI-assisted forecasting, risk analysis, and machine learning-style analysis without separate coding tools
• Data insight summaries and automatic chart suggestions from selected ranges

Pricing

Paid — $18-21/user/month add-on (business, promotional rate through Sept 2026) on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan

Confirmed on microsoft.com/microsoft-365-copilot/pricing: the Microsoft 365 Copilot Business add-on is $18/user/month (annual billing, promotional through September 30, 2026, rising to $21/user/month afterward) on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 Business plan, and Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot bundled is $32/user/month annual ($38.40/user/month paid monthly). The consumer bundle, Microsoft 365 Premium, is $19.99/month and includes Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote (it replaced the standalone Copilot Pro plan, which Microsoft is retiring in August 2026).

Typical workflows

• A financial analyst describes a forecasting model in natural language, and Copilot's Python integration builds the underlying calculations and a chart.
• Someone unfamiliar with Excel formulas types a description of what they want a cell to calculate, and Formula AI suggests and completes the correct formula.
• A user gives Agent Mode a broad goal (e.g., 'clean this export and build a summary tab'), and it plans and executes the steps across the workbook.

Integrations

• Native to Excel across Microsoft 365 (desktop and web)
• Connects with Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams for cross-app Copilot workflows
• Business Central and other Microsoft data sources for enterprise workbook scenarios

Privacy & security notes

Confirmed on Microsoft Learn's Copilot privacy and enterprise data protection documentation: prompts, responses, and data accessed via Microsoft Graph are not used to train the foundation LLMs behind Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Enterprise Data Protection extends the same contractual security, privacy, and compliance commitments (including GDPR and EU Data Boundary) that already cover Exchange email and SharePoint files to Copilot prompts and responses.