How to Use Copilot in Excel: Formulas, Charts and Analysis

The short version

Copilot in Excel works inside your workbook, so you describe the result and it builds the formula, chart or summary for you. It’s most useful when you know what you want but not the formula to get it. Your job is to name the right columns and check the numbers.

Step by step

1. Open your workbook in Excel on Windows, Mac or the web. Save it as a modern .xlsx file.
2. Select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of Excel.
3. Pick a mode. Microsoft lists three:
   • Edit (the default): Copilot changes your workbook directly.
   • Plan: Copilot lays out the steps first, and you confirm before it acts.
   • Chat only: Copilot analyzes your data and answers without changing anything.
4. Describe what you want, and name the columns. Microsoft’s own tip: “Be specific. Naming the columns you want Copilot to analyze produces more accurate results.”
5. Review the result. Click into a few cells and check the formulas against numbers you know.
6. Ask for explanations. Select a cell and ask “Explain this formula,” or name a cell directly.

What Copilot can do in Excel

According to Microsoft, Copilot in Excel can:

• Add new columns and rows that calculate from your data, and explain each formula.
• Create and edit charts and PivotTables linked to your data.
• Sort, filter and apply conditional formatting to highlight what matters.
• Look things up on the web, with citations to its sources.

Prompts to copy

A formula column (from Microsoft’s examples):

Add a column that calculates the profit margin for each product.

Share of total:

Add a column that shows each region's percentage of total sales.

A chart:

Create a column chart of monthly revenue from the Date and Revenue columns.
Put it on a new sheet and give it a clear title.

Highlight problems:

Highlight in red any row where Due Date is before today and Status is not "Paid".

Understand a workbook you inherited (use Chat only mode):

Explain what each sheet in this workbook does and which cells feed the totals on the Summary sheet.
Don't change anything.

Example

You have: a sales sheet with columns Product, Units, Price and Cost.

You ask: “Add a column that calculates profit for each row using Units, Price and Cost, then add a total row.”

A good result: a new Profit column with a formula like =[@Units]*([@Price]-[@Cost]) filled down, and a total at the bottom. Spot-check two rows with a calculator before you share the file.

Mistakes to avoid

• Vague column names. “Column F” or “Data2” confuses Copilot. Give each column a clear header first.
• Messy ranges. Blank rows, merged cells and subtotals in the middle of data make results less reliable.
• Skipping Plan mode for big changes. For anything that touches many sheets, ask for a plan first so you can stop it.
• Trusting totals blindly. Microsoft says to “review, edit, and verify anything Copilot creates for you.”

Good to know

Microsoft lists edit, chat and plan modes on Windows, Mac and the web, with fewer modes on phones and tablets. If you don’t see Copilot at all, your plan may not include it or your organization may have turned it off. If you only need a formula and don’t have Copilot in Excel, any chat assistant can write one for you to paste in.

Related: use Copilot in Word and write better Copilot prompts.