Microsoft Copilot in Excel is an artificial intelligence (AI) system from Microsoft that intends to help with data analysis, visualization, and automation. While our testing has found that it offers some practical benefits, it is not available to all users, requires a specific license, and many of its capabilities remain in beta testing and should be used with caution.
Our Excel instructors have compiled a list of key capabilities of Copilot AI in Excel, separating those that are generally available and have had more complete testing from features that are still in Beta testing. We also include information relating to how to get Copilot.
Capabilities of AI in Excel Copilot available now
These Excel AI features have been tested and are generally available to use if your Excel license includes Copilot.
Data Analysis & Insights
Uses the same kind of text that you might if asking a friend or coworker for help - something called natural language queries - to request Copilot to identify trends, patterns, and anomalies in large datasets. For example, you can ask Copilot to identify year-over-year growth or detect monthly or quarterly trends and do so without needing to write formulas.
Data Visualization
Generate charts, graphs, and dashboards from raw data to visualize data. You can ask Copilot to create charts and other visuals for reports or presentations, and to make revisions or edits to graphs it creates. You can then fine-tune them to meet brand guidelines or position them within a report.
Formula Assistance
If you use Excel but don’t write formulas every day, you’ll appreciate that Copilot can often be used to translate plain language into complex Excel functions. Whether it’s a once-a-year finance report or budget, you can have Copilot write new formulas or find possible errors inyour own work.
Capabilities of Excel Copilot available in Beta Testing which are not fully ready
These AI features of Excel are still being tested and may deliver incomplete or inaccurate results, and any output should be checked extra carefully:
Data Cleaning in Excel using AI
When this capability is fully ready it will clean data by removing duplicates, correcting inconsistencies and standardizing formatting. For example, if several people have added data and used various abbreviations for state names, Copilot will eventually be able to standardize them for you.
Scenario Modeling & What-if Analysis using Excel AI
You can ask Copilot to simulate outcomes by running the same formulas using several different values to create models for different scenarios, for example, if sales increase by a smaller or larger percentage.
Automated Reporting & Summaries of Excel Data
If you have a large set of data and would like a written summary or report, you can ask Copilot to provide an interpretation of the data using natural language. For example, you can ask Copilot to provide guidance as to how you are tracking on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or Objective and Key Results (OKRs).
Copilot in Excel License Requirements
Copilot in Excel is not a stand-alone product; it is part of Microsoft 365, which is licensed on an ongoing basis. You must have a subscription to access it. The older one-time purchase versions of Excel, such as Office 2021, do not include Copilot. In some cases a subscription to Copilot needs to be purchased in addition to an existing Excel or Office 365 subscription. The fees are anywhere from $35 to $55 per user, per month.
Our view on Excel AI with Copilot
We find the pricing for Copilot to be a bit too expensive for the value it currently offers if you are paying the full monthly retail price. For enterprises with discounts, it may be worthwhile. We should stress that this is likely too change, and Copilot will in the future add significant value. One reason for our current concern is that many of the features still in testing mode. An enterprise will want all AI functionality in a single location, meaning they will want their data within Excel and a safe, regulated environment, which Microsoft provides. Yet a small business could use an something like an Open AI subscription to ChatGPT and gain similar capabilities for a lower cost, although this requires switching between programs. The advantage to Copilot, when it is fully working, is that it allows you to work in a single interface without needing to upload documents. When using Copilot it is important to remember that many features are still in development, and the results should always be reviewed and checked for accuracy.
Excel AI Copilot Courses
AGI includes copilot in our Excel courses where they align with skills being learned. Most Excel AI functionality using Copilot is covered in the intermediate Excel course and also the Excel Tips & Tricks course.