The short answer
To use AI for Excel in November 2026, open your workbook and select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of Excel. Microsoft's Copilot in Excel offers three modes: Allow editing (the default, it changes the workbook), Plan (it proposes steps first) and Chat only (it answers without editing). It needs a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium or Pro subscription, or a Microsoft 365 Copilot work licence. Without one, Claude or Gemini can analyse an uploaded file.
What you need before you start
Three things decide which route you take: which spreadsheet app you live in, what subscription you already pay for, and how sensitive the data is.
- For Copilot in Excel: a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium or Pro subscription (Microsoft lists Copilot in the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook desktop apps for these plans, and on Family only the subscription owner gets the AI features), or a work account with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence that your organisation has switched on. The free Copilot app does not put Copilot inside Excel. Microsoft's help page says that if you do not see Copilot, check your licence or ask your IT admin.
- For Gemini in Google Sheets: an eligible Google Workspace edition or Google AI plan. Google says it works best with native Sheets files, so convert an Excel file first with File, then Save as Google Sheets.
- For a free route: a free Claude or Gemini account. Both accept spreadsheet uploads. In Claude, XLSX uploads only work when Code execution and file creation (called Create and edit files in the updated settings layout) is switched on under Settings, then Capabilities. It is on by default for Free, Pro, Max and Ultra.
- A copy of the file. Allow editing mode changes your workbook directly. Work on a copy until you trust the result.
- A privacy check. Customer lists, salaries and anything under contract belong in a work account with data protection, not a personal chatbot. Microsoft says work and school accounts in Microsoft 365 Copilot are not used to train foundation models. See how to keep your data private in AI tools.
How to use Copilot in Excel, step by step
These steps follow Microsoft's own help page for Copilot in Excel. Copilot works on Windows, Mac, the web, iPad, iPhone and Android, but the modes differ by device: Windows, Mac and the web have all three, iPad has Chat and Plan (with editing rolling out), iPhone has Chat (with editing rolling out) and Android has Chat only.
- Open the workbook (ideally a copy) in Excel.
- Select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of the Excel window. A Copilot pane opens.
- Choose a mode. Allow editing is the default and lets Copilot change the workbook directly. Plan makes Copilot propose an approach for you to review before it changes anything. Chat only analyses and answers without touching the workbook. For a first try, pick Plan.
- Type your request in the chat box and send it. Name the sheet, the columns and the result you want (see the prompts below).
- Watch the pane and the grid. Copilot shows its reasoning in the pane and its changes in the workbook. If it heads the wrong way, select Stop on the right side of the chat box.
- Check every changed cell before you save. Click into new formulas, and compare one or two totals by hand.
Since October 2026 Copilot in Excel also has a clean data skill, which scans a workbook for duplicates, inconsistent formatting and wrong data types and suggests fixes you approve one by one. Microsoft announced accounting skills for reconciliations and journal entries and an interactive canvas for live reports (Excel for Windows) in the same update. Both are due worldwide in November, after an October preview for Frontier customers (accounting skills) and Insiders (the canvas).
How to do the same in Google Sheets or with a chatbot
Gemini in Google Sheets
- Open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
- At the top right, click Ask Gemini. A side panel opens.
- Pick a suggested prompt, or type your own in the prompt box at the bottom and press Enter.
- To focus on certain tabs, use the dropdown in the prompt box and tick only the tabs you want.
- Click Insert to put the result into the sheet, or Undo to reverse an action.
Google warns that the conversation is lost if you reload the browser, close the file or go offline, so insert anything you want to keep. Gemini in Sheets can build tables, formulas, charts and pivot tables, apply conditional formatting and sort or filter.
Claude or Gemini with an uploaded file
- In Claude, click the + button in the lower left of the chat box, choose Add files or photos, pick your file and click Open (or drag the file into the chat). Claude accepts XLSX and CSV, up to 500 MB per file and 20 files per chat.
- In the Gemini web app, click Add files, then Upload Files, then Submit. Gemini takes up to 10 files per prompt and up to 100 MB per non-video file.
- Ask for the analysis, the formula or a cleaned version. Claude can hand back a downloadable Excel file with working formulas, because its code execution and file creation feature is on every plan.
The chatbot route is good for one-off analysis and for learning a formula. It is weaker for a live workbook, because you have to copy the results back yourself.
A worked example: cleaning and summarising a sales export
Say you export 2,400 rows of orders from your shop system into Excel. The columns are Order date, Region, Product, Units and Revenue. Dates come in two formats, some regions are spelled "N. America" and others "North America", and there are duplicate order IDs.
- Make a copy of the file and open it. Select the Copilot icon and choose Plan.
- Ask: "Check the Orders sheet for duplicate Order IDs, inconsistent Region spellings and dates stored as text. List each problem with the cell range and the fix you suggest. Do not change anything yet."
- Read the plan. If it proposes deleting rows, check two of the duplicates yourself first. When you are happy, switch to Allow editing and say "Apply fixes 1 to 3."
- Next ask: "Add a new sheet called Summary with total Revenue and Units by Region and by month, as a PivotTable, plus a column chart of Revenue by month."
- Check the result: filter the Orders sheet to one region and one month, add up Revenue with the status bar, and compare it with the Summary sheet. If the two numbers match for two spot checks, you can trust the rest far more.
The same job in Google Sheets uses Ask Gemini with almost identical prompts. In Claude, upload the file and ask for a cleaned workbook plus a summary sheet, then open the download and do the same spot checks.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Letting it edit the original. Allow editing is the default. Fix: work on a copy, or start in Plan or Chat only.
- Vague requests. "Analyse this" gets a vague answer. Fix: name the sheet, the columns, the time period and the output ("a table by month, sorted by revenue").
- Data that is not a clean table. Merged cells, blank header rows and totals in the middle of the data confuse every AI tool. Fix: one header row, one record per row, no merged cells, and convert the range to a table if you can.
- Trusting totals without checking. AI can pick the wrong column or skip filtered rows. Fix: spot check two numbers by hand, and ask it to show the formula it used.
- Copilot is missing. Usually a licence or account problem, not a bug. Fix: check you are signed in with the account that holds the Microsoft 365 subscription; on Family plans only the owner gets Copilot; at work, ask IT whether Copilot is enabled.
- Losing the Gemini conversation. Reloading Sheets wipes it. Fix: click Insert for anything you want to keep.
- Pasting confidential data into a personal chatbot. Fix: in ChatGPT turn off Improve the model for everyone under Settings, then Data controls; in Claude turn off Help Improve our AI models under Settings, then Privacy; or better, use a work plan.
Which AI tool to use for Excel
| Your situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You work in Excel and have Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium or Pro, or a work Copilot licence | Copilot in Excel | It edits the workbook itself, with Plan mode and the clean data skill |
| Your team uses Google Workspace | Gemini in Google Sheets | Side panel inside Sheets that can build formulas, charts and pivot tables |
| You have no AI subscription | Claude Free or Gemini free | Upload the file, get analysis and a downloadable workbook |
| You want the AI to explain formulas while you learn | Any chatbot, including ChatGPT Free | Paste a formula and ask what each part does |
Our opinion: if you already pay for Microsoft 365, Copilot in Excel is the one to learn, because it works on the real file and Plan mode makes it safe to try. If you do not, do not buy a subscription just for this until you have tried Claude or Gemini on an uploaded copy. For a ranked comparison see the best AI for spreadsheets and the best AI for data analysis, and for more prompts see Copilot prompts for Excel and prompts for data analysis. Tool guides: Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, Claude and ChatGPT. If you are choosing between assistants, read ChatGPT vs Copilot or Copilot vs Gemini, or try the comparison tool.
How to write prompts that work in spreadsheets
Spreadsheet prompts work best when they read like a ticket to a careful colleague. Say where the data is (sheet and columns), what to do, what the output should look like and what not to touch. Add "show the formula" or "list the steps" so you can check the work. Ask for one change at a time in Allow editing mode, because a single big request makes it harder to see what changed. When you want explanations rather than edits, say "do not change the workbook", or pick Chat only. To learn the basics of prompting first, read how to write a good prompt.
Prompts to copy
Find problems before fixing them
Check the [sheet name] sheet for duplicate rows, inconsistent spellings in [column], numbers or dates stored as text, and blank cells in [columns]. List every issue with its cell range and a suggested fix. Do not change anything until I approve.
You get: A reviewable list of data problems
Write a formula and explain it
In column [letter], write a formula that [describe the result, e.g. returns the region's total revenue for the month in column A]. Explain each part of the formula in plain English and tell me what happens if a value is missing.
You get: A working formula you understand
Build a summary sheet
Add a new sheet called Summary with a PivotTable of [measure] by [category] and by month for [date range], sorted from highest to lowest, plus a column chart of the monthly totals. Tell me which source range you used.
You get: A summary table and chart with its source stated
Explain what changed
Compare [month] with [previous month] in this sheet. Give me the three biggest changes in [measure], the rows that drive each change, and the numbers or formulas you used so I can check them.
You get: The changes that matter, with working shown
Spot-check the AI
For the total you just calculated for [category], list the 10 rows it includes with their values, and tell me if any rows were excluded because of filters, text values or blanks.
You get: Proof you can check by hand
Turn a messy export into a clean table
I uploaded an export from [system]. Return a cleaned Excel file with one header row, consistent date format [format], standardised values in [column], duplicates removed, and a second sheet listing every change you made.
You get: A clean workbook plus a change log