Excel on the Web Usage Has Grown 10x as Microsoft’s Cloud Bet Pays Off
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Microsoft says Excel on the web session count has grown 10x over the last six years, showing how far the browser version of Excel has come since the company shifted more resources toward cloud-based products.
The figure was shared by Brian Jones, who leads the Excel Product Group at Microsoft. It is especially notable because Google Sheets has long been viewed as the default spreadsheet option for many browser-first users.
Microsoft Says Excel on the Web Sessions Are Up 10x
According to Jones, Excel on the web has seen a 10x increase in session count over six years.
That detail matters because Microsoft is not simply counting users who opened Excel once. A session usually means someone opened a workbook and actively used the web version of Excel.
This suggests Microsoft has not only brought more users to Excel in the browser, but also convinced more people to use it as part of their regular workflow.
The Growth Started With a Major Cloud Investment
Jones said the growth came from a major investment Microsoft made around eight years ago.
The goal was to bring Excel on the web closer to the desktop version of Excel. That meant improving performance, adding more features, and making the browser version feel less like a limited companion app.
The timing fits Microsoft’s broader cloud-first shift under Satya Nadella. Around 2018, Microsoft reorganized parts of the company and moved more attention away from Windows as the center of its strategy.
Azure, Office 365, and enterprise cloud services were becoming more important to Microsoft’s business. Excel on the web benefited from that wider push.
Excel on the Web Is Now Part of Microsoft’s AI Push
Microsoft is now putting more focus on Copilot and AI features inside Excel.
The company is targeting finance teams with custom Copilot skills, finance workflows, and new data connectors from providers such as FactSet, Morningstar, and PitchBook.
Microsoft is also working on a “Plan with Copilot” mode. This feature would show users which cells and formulas Copilot plans to change before it applies those edits.
That could help reduce the risk of AI making unexpected changes in important spreadsheets.
Copilot Has Also Faced Pushback in Office Apps
Microsoft’s Copilot rollout across Office has not been smooth everywhere.
The floating Copilot button in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint drew criticism from some users. Microsoft later added options to dock Copilot or move it to the ribbon.
That change showed Microsoft still needs to balance AI visibility with user control, especially in apps people use every day for work.
Excel on the web’s 10x session growth highlights how successfully Microsoft has transitioned its core productivity tools to the cloud, turning browser-based experiences into a central part of its ecosystem. However, the company now faces a new challenge with AI, where strong revenue from Copilot must translate into meaningful, everyday usage across its user base.
For Excel in particular, adoption will depend on whether users can trust AI to handle complex tasks with accuracy and transparency. Until Microsoft proves that Copilot can reliably support real-world workflows, widespread reliance on AI within spreadsheets will remain an open question.
Via Windows Latest
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