Excel’s New Copilot Formula Tool Finally Solves a Familiar Headache

Writing formulas in Excel can still feel like a roadblock, especially with the syntax rules and functions around. A simple wrong bracket can break everything. Microsoft is apparently aware of it and changing the same. If you use Excel on Web, there’s a new on-grid Copilot tool that builds formulas from natural language.

You simply have to select a cell and type “=”. Then, a new option called “Ask Copilot for a formula” appears. As you describe your goal to Copilot, such as “calculate total profit,” Copilot then generates a formula, explains the logic, and shows a preview right on the grid. You can either keep it or try a new prompt.

The update also helps when you already have a formula. You can ask Copilot to modify a date format, make changes to a financial calculation, or pull data from other sheets. It works like a translator between what you want and what Excel expects.

Microsoft shared a few example scenarios in the announcement blog post. You can generate a unique list of sales reps, calculate total units per person, create quarterly totals from a date-only table, and a lot more.

However, there are some known limitations as of now. Copilot handles only one formula or one column at a time. Microsoft says that it’ll upgrade the feature down the line. Moreover, the rollout has already begun for Excel for Web users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. If it’s not showing up yet, you’re probably next in line.