Excel’s New COPILOT() Function — AI Inside Your Formulas
- Kyle Pew
- Sep 5
- 2 min read
Microsoft is bringing AI directly into the formula bar with the new COPILOT() function. Instead of crafting long nested formulas, you can now describe what you want in plain English, give Excel some data to work with, and let AI generate the results.
In this post, we’ll break down what COPILOT() does, why it’s a big deal, and walk through real examples you can copy into Excel today.
What Is COPILOT()?
The COPILOT() function is a brand-new Excel formula that takes natural language prompts and cell ranges as inputs. Think of it like this:
=COPILOT("Your instruction here", A2:A50)Prompt: What you want Excel to do (classify, summarize, generate formulas, etc.).
Context: The range of cells or data you want COPILOT to analyze.
Because it’s part of the formula engine, the results refresh automatically when your underlying data changes.
Example 1: Classify Customer Feedback
Data (A2:A6):
Feedback |
Love this app, super easy to use. |
The update keeps crashing. |
Support was helpful but slow. |
Fantastic, highly recommend! |
Terrible, refund requested. |
Formula:
=COPILOT("Classify each feedback as Positive, Negative, or Neutral", A2:A6)
✅ Output: A neat column labeling each row with sentiment.
Example 2: Summarize Sales Trends
Data (B2:D7):
Month | Region | Sales |
Jan | North | 12,500 |
Jan | South | 9,200 |
Feb | North | 15,100 |
Feb | South | 10,800 |
Mar | North | 17,400 |
Mar | South | 11,900 |
Formula:
=COPILOT("Summarize the key sales trends in this dataset", B2:D7)✅ Output: A short text summary (e.g., “North sales are growing steadily; South sales also rising but at a slower pace.”).
Example 3: Creative Use — Generate SEO Keywords
Data (E2:E4):
Product Description |
Stainless steel water bottle, insulated |
Wireless noise-cancelling headphones |
Ergonomic office chair with lumbar support |
Formula:
=COPILOT("Suggest 5 SEO keywords for each product description", E2:E4)✅ Output: A list of relevant keywords for each product line.
Tips for Using COPILOT()
Be specific in your prompts: “Return EXACTLY one column named X” keeps outputs structured.
Use COPILOT() alongside normal Excel functions (e.g., IF, SWITCH, MAP) for even more control.
Remember: COPILOT() runs in the cloud. If you see #BLOCKED!, check your license, build (Insider Beta), and connected experiences settings.
EXERCISE FILE DOWNLOAD: