Microsoft Excel has a new AI tool for productivity. Agent Mode in Excel, which is part of Microsoft 365 Copilot, is now generally available on Windows and macOS. It was already available for the web and will roll out soon to macOS as well.
Agent Mode in Excel is an AI tool designed to be your partner. It supports multi-step workflows, and you can chat with it using natural language. The tool applies changes to your workbook directly, so you don't need to copy and paste suggestions.
Microsoft outlined several scenarios for Agent Mode in Excel when announcing the web version of the tool:
- Create workbooks: Generate new content directly in Excel, grounded in both existing workbook data and web search results to bring in relevant context.
- Scenario modeling: Run what-if analyses for revenue, budgets, or forecasts and model advanced scenarios with adjustable assumptions.
- Data analysis: Generate analyses of large datasets, highlight anomalies, and surface trends with formula-driven analysis.
- Formula generation: Fix broken formulas or and generate dynamic formulas that connect across your workbook data, including explanations for complex calculations.
- Data visualization: Create pivot tables, charts, and dashboards—all through natural conversation. Generate native Excel artifacts that recalculate and update based on changes to the underlying data.
Agent Mode in Excel entered public preview in September. Following feedback from those who participated in the preview and those who have used the web version, Microsoft has made several improvements to Agent Mode in Excel.
Most notably, Agent Mode is now supported in Excel for Windows and macOS. The feature is integrated into Copilot in Excel, so it should be easy to locate without much of a learning curve.
Microsoft also integrated web search into Agent Mode in Excel, which allows the tool to bring in up-to-date information from the web.
Users also have the choice to use models from OpenAI (GPT-5.2) or Anthropic (Claude Opus 4.5).
The default for Agent Mode in Excel is to have Copilot choose the best model for you, but you can also select to use a specific model for any prompt.
To use Agent Mode in Excel, you need to have one of the following: Microsoft 365 Personal, Microsoft 365 Family, Microsoft 365 Premium, or a commercial Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
Agent Mode is not available in the EU or UK at this time.
Do you use Copilot professionally? How does it change your workflow? Let us know in the comments!
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