Copilot Prompts for Excel: 14 Requests That Do Real Work

Copilot prompts for Excel work best when they name your real sheets, tables, and columns and ask for one change at a time. Open the Copilot button in the lower-right corner of Excel, pick a mode, and paste one of the 14 prompts below with your [names] filled in. Copilot in Excel has three modes: edit (the default, changes the workbook), plan (proposes steps first), and chat (answers without changing anything).

License and data note: Microsoft says Copilot in Excel needs an eligible plan, such as a qualifying Microsoft 365 business plan with Copilot Chat, a Microsoft Copilot license, Microsoft 365 Premium, or Personal or Family with AI credits. Use it only in workbooks your company allows, and follow your data rules for confidential or personal data.

Clean the data first

1. Fix numbers stored as text

In [table], convert the values in [column] that are stored as text to numbers. Do not change any other column.

2. Flag blanks

Add a column to [table] named [name] that says "Missing" when [column] is blank, and leave it empty otherwise.

3. Find duplicates

Highlight rows in [table] where [column A] and [column B] are the same as another row. Do not delete anything.

4. Split a column

Split [column] in [table] into [new column 1] and [new column 2] at the [separator], and keep the original column.

Add formulas and columns

5. Calculated column

Add a column to [table] named [name] that equals [column] times [column]. Leave it blank when either value is blank.

6. Lookup from another table

In [table], add [column] by looking up [key column] in [other table] and returning [value column]. Show "Not found" when there is no match.

7. Explain a formula

In chat mode: explain the formula in [cell or column] step by step, and tell me what happens when [input] is blank.

Analyze and chart

8. PivotTable summary

Create a new sheet named [name] with a PivotTable from [table]: rows [column], columns [date column] grouped by month, values sum of [column].

9. Chart from the summary

On [sheet], add a [chart type] chart of the PivotTable with one series per [field]. Add axis titles.

10. Top and bottom lists

On [sheet], list the top 5 and bottom 5 [items] by [measure] from [table], with their totals.

11. Plan a bigger job

In plan mode: plan the steps to [goal] using [table] and [columns]. Do not edit yet; I will review the plan first.

Check the results

12. Total you already know

In chat mode: what is the total [measure] for [filter] in [period]? I will compare it with [my own source].

13. What changed

In chat mode: list every change you made to this workbook in this session, by sheet and column.

14. Sanity check

In chat mode: look at [column] in [table] and point out values that look wrong, such as negatives, outliers, or dates outside [range]. Do not change them.

Plan the whole workbook job in one prompt

The flagship Copilot in Excel Prompt Planner: Plan Mode, Edits and Checks takes your workbook layout, goal, output place, data problems, the numbers you can check, and your platform. It returns the mode for each step, a plan mode prompt, ordered edit prompts, chat mode checks, manual checks, and an undo plan. Its example builds monthly revenue by store from an orders table.

Tips for Copilot in Excel

Save a copy before edit mode, run one change at a time, and check a number you already know. The old =COPILOT() worksheet function was retired on September 14, 2026, so use the Copilot pane instead. If you do not see Copilot, it may not be in your subscription or may be turned off by your organization. On iPhone and Android, Microsoft lists chat mode, so keep edits for the desktop or web.

Related prompts

For Outlook, Teams, and Word, see Copilot prompts for work. To analyze a sheet with ChatGPT instead, read ChatGPT prompts for Excel data analysis, and for formulas and macros, use the Excel formula and VBA prompt.

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