About Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is the industry-standard spreadsheet application used for data analysis, financial modeling, budgeting, and reporting. It is included in Microsoft 365 consumer and business plans. In 2026 it gained Copilot Chat integration (AI-assisted formula writing, data analysis, and natural-language queries) across most commercial plans. Microsoft is raising commercial plan prices from July 1, 2026, citing bundled AI features. Excel is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and as a web app.
AI Agent Use Cases
- Formula engine with 400+ built-in functions including XLOOKUP, LET, and dynamic arrays
- PivotTables and PivotCharts for summarizing large datasets
- Power Query for importing and transforming data from external sources
- Copilot Chat for AI-assisted analysis and formula generation (Microsoft 365 plans)
- Co-authoring and real-time collaboration via Excel for the Web
- Macro and VBA automation for custom workflows