Copilot in Excel: practical examples for formulas, data and patterns
Do you work with Excel every day and wonder what exactly Copilot can do for you? You are not alone. Following our explanation of Copilot in Word, we regularly receive the question of how this AI assistant behaves in Excel; and the answer is: surprisingly powerful. In this article we show you concretely what Copilot in Excel can do, with practical examples you will recognize from your own working day.
What exactly is Copilot in Excel?
Copilot in Excel is the Microsoft 365 AI assistant that works alongside you in your spreadsheets. You ask a question or give an instruction in plain language, and Copilot analyzes your data, suggests formulas or summarizes results for you. There is no need to memorize every function or formula; you describe what you want to achieve, and Copilot helps you on your way.
Generating formulas without memorizing everything
One of the most common use cases is generating formulas. Instead of searching for the right combination of functions, you simply type what you need.
A few examples from practice:
- “Calculate the average number of products sold per month” results in a correct AVERAGEIF or AVERAGE formula, aligned with your column structure.
- “Count the number of customers with an outstanding invoice older than 30 days” produces a formula based on COUNTIFS.
- “Calculate the percentage difference between these two columns” immediately returns the correct formula, including formatting.
You remain responsible for checking the outcome; Copilot suggests, you assess whether the result is consistent with your data.
Summarizing data in seconds
Do you have an extensive dataset with hundreds or thousands of rows? Copilot can summarize it for you without you having to build pivot tables yourself.
Consider questions such as:
- “Summarize the most important trends in these sales figures.”
- “Which region is performing best this quarter?”
- “Provide a brief overview of revenue per product category.”
Copilot searches your sheet, recognizes the relevant columns and generates a concise summary, often supplemented with a suggestion for a chart or pivot table. That saves time you would otherwise spend on manual filtering and sorting.
Identifying patterns that are easy to miss
Copilot is also strong at flagging patterns and anomalies in your data; something that is easily overlooked in large datasets.
Examples:
- Copilot points out an unusual peak or dip in monthly figures.
- It recognizes duplicates or inconsistencies in customer records.
- It suggests conditional formatting to highlight outliers visually.
This gives you faster insight into what is really happening in your figures, without having to work through every row yourself.
How do you get started with Copilot in Excel?
Open the Copilot pane in the top right of Excel (available within your Microsoft 365 subscription with a Copilot license) and type your question in plain language. The more specific your question, the more useful the result. Start small; ask for a single formula or a single summary, and build from there.
Why this is more than a convenient feature
Copilot in Excel saves time on recurring tasks: looking up formulas, filtering data, spotting patterns. But the real gain lies in the learning curve of your entire team. When employees know how to use Copilot effectively in Excel, productivity increases noticeably, and the number of IT helpdesk questions about “how do I do this in Excel again” drops.
At OASE, we believe you only truly benefit from Copilot and Microsoft 365 once you know how to apply them in practice. With short, clear video tutorials, your employees learn exactly what they need, exactly when they need it; this way you get more out of your licenses, and save time and money.
Getting started with Copilot in Excel
Would you like your entire team to work as confidently with Copilot in Excel as they do in Word? Discover how OASE helps your organization strengthen digital skills structurally, with practical learning paths that match the daily reality of your employees.
