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Intermediate5 min6 steps

ANALYZE DATA WITH COPILOT IN EXCEL

AI-powered spreadsheet analysis

THE TASK

You have a dataset in Excel and want to use Copilot to analyze, categorize, or visualize it without writing formulas.

1

SAVE YOUR WORKBOOK TO THE CLOUD

OneDrive / SharePoint
Copilot requires your file to be on OneDrive or SharePoint. Save it there first. It won't work with local files.
2

FORMAT YOUR DATA AS A TABLE

Excel
Select your data range, Insert, Table. Make sure your columns have clear headings. Copilot needs structured data with headers to work effectively.
3

CLICK THE COPILOT BUTTON

In the Excel ribbon, click the Copilot button. A side panel will open where you can type prompts about your data.
4

ASK YOUR QUESTION

Type what you want to know. Examples: - 'Summarize the key trends in this data' - 'Create a chart showing monthly revenue' - 'Categorize these transactions by type' - 'What are the top 5 outliers?' - 'Add a column that calculates year-over-year growth'
5

REVIEW AND APPLY

Copilot will show you a preview of the result. If it's a chart, it creates an image-based graph. If it's a formula or new column, review it before clicking 'Apply'.
6

ITERATE IF NEEDED

If the result isn't quite right, refine your prompt: 'Make the chart a bar chart instead' or 'Only include data from 2025.' Copilot remembers the context of your conversation.
DONE — YOU'VE GOT THIS

PRO TIP

Without the Add-on License, Copilot creates a new document with changes rather than modifying your existing workbook. Be aware of this. You may need to copy results back to your original file.

COMMON MISTAKES

  • ✕Trying to use Copilot on a local file. It must be saved to OneDrive/SharePoint
  • ✕Not formatting data as a table with headers. Copilot needs structure
  • ✕Expecting Copilot to modify your workbook directly without the Add-on License
  • ✕Using vague prompts. Be specific about what you want to see

TOOLS NEEDED

  • Microsoft Excel (with Copilot license)
  • OneDrive or SharePoint
Source: Session 5