AI for spreadsheets: Excel, Google Sheets, and formulas
AI for spreadsheets now works mostly from a sidebar inside the file: Copilot in Excel, Gemini in Google Sheets, and add-ins from OpenAI and Anthropic for both. As of November 10, 2026, only ChatGPT’s add-in is offered on a free plan, with limited use. Google Sheets has an =AI() function for cells, while Excel’s =COPILOT() function was retired on September 14, 2026.
Using AI in Excel and Google Sheets
Spreadsheets are where an AI assistant saves the most time and where its mistakes cost the most, because a wrong formula looks exactly like a right one. This page is part of getting real work out of AI and sums up what each assistant does inside Excel and Google Sheets, from the companies’ help pages as of November 10, 2026; Microsoft’s Copilot in Excel FAQ is the most detailed of them.
The short version: start with the assistant built into the suite you already pay for, and try any add-in on a copy of the file first. All four companies ask you to check what the AI produces before relying on it, and Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI warn against treating it as financial or legal advice.
Which assistant works in which spreadsheet
| Assistant | Where it works | Plans that include it | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copilot in Excel | Excel on Windows, Mac, and the web; chat only on Android | Microsoft 365 Premium, Personal or Family with an AI credits plan, a commercial Copilot plan, or an eligible business plan with Copilot Chat | Three modes: edit, plan, and chat |
| Gemini in Google Sheets | Google Sheets | For the =AI() function and data analysis: Workspace Business Standard and above, Google AI Pro and Ultra | Works best with native Sheets files, not .xlsx |
| ChatGPT for Excel and Google Sheets | Excel desktop and web, Google Sheets | Every ChatGPT plan; limited use on Free and Go | Conversations stay out of your ChatGPT history and memory |
| Claude for Excel | Excel on the web, Windows with Microsoft 365, and Mac | Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise | No macros, VBA, or data tables; not on iPad |
| Claude for Google Workspace | Sheets, Docs, and Slides, in Chrome, Edge, or Safari | Beta on Pro, Max, Ultra, Team, and Enterprise | Asks before editing by default |
Google’s list of plans leaves out Business Starter and Google AI Plus for the =AI() function and analysis. On ChatGPT’s business plans, the spreadsheet add-ins have used credits since the free preview ended on June 2, 2026.
Excel: what changed in 2026
Copilot now opens in edit mode by default and changes the workbook directly, following a step-by-step plan it shows you; Microsoft’s old “Agent Mode” page now redirects to its general guide to Copilot in Excel. Plan mode proposes the steps for you to approve first, and chat mode analyzes without touching anything. On a commercial Copilot plan or Microsoft 365 Premium, you can choose between Anthropic’s and OpenAI’s models for editing, for the current session only.
Three technical points cause most failed attempts:
- Calculation must be set to Automatic for Copilot to edit. AutoSave can be on or off; Microsoft even suggests turning it off to try changes without saving them.
- A file checked out in SharePoint, or saved as Strict Open XML, returns an “Unsupported file state” error. Save it as a regular .xlsx.
- The COPILOT function is gone. Microsoft retired the
=COPILOT()function, a preview feature, on September 14, 2026. Values already calculated stay in the cells until the next recalculation, which then shows#NAME?. Ask Copilot the same question in its pane instead.
Microsoft’s Analyst agent, which writes a report with charts from a spreadsheet or CSV file, opens from Microsoft Copilot rather than from Excel and is not included in Personal or Family.
Google Sheets: AI inside a cell
Google Sheets is the only one of the two that still puts AI in a formula. Type =AI("your instruction", range), or =Gemini() with the same arguments, to generate, summarize, or classify text, or to look up recent information from Google Search with its sources. Google lists the limits of the AI function:
- text only, and it sees only the cells you reference, not the whole sheet or your Drive;
- no undo: you regenerate instead;
- it cannot be nested inside another formula;
- only the first 350 selected cells are generated at a time;
- when the referenced cells change, it does not prompt you: you decide when to refresh.
A café in Brisbane with 400 customer reviews in column A could put =AI("Classify this review as positive, negative, or mixed", A2) in column B and fill it down: Sheets generates the first 350; once they are done, select the remaining cells to generate them. Charts that Gemini creates go in a new tab with a copy of the data and do not follow later changes to the original.
Add-ins from OpenAI and Anthropic
ChatGPT installs from Home, then Add-ins, in Excel, and from the Google Workspace Marketplace in Sheets. OpenAI advises duplicating an important file first, says VBA and macros are poorly supported, and notes that some logs may be kept for 30 days.
Claude for Excel answers with citations down to the cell, can trace a #REF! or #DIV/0! error to its cause, and changes an assumption while keeping linked formulas intact. Anthropic’s Claude for Excel page carries a warning worth applying to every assistant: a template or supplier file from outside can hide instructions, so use it only with trusted spreadsheets. It also says the add-in does not inherit an organization’s custom retention settings.
A five-step routine before you trust a formula
This is our recommendation, built from the advice the four companies give:
- Work on a copy, or check that version history is on.
- Ask for a plan before any edit: plan mode in Copilot, “Ask before edits” in Claude for Google Workspace.
- Ask for each formula in plain words, with the cells it reads.
- Check three rows by hand, including an awkward one: an empty cell, a zero, a negative number.
- Rebuild one total another way, with a SUM or a pivot table you make yourself, and compare.
When the answer looks right but isn’t
A formula can run without errors and still answer the wrong question. Our page on checking what AI tells you explains why and what to look for.
Describe the table before the task
Most bad spreadsheet answers come from a vague request. See how to write a prompt that works, with an example for a monthly report.
The same report every month
If you run the same analysis each month, keep the instructions in one place. See projects and reusable assistants.