Ever wish Excel could just build what you’re describing? With Copilot Agent Mode in Excel, it can.
Agent Mode in Excel is an AI-powered feature that lets Copilot actively work alongside you to perform multi-step tasks like adding columns, creating charts, renaming tabs and refining formulas, while clearly showing every step it takes, so you understand what is going on and remain in control.
In this guide, we explain what Agent Mode in Excel is, how it works, and how to enable it, along with practical tips from our in-house Copilot expert to help you use Agent Mode effectively.
What is Agent Mode in Excel?
Agent Mode in Excel is designed for complex, multi-step tasks in workbooks like generating summaries or reshaping data. Unlike traditional Microsoft 365 Copilot that usually performs one-step tasks, Agent Mode in Excel can analyze a single natural language prompt to plan, execute, and iterate on tasks till the outcome matches your intent.
How to turn on Agent Mode in Excel?
To access Copilot Agent Mode in Excel:
Open a new workbook using https://excel.new
This will open a new web-based excel workbook
Go to the Home tab
Select Copilot
Once the Copilot pane opens on the right, Click tools
Select Agent Mode
You will know you are in Agent mode when you see the Edit with Agent Mode note appear.
What can you do with Agent Mode in Excel?
With simple prompts, Agent Mode in Excel can:
- Build calculations, reports, and summaries
- Insert charts or PivotTables
- Adjust formulas or layouts on request
- Explain what it changed and why
- Automate data cleaning and preparation
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Perform calculations and apply formulas across multiple sheets
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Apply conditional formatting and visual cues to highlight trends or anomalies
Unlike traditional AI models, Agent Mode doesn’t work behind the scenes. You can review its reasoning and refine or undo changes at any point.
Example prompts for Excel Agent Mode
Here are some sample prompts from David that you can try in Agent Mode.
“Build a quarterly revenue forecast with assumptions, a summary dashboard, and charts. Use dummy data.”
“Create three scenarios for this model: Base Case, Downside, and Upside. Base Case: current assumptions, Downside: 10% revenue decline, 3% cost increase, Upside: 8% revenue growth, flat costs, Add a comparison table and charts showing the differences.”
“Create a sales pipeline performance model. Use dummy data for leads, opportunities, and wins, calculate conversion rates and average deal size, compare performance against quota, add a dashboard by region and rep.”
Pro tips for using Agent Mode effectively
Here are some pro tips and setup best practices from David.
Copilot works best when your file:
- Is saved to OneDrive or SharePoint
- Uses Excel Tables
- Has AutoSave turned on
This helps Copilot understand your data and apply changes more accurately.
Benefits of Agent Mode in Excel
Agent Mode turns Excel into a collaborative workspace:
- Less manual work
- Fewer formula errors
- Faster insights, even with complex data
It’s especially useful for reports, dashboards, and shared spreadsheets where accuracy and transparency matter.
Key takeaways
- Agent Mode in Excel automates complex, multi-step workflows from a single natural language prompt.
- It goes beyond traditional Microsoft 365 Copilot by planning, executing, and iterating on tasks until the intended outcome is reached.
- Agent Mode works within Microsoft 365 security and permission boundaries.
- Agent Mode makes direct changes to your workbook that are automatically saved. While changes can be rolled back, Microsoft recommends using Agent Mode in a copy of a workbook with critical information to prevent any data loss.
Agent Mode in Excel FAQ
What license do I need to use Agent Mode in Excel?
Agent Mode in Excel requires either a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription (with an AI credits plan), a Microsoft 365 Premium subscription, or a commercial Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription. It is generally available across Excel for web, Windows, and Mac.
What is the main difference between Agent Mode and Copilot in Excel?
Agent Mode is designed to plan, execute, and verify multi-step tasks directly within Excel, while Copilot provides conversational assistance for quick answers and simple actions across Microsoft 365 apps.
Use Agent Mode when your task requires multiple steps, iteration, or validation.
Copilot is ideal for performing simple actions that don’t require deep automation or multi-step reasoning.
What kinds of tasks can Agent Mode help with?
Agent Mode is best suited for repetitive or structured workflows like data preparation, analysis, report creation, and formatting, where multiple Excel actions are required to reach a result.
Can Agent Mode access enterprise or organizational data?
According to Microsoft, Agent Mode only works with the currently open workbook. It can't access other files, emails, or enterprise data.
