How to Use Copilot in Excel for Data, Charts and PivotTables

Copilot in Excel can answer questions about a workbook, suggest formulas, apply formatting, and build charts or PivotTables from a plain-language request. Start with a clean dataset and review every proposed change, especially totals and chart labels. The interface shown in the screenshots is an earlier version; Microsoft now describes edit, plan and chat modes.

Open Copilot and prepare the data

1. Open the workbook in a supported Excel version and locate the Copilot button. In Microsoft's current guide it appears in the lower-right corner; your interface may differ.
2. Check that the data has one header row, consistent column types and no merged cells or subtotals inside the dataset. An Excel Table makes the source range explicit.
3. Choose chat to ask questions without workbook edits, plan to inspect an approach, or edit if you want Copilot to make changes. Availability depends on platform, subscription and organizational settings; see Microsoft's current setup guide.

If the button is absent, check the Microsoft 365 license, app version and administrator settings rather than assuming Copilot must be installed as a separate Excel add-in.

Ask a specific question or request an edit

Use the actual column names and say how to treat blanks or ties. For example: “Using the Revenue column, highlight the five lowest nonblank values in this table.” For sorting: “Sort Budget from largest to smallest; keep each row together.” Inspect the selected range and confirm the result before relying on it.

For a chart, try: “Create a bar chart of total Sales Amount by Product Category. Exclude blank category rows and label the axis with the currency.” Check whether Copilot proposes a chart or inserts one, then verify its grouping, aggregation and labels against the source data.

Explore sales data with follow-up questions

Suppose your table has Region, Product Category, Sales Amount and Salesperson columns. Ask: “Which region has the highest total Sales Amount?” Follow with: “Break down the North region's total by Product Category.” If the answer seems wrong, check whether Sales Amount is numeric, whether returns should be included and whether filters are active. The original sample's names and rankings reflect its example workbook and should not be treated as general findings.

Copilot can also build visualizations. Ask for “A bar chart of total Sales Amount by Product Category” or “A chart of total commissions by Salesperson.” Inspect whether the output is an editable Excel chart or a static visualization, since capabilities differ by mode and response. Microsoft's chart guidance provides current steps.

Copilot and PivotTables serve different needs

Natural-language questions help explore an unfamiliar workbook quickly. A PivotTable gives you a repeatable, inspectable summary with explicit row, column, value and filter fields. Copilot can now help create PivotTables too; the original article's “Copilot versus PivotTables” framing is outdated. For a regularly refreshed report, check the source range and aggregation, then use a PivotTable or a dashboard with slicers as appropriate.

Before sharing an analysis, compare a few totals with formulas or a manual PivotTable, inspect unexpected blanks and outliers, and save a copy if you intend to let Copilot edit a complex workbook.