How to use Copilot in Excel: plans, turning it on and off

To use Copilot in Excel you need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes it (Personal or Family with AI credits, Microsoft 365 Premium, or an eligible business plan), a workbook saved to OneDrive or SharePoint, and then you select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of Excel and type what you want. Vietnamese prompts are supported.

This guide is compiled from Microsoft's official pages, checked on 27/9/2026. Copilot plan names and features change quickly, so check Microsoft's pages again before you buy.

What Copilot in Excel is

Copilot is the AI assistant Microsoft builds into Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. In Excel you describe the task in plain language and Copilot creates formulas, charts, PivotTables, formatting and filters, or answers questions about your workbook.

According to Microsoft's getting-started page, Copilot in Excel has three modes:

• Allow editing: changes the workbook directly, including multi-step tasks such as merging sheets or building reports. This is the default.
• Plan: lists the steps for you to review first.
• Chat only: reads your data and answers without changing the file.

Windows, Mac and the web have all three modes; Android currently has chat only.

Which Microsoft 365 plan you need

Microsoft's FAQ for Copilot in Excel says you need one of the following:

1. Microsoft 365 Personal or Family with an AI credits plan (home use). In Family and Premium, AI features in Word, Excel and PowerPoint are only for the subscription owner and cannot be shared with other members.
2. Microsoft 365 Premium. According to PCWorld, Microsoft launched this plan in October 2025 and retired the standalone Copilot Pro.
3. A paid Microsoft Copilot licence for organisations, bought as an add-on to a business plan. Microsoft Learn's licensing page lists small-business base plans including Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium and Microsoft 365 Apps for Business.
4. A Copilot Chat-eligible Microsoft 365 or Office 365 business plan. Copilot Chat is included at no extra cost; in Excel you can ask questions about the open file. Deeper features, such as letting Copilot carry out multi-step work in the workbook, need a paid Copilot licence.

This guide does not list prices; see Microsoft's own pricing page. Businesses may also want to read our Microsoft 365 Business page.

Prepare your file first

1. Save the file to OneDrive or SharePoint. One Microsoft FAQ says Copilot in Excel needs the file on OneDrive with AutoSave on; the newer Copilot tips page says it runs with AutoSave on or off. The safe approach: save to the cloud, and turn on AutoSave if the Copilot button is greyed out.
2. Use the Excel Workbook (.xlsx) format. Microsoft advises re-saving as .xlsx if the file is in an unsupported format such as Strict Open XML.
3. Put your data in a table. Select the range and press Ctrl + T to create a Table, with one clear header row. Microsoft says analysis works with tables or table-like ranges, not unstructured data.
4. Keep calculation on Automatic. Copilot editing is only supported when Calculation Options is set to Automatic (Formulas tab > Calculation Options).

How to open and use Copilot in Excel, step by step

1. Open a workbook saved on OneDrive or SharePoint, signed in with the account that has Copilot.
2. Select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of the Excel window. Microsoft has consolidated Copilot entry points into this button, so don't look only on the ribbon.
3. Choose a mode: keep Allow editing if you want Copilot to change the file, or pick Chat only to just ask questions.
4. Type a specific request that names your columns, for example "Add a Profit margin column = Profit / Revenue" or "Highlight rows where Revenue is below 10 million". (These are illustrative examples of how to phrase a request; Dùng Gì did not run them.)
5. Read the result, check the cells and formulas Copilot created, and ask follow-up questions to refine it.

Microsoft recommends naming the columns you mean and starting broad before narrowing down.

What Copilot can do in Excel

• Create and explain formulas: calculated columns, lookups such as XLOOKUP, or an explanation of an existing formula.
• Highlight, sort and filter: conditional formatting, sorting and filtering to focus on the data that matters.
• Charts and PivotTables: create and edit charts and PivotTables linked to the source data.
• Insights: summaries, trends and outliers; summarising and classifying text columns such as customer feedback.
• Python-based answers: for analysis questions Copilot can compute with Python and show you the code, but the result is a static table or image that does not refresh with your data.

Limitations and how to check results

Microsoft states that Copilot can make mistakes, misread information or produce inaccurate results, and that you must review its output before relying on it. Microsoft also notes Copilot was trained mainly on English sources, so results in other languages may be weaker.

1. Work on a copy before letting Copilot edit an important file.
2. Click each cell Copilot filled in, read the formula and check the referenced range covers every row.
3. Cross-check a few numbers by hand, or with a SUMIFS or PivotTable you build yourself.
4. For Python analysis, open the code or ask Copilot to summarise it to see how data was filtered and grouped.

To check results you need to understand Excel: Copilot doesn't replace knowing Tables, SUMIFS or PivotTables. If your basics are shaky, see the Excel learning path for office staff.

If you want a structured, guided course, one option to compare is our Gitiho Excel course summary. That page uses partner links: Dùng Gì may earn a commission if you sign up or buy through it. Microsoft's free material is also enough for many people.

Copilot button missing in Excel: what to check

1. Look at the lower-right corner. The button may have moved rather than disappeared.
2. Check your account and licence. Go to File > Account to see which email is signed in. On Family plans only the owner gets Copilot. At work, ask your admin whether a licence is assigned.
3. Update Office and refresh the licence. Install the latest updates, go to File > Account > Update License, close all Office apps and reopen. On Mac, use Refresh License.
4. Check the update channel. In File > Account, look at the product information. Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel does not get Copilot; your admin needs to switch to Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel.
5. Turn on privacy settings. File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings, turn on "Experiences that analyze your content" and "All connected experiences".
6. Check file location and format. Save the file to OneDrive/SharePoint as .xlsx.
7. On the web: reload the page and allow third-party cookies if your browser blocks them.

Community view: on Microsoft Q&A, users have asked why Excel requires files on OneDrive/SharePoint; the moderator offered no workaround and only suggested sending feedback to Microsoft.

How to turn off or hide Copilot in Excel

If you don't want it, Microsoft explains how to turn Copilot off when signed in with a personal Microsoft account:

1. Windows: go to File > Options > Copilot, clear Enable Copilot, select OK and restart Excel (Version 2501 or later).
2. Mac: go to the Excel menu > Preferences > Authoring and Proofing Tools > Copilot, clear Enable Copilot, then restart the app (Version 16.93.2 or later).
3. Repeat on every device and in every app (Word, PowerPoint) where you want it off.
4. If you don't have the Enable Copilot checkbox yet, you can turn off "Experiences that analyze your content" in privacy settings, but that also disables other features such as text predictions and PowerPoint Designer.

Copilot can't be turned off in the web, iOS or Android versions. Removing the Copilot icon from the ribbon only hides it; it does not turn the feature off. With a work or school account these settings are not available; your admin decides.

Frequently asked questions

Does Copilot in Excel understand Vietnamese?

Yes. Vietnamese is on the list of languages supported by Copilot in Excel, so you can write prompts in Vietnamese. Microsoft notes Copilot was trained mainly on English, so results in other languages may be weaker; name your columns clearly and check the output.

How do I add Copilot to Excel?

Copilot is not a separate add-in. It appears when the signed-in account has a suitable plan or licence and Office is up to date. If you just bought a plan or were assigned a licence, go to File > Account > Update License and reopen Excel.

Does Copilot in Excel work with files saved on my computer?

Microsoft's guidance is to save files on OneDrive or SharePoint. With a file stored only on your hard drive, Copilot usually won't work; save a copy to OneDrive and reopen it.