Excel Copilot: Where and How to Enter Prompts for Success
Introduction: Where and How to Enter Copilot Prompts in Excel
Excel Copilot transforms how you work with spreadsheets by letting you use natural language to analyze, visualize, and automate your data. To get the most out of Copilot, it’s important to know where you can enter prompts and which method is best for your task.
1. Copilot Pane (Chat Pane)
Where: Click the Copilot icon in the Excel ribbon (usually under the Home tab or in the toolbar) to open the Copilot pane (chat pane).
How: Type your question or command in the Copilot pane (chat pane). For example, “Summarize this table,” or “Create a bar chart for sales by region.”
Best For:
- Quick, conversational requests
- Exploring data, getting summaries, or asking for charts
- Beginners who want a guided experience
Tips:
- Reference specific tables or ranges for best results (e.g., “Summarize the data in Table1”).
- Use clear, direct language—Copilot understands natural English.
- d, formula-driven tasks and dynamic reports.
- Contextual Actions: For instant help with selected data or formulas.
- Web App: For collaboration and remote access.
Tip: If you’re new to Copilot, start with the Copilot pane (chat pane) for guided help. As you get comfortable, experiment with the COPILOT() function for more advanced automation.
Excel Copilot Power Pack Section 1-1 - Quick-Start Guide
This section introduces six starter prompts to help you get comfortable with Excel Copilot quickly. Each prompt includes practical scenarios, why it matters, and extra tips for success. Use the Copilot pane (chat pane) or other entry methods as needed.
Prompt: Summarize this data in plain English.
Scenarios:
- You’ve imported a sales report with hundreds of rows. Use this prompt in the Copilot pane (chat pane) to get a quick summary of total sales, top-performing regions, and key trends.
- After a team meeting, you receive a raw attendance log. Copilot can instantly summarize who attended, average participation, and any notable patterns.
Why It’s Important:
This prompt helps beginners turn complex tables into clear, actionable insights. It saves time and reduces overwhelm, making Excel approachable for all skill levels.
Extra Info:
Use this prompt whenever you feel lost in the data. Copilot’s summaries are a shortcut to understanding, perfect for reports, meetings, or quick reviews.
Section 2
This section introduces six starter prompts to help you get comfortable with Excel Copilot quickly. Each prompt includes practical scenarios, why it matters, and extra tips for success. Use the Copilot pane (chat pane) or other entry methods as needed.
Prompt: Summarize this data in plain English.
Scenarios:
- You’ve imported a sales report with hundreds of rows. Use this prompt in the Copilot pane (chat pane) to get a quick summary of total sales, top-performing regions, and key trends.
- After a team meeting, you receive a raw attendance log. Copilot can instantly summarize who attended, average participation, and any notable patterns.
Why It’s Important:
This prompt helps beginners turn complex tables into clear, actionable insights. It saves time and reduces overwhelm, making Excel approachable for all skill levels.
Extra Info:
Use this prompt whenever you feel lost in the data. Copilot’s summaries are a shortcut to understanding, perfect for reports, meetings, or quick reviews.
Prompt: Format this table for readability.
Scenarios:
- You’ve pasted messy data from an email. Copilot can clean up the table—adding bold headers, adjusting column widths, and applying color coding.
- After exporting data from another system, your spreadsheet looks cluttered. Use this prompt to make it easy to read and present.
Why It’s Important:
Well-formatted tables save time and reduce errors. This prompt helps users create professional-looking sheets, boosting confidence and productivity.
Extra Info:
Formatting isn’t just about looks—it helps you spot mistakes and trends faster. Copilot’s formatting is a quick win for beginners.
Prompt: Highlight duplicates in this column.
Scenarios:
- You’re cleaning up a customer list and want to find duplicate email addresses. Copilot highlights them so you can merge or remove.
- In a budget tracker, you need to ensure each expense is only entered once. Use this prompt to catch accidental double entries.
Why It’s Important:
Duplicate data can cause reporting errors and confusion. This prompt helps maintain data integrity, which is crucial for accurate analysis.
Extra Info:
Use this prompt regularly when working with lists—contacts, transactions, inventory—to keep your data clean and reliable.