AzureFeeds

We’re excited to introduce a major upgrade to Copilot in Excel that makes it even more intuitive, flexible, and helpful when working with your data. Until now, Copilot determined which table to use based on the cell you had selected, defaulting to the nearest structured table. That worked well in many scenarios, especially when users were already working inside that table. But as workbooks grow more complex, with multiple sheets and tables, it becomes more important for Copilot to understand what you mean without requiring you to first click into the right spot.

 

With new context inference capabilities, Copilot can now determine the relevant table or data range based on the words in your query. For example, you can now simply ask:

• “Analyze the ice cream prices”


• “Suggest charts for the table in Sheet2”


• “Color the column I’m selecting in yellow”


• “Show insights for the data I was just working on”


• “Explain the formula in G7”


• “Sort the table on the top right”

GIF showing how Copilot can select the correct table to retrieve data from.

Copilot interprets your intent using natural language and combines that with signals like cell selection and chat history to identify the right context; no clicks required. This new capability is focused on structured data like Excel Tables and supported data ranges, and it lays the foundation for broader context support in the future.

 

To help build trust and transparency, we’ve also introduced a new visual experience that highlights the data Copilot is working with. When you submit a query, you’ll see a subtle outline around the inferred table or range, giving you a clear, in-grid confirmation of what Copilot is responding to. If it’s not quite right, you can stop the response and clarify your request in a follow-up prompt. This lightweight, intuitive visual feedback helps you stay oriented, especially in large or multi-sheet workbooks.

GIF showing the new visual feedback to make it easier to see where Copilot is working within your workbook.

 

This is just the beginning. We’re excited to expand Copilot’s ability to understand your intent, reference multiple objects, and support more advanced scenarios. Stay tuned for updates as we continue to make Excel Copilot more powerful, intuitive, and more context aware.

 

Availability
These capabilities are currently available for all Windows, Mac, and web users.

Smart Context Inference based on user’s prompt, starting with builds:

• Windows: Version 2505 (Build 18623.20058)


• Mac: Version 16.95 (Build 2506.3090)

Visual highlight of inferred table, starting with builds:

• Windows: Version 2505 (Build 18705.20000)


• Mac: Version 16.96 (Build 2506.4070)
  
  
  

Feedback
Please send your feedback to help us improve Copilot. The best way to do this is to select the Thumbs Up/Down buttons at the bottom of the Copilot response cards in the Copilot side pane.

Thumbs Up/Down buttons to provide Copilot feedback