Last updated: Jan 18, 2026

  • Dec 30, 2025
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      Dec 30, 2025
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      Jan 18, 2026

    Excel by Microsoft

    Excel in 2025: A Year of Culture, Craft, and Copilot

    Excel closes 2025 with bold AI powered updates and a strong cultural moment. Agent Mode, Copilot in cells, and smarter formula completion redefine workflows while celebrating 40 years of impact.

    As 2025 comes to a close, one thing feels clearer than ever: Excel is no longer just something you use. It’s something you belong to.
    This year brought major product innovations, many powered by AI, but it also delivered something just as meaningful: cultural moments that reminded us how deeply Excel is woven into work, learning, creativity, and even competition around the world.
    From celebrating a milestone birthday, to watching spreadsheets light up arenas and streaming platforms, to shipping some of our most ambitious product updates yet, 2025 was a year we’re incredibly proud of. And none of it would have happened without you.
    Let’s take a look back.

    A Cultural Year for Excel

    Excel Turns 40!

    In 2025, Excel celebrated its 40th birthday —four decades of helping people think, analyze, build, and decide more effectively.
    What began as a simple spreadsheet application in 1985 has evolved into a foundational tool used by hundreds of millions of people across industries, roles, and continents. Over the years, Excel has adapted to new technologies, new ways of working, and entirely new audiences, without losing the core flexibility that made it so powerful in the first place.
    We marked this milestone by reflecting on Excel’s past and, more importantly, its future: one where data literacy, accessibility, and creativity continue to expand.
    👉 Read more in Excel Turns 40: Join the Celebration!

    The Excel World Championship Goes Mainstream

    If you needed proof that spreadsheets have officially entered pop culture, look no further than the Excel World Championship (EWC).
    In 2025, the competition reached new heights with larger audiences, more global participation, and unprecedented attention. What began as a niche idea has grown into a true esports-style event that proves how dynamic, fast-paced and thrilling Excel can be in expert hands.
    Watching competitors solve complex problems live under pressure and at speed was both entertaining and inspiring. It showed that Excel mastery is a real skill built through practice, creativity and deep understanding.
    👉 Read more in Congrats to the Winners of the 2025 MECC & MEWC!

    Spreadsheet Champions Brings Excel to the Big Screen

    This year also saw the release of Spreadsheet Champions, a documentary that follows six students from different countries on their unique journeys to achieve excellence in competitive Excel.
    More than just a story about formulas and grids, the film is about community, curiosity, and the joy of solving problems together. It captured something we see every day across forums, classrooms, livestreams, and workplaces: Excel brings people together.
    For many of us on the Excel team, seeing these stories told so thoughtfully was deeply moving—and a powerful reminder of who we’re building for.
    👉 Read more in Celebrating the Premiere of “Spreadsheet Champions” at the Melbourne International Film Festival

    A Breakthrough Year for the Product

    While Excel’s cultural presence grew, 2025 was also one of the most ambitious product years in recent memory.

    Agent Mode in Excel

    One of the biggest shifts came with Agent Mode in Excel —a new way to approach work that moves beyond asking for help, to delegating outcomes.
    Instead of manually building step-by-step solutions, users can now describe goals and let Excel reason through the steps: gathering data, applying transformations, and explaining results along the way. It’s a meaningful step toward making Excel not just reactive, but proactive.
    Agent Mode doesn’t replace expertise; it amplifies it.
    👉 Read more in Building Agent Mode in Excel

    The COPILOT Function Arrives

    In 2025, Copilot became more deeply embedded directly into the Excel grid with the introduction of the COPILOT function.
    For the first time, users can call Copilot like a formula, bringing AI-powered reasoning directly into cells alongside traditional Excel functions. This bridges the gap between natural language requests and structured spreadsheet logic, unlocking entirely new workflows.
    It’s one of the clearest examples yet of how AI and spreadsheets can work together seamlessly.
    👉 Read more in Bring AI to your formulas with the COPILOT function in Excel

    Formula Completion Gets Smarter

    Excel has always been about speed and precision, and in 2025 we made writing formulas easier than ever with improved formula completion.
    Smarter suggestions, better context awareness, and faster recommendations mean less time remembering syntax, and more time focusing on insights. Whether you’re learning Excel or pushing it to its limits, formula completion now meets you where you are.
    Small improvements like this matter. They add up to a smoother, more confident experience for everyone.
    👉 Read more in Introducing formula completion - A new way to write formulas in Excel using Copilot

    Thank You for an Incredible Year 💚

    If there’s one theme that defines Excel in 2025, it’s this: progress powered by community.
    Every feature we shipped and every moment we celebrated was shaped by customer feedback, creator experimentation, MVP insight, and everyday use in the real world. You pushed us, inspired us, and reminded us why Excel continues to matter—40 years on.
    As we head into 2026, we’re excited to keep building with you.
    Thank you for being part of the Excel story.

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  • Nov 24, 2025
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      Jan 18, 2026

    Excel by Microsoft

    What's New in Excel (November 2025)

    November 2025 update brings Agent Mode enhancements with web search and Claude support, now in Excel for Windows via Frontier. Windows Get Data dialog and cross‑platform comment previews on protected files. iOS Insiders get Liquid Glass styling and new templates.

    Welcome to the November 2025 update. This month, we’re excited to share several enhancements across Excel. Announced at Ignite, Agent Mode in Excel now includes web search and Anthropic model support, and is available in Excel for Windows—via the Frontier program. Excel for Windows introduces a modernized Get Data dialog, providing a clean, simple starting point for connecting to data. Additionally, users on Windows, web, and iOS can preview comments on protected files directly in email notifications. For Insider users, Excel for iOS adds Liquid Glass styling and template filters, introducing a new, modern home experience.

    Excel for Windows

    • Agent Mode in Excel enhancements (Frontier)
    • Get Data dialog

    Excel for Windows, web, and iOS

    • Comment previews on protected files

    Excel for iOS

    • Liquid Glass and template filters (Insiders)

    Agent Mode in Excel enhancements (Frontier)

    1. Web search. At Ignite last week, we introduced web search in Agent mode. Imagine pulling real-time information from the web straight into your spreadsheet workflows—market trends, historical stats, scientific figures—without juggling browser tabs or copy/pasting from a chat window.

    For example, you can ask Agent Mode to compile the latest GDP growth and CO₂ emissions data for G20 countries or create a table of this year's Nobel Prize winners with detailed attributes. Copilot can now pull this data from trusted sources into Agent mode's multi-step workflow and build directly in your spreadsheet, saving time and reducing manual effort. Plus, it supports citation links for transparency so you can have confidence in the output. This integration is perfect for analysts, researchers, and anyone who needs up-to-date external data to make informed decisions.

    1. Anthropic model support. Choice matters, and we are committed to providing multi-model options in Microsoft 365. Building on Researcher agent and Copilot Studio, Agent mode now offers an option to choose Anthropic’s Claude models to power your experience. Just choose the "Try Claude" option to get started. For enterprise users: your admin must allow access to Anthropic AI models. Learn more about using Claude in Agent mode in Excel.

    Claude brings a different approach to spreadsheet generation offering a distinct experience from the default OpenAI models powering Agent Mode. While Claude streams its chain-of-thought and explanations differently, ongoing improvements aim to deliver a smooth experience in this early preview. This flexibility ensures you can pick the model that best fits your needs—whether it’s speed, accuracy, or style.

    1. Now available in Excel for Windows. Last month, we introduced Agent mode in Copilot in Excel for Web through the Frontier program. At Ignite, we announced that Agent mode is now available in Excel for Windows too, making AI assistance available for users and professionals who rely on Excel in the desktop app for their work. While Mac support is planned for later, Windows users will benefit immediately from this rollout. Users must be in the Insiders Beta Channel on Windows.

    Get Data Dialog

    The modern Get Data dialog gives you a clean, simple starting point for connecting to data. With built-in search and quick access to popular data sources, you can easily find the right source and start working on your data. This feature is currently rolling out to Windows Current Channel users.

    Excel for Windows, web, and iOS

    Comment previews on protected files

    Excel now lets you preview comments on protected files directly from your email notifications. When someone adds a comment, the email includes the comment text and its context within the file, so you can quickly review feedback without unlocking or opening the document.

    Excel for iOS

    Liquid Glass and template filters (Insiders)

    Your favorite Microsoft 365 apps on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro now feature Liquid Glass styling. We’ve also made the search experience available from the bottom of the screen, to align with iOS 26’s search patterns and make it easier to use with one hand.

    When searching for templates, you’ll now also see quick filter buttons at the top that let you browse by category – like Flyers, Resumes, or Invoices – instead of scrolling through a single long list, so finding the perfect template is faster and more intuitive.

    Many of these features are the result of your feedback. THANK YOU! Your continued Feedback in Action (#FIA) helps improve Excel for everyone. Please let us know how you like a particular feature and what we can improve upon—"Give a compliment" or "Make a suggestion". You can also submit new ideas or vote for other ideas via Microsoft Feedback.

    Subscribe to our Excel Blog and the Insiders Blog to get the latest updates. Stay connected with us and other Excel fans around the world – join our Excel Community and follow us on X, formerly Twitter.

    Special thanks to our Excel MVPs David Benaim, Bill Jelen, Alan Murray, and John Michaloudis for their contribution to this month's What's New in Excel article. David publishes weekly YouTube videos and regular LinkedIn posts about the latest innovations in Excel and more. Bill is the founder and host of MrExcel.com and the author of several books about Excel. Alan is an Excel trainer, author and speaker, best known for his blog computergaga.com and YouTube channel with the same name. John is the Founder & Chief Inspirational Officer at MyExcelOnline.com where he passionately teaches thousands of professionals how to use Excel to stand out from the crowd.

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  • Oct 28, 2025
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      Jan 18, 2026

    Excel by Microsoft

    What's New in Excel (October 2025)

    October 2025 update brings Agent Mode to Excel (web) and Copilot tools, PivotTable #SPILL for Insiders, Accessibility Assistant updates, and Formula by Example on Windows with Copilot. It highlights ongoing previews and user feedback shaping automation and accessibility in Excel.

    Welcome to the October 2025 update. This month, look for Agent Mode in Excel (Frontier) in the Tools menu of Copilot for Excel. Additionally, PivotTable #SPILL and accessibility assistant updates are now available to Insider users on Windows and Mac. Formula by Example has also rolled out to the Current Channel for Excel on Windows with a Copilot subscription.

    Excel for web

    • PivotTable #SPILL (Insiders)
    • Accessibility Assistant updates (Insiders) #FIA

    Agent Mode in Excel (Frontier)

    Agent Mode in Excel lets you describe a task in natural language and then works with you to plan, reason, iterate, and validate the outcome.

    An early preview of Agent mode is available via the Frontier program for Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed customers and Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium subscribers (under the Microsoft Services Agreement). Agent Mode works in Excel on the web and is coming soon to desktop. Learn more about it in our announcement blog.

    To try it, look for Agent Mode in the Tools menu of Copilot in Excel.

    Excel for Windows and Mac

    • PivotTable #SPILL (Insiders)
    • Accessibility Assistant updates (Insiders) #FIA

    Excel for Windows

    • Formula by Example

    Excel for web

    Formula by Example

    Formula by example looks for patterns as the user enters data in the worksheet. When it recognizes a pattern, formula by example offers a formula to fill the rest of the column with the recognized pattern.

    Formula by Example, previously available in Excel for the web, is now also available to Excel for Windows users on the Current Channel with a Copilot subscription.

    Many of these features are the result of your feedback. THANK YOU! Your continued Feedback in Action (#FIA) helps improve Excel for everyone. Please let us know how you like a particular feature and what we can improve upon—"Give a compliment" or "Make a suggestion". You can also submit new ideas or vote for other ideas via Microsoft Feedback.

    Subscribe to our Excel Blog and the Insiders Blog to get the latest updates. Stay connected with us and other Excel fans around the world – join our Excel Community and follow us on X, formerly Twitter.

    Special thanks to our Excel MVPs David Benaim, Bill Jelen, Alan Murray, and John Michaloudis for their contribution to this month's What's New in Excel article. David publishes weekly YouTube videos and regular LinkedIn posts about the latest innovations in Excel and more. Bill is the founder and host of MrExcel.com and the author of several books about Excel. Alan is an Excel trainer, author and speaker, best known for his blog computergaga.com and YouTube channel with the same name. John is the Founder & Chief Inspirational Officer at MyExcelOnline.com where he passionately teaches thousands of professionals how to use Excel to stand out from the crowd.

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  • Oct 2, 2025
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      Oct 2, 2025
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      Jan 18, 2026

    Excel by Microsoft

    What's New in Excel (September 2025)

    Excel marks a 40th milestone with bold AI updates. Agent Mode and COPILOT bring expert automation across web and Windows, plus formula completion and Python in Excel for insiders, with Copilot previews on iOS for quick insights.

    🎉 Happy 40th Birthday, Excel! 🎉

    Today, Excel turns 40—and we’re so excited to celebrate this milestone with you, our amazing community. For four decades, you’ve helped shape Excel into what it is today, and we couldn’t have done it without you.
    Take a stroll down memory lane with our anniversary blog, explore 40 Days of Excel packed with tips and stories, and join the Excel team for a special Reddit AMA today at 10 AM PT.

    This month, we’re thrilled to share some exciting updates! Agent Mode in Excel brings expert-level automation, refining results with AI so you can focus on guiding the outcome. The COPILOT function is rolling out to Excel for the web users soon through the Frontier program. We’re also bringing you formula completion with Copilot in Excel, making it easier than ever to work with formulas. And last but not least, the new Python Initialization Editor is now available to Insider users on Windows.

    Excel for web

    • Agent Mode in Excel (Frontier)
    • COPILOT function (Frontier)

    Excel for web and Windows

    • Formula completion with Copilot in Excel

    Excel for Windows

    • Python in Excel: editable initialization pane (Insiders)

    Excel for iOS

    • Copilot-powered file previews (Insiders)

    Excel for web

    Agent Mode in Excel

    Agent Mode delivers AI that can “speak Excel” natively. It’s built on the richness of Excel artifacts and OpenAI’s latest reasoning models—democratizing access to expert-level capabilities and making advanced modeling approachable for most everyone. These breakthroughs allow Agent Mode to not only generate outputs, but also evaluate results, fix issues, and repeat the process until the outcome is verified. It’s like you’re handing off work to an Excel expert—while you steer and guide.

    An early preview of Agent Mode in Excel is available starting today via the Frontier program for Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed customers and Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscribers (under the Microsoft Services Agreement). Agent Mode works in Excel on the web and is coming soon to desktop. To try it, install the Excel Labs add-in and choose Agent Mode (Frontier). Learn more about it in our announcement blog.

    COPILOT function

    The COPILOT function is here to help save you time and supercharge your workflows! Just enter a natural language prompt in your spreadsheet, reference cell values as needed, and watch Copilot instantly generate AI-powered results. This function is available to Insider users on Windows and Mac as well as Frontier web users.

    Excel for web and Windows

    Formula completion with Copilot in Excel

    When you type “=” in a cell, Excel analyzes the context of your workbook and suggests a formula completion suggestion, using the context of your worksheet - headers, nearby cells, formulas and tables. Alongside the suggestion you will see a preview of the result, as well as a short description in natural language of the formula’s intent. This is currently rolling out to production for Web users and also to Insider users on Windows.

    Excel for Windows

    Python in Excel: editable initialization pane (Insiders)

    Take control of your Python environment—right inside your workbook. With the new Python Initialization Editor, you can customize how Python starts up to better suit your workflow. Easily view and modify the default initialization script, add your own imports, functions, or logic, and undo or reset changes as needed.

    Excel for iOS

    Copilot-powered file previews (Insiders)

    Unlock instant insights with Copilot-powered file previews in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app for iOS—just share a file and get summaries, answers, and intelligent suggestions in seconds.

    Many of these features are the result of your feedback. THANK YOU! Your continued Feedback in Action (#FIA) helps improve Excel for everyone. Please let us know how you like a particular feature and what we can improve upon—"Give a compliment" or "Make a suggestion". You can also submit new ideas or vote for other ideas via Microsoft Feedback.

    Subscribe to our Excel Blog and the Insiders Blog to get the latest updates. Stay connected with us and other Excel fans around the world – join our Excel Community and follow us on X, formerly Twitter.

    Special thanks to our Excel MVPs David Benaim, Bill Jelen, Alan Murray, and John Michaloudis for their contribution to this month's What's New in Excel article. David publishes weekly YouTube videos and regular LinkedIn posts about the latest innovations in Excel and more. Bill is the founder and host of MrExcel.com and the author of several books about Excel. Alan is an Excel trainer, author and speaker, best known for his blog computergaga.com and YouTube channel with the same name. John is the Founder & Chief Inspirational Officer at MyExcelOnline.com where he passionately teaches thousands of professionals how to use Excel to stand out from the crowd.

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  • Aug 25, 2025
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      Aug 25, 2025
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      Jan 18, 2026

    Excel by Microsoft

    What's New in Excel (August 2025)

    August 2025 brings COPILOT into Excel for Windows and Mac, enabling natural language prompts to accelerate data work. It also adds Explain formulas, Python image analysis, and Draw tab customization, plus web edits to data labels.

    Welcome to the August 2025 update. We're excited to introduce the new COPILOT function in Microsoft Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac, a major step forward in how you work with data that brings the power of large language models directly into the grid and makes it easier than ever to analyze text, generate content, and work faster. The COPILOT function is now rolling out to Beta Channel users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.

    Other features rolling out this month include explain formulas with Copilot in Excel, analyze images with Python in Excel, and more.

    Excel for Windows and Mac:

    • COPILOT function (Insiders)

    Excel for Windows and web:

    • Explain formulas on the grid with Copilot in Excel

    Excel for Windows, Mac, and the web:

    • Analyze images with Python in Excel (Insiders)

    Excel for Windows:

    • New pen tools and Draw tab customization (Insiders)

    Excel for the web:

    • Edit data label text in Excel for the web

    Excel for Windows and Mac

    COPILOT function (Insiders)
    The new COPILOT function in Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac is here to save time and supercharge your workflows! Just enter a natural language prompt in your spreadsheet, reference cell values as needed, and watch Copilot instantly generate AI-powered results.

    Excel for Windows and web

    Explain formulas on the grid with Copilot in Excel
    The new Explain Formula feature turns Copilot into a user’s inline assistant, delivering clear, step-by-step breakdowns directly on the grid, right next to your data.

    Excel for Windows, Mac, and the web

    Analyze images with Python in Excel (Insiders)
    Analyzing, manipulating, and gathering important information from images in Excel just became easier and faster! This feature unlocks a whole new class of data analysis workflows: Now you can drop an image into a cell and run Python code on it with no extra tools or steps.

    Excel for Windows

    New pen tools and Draw tab customization (Insiders)
    Unleash your expressiveness and creativity with the Brush pen when adding ink and annotations in PowerPoint or Excel or write your notes in Word with a bit more flourish using the Fountain pen.

    These additions can make the Draw tab feel crowded for some users, which is why we’ve also added the options to add, remove, and reorder your drawing tools. Now, it’s easy to customize the Draw tab layout to prioritize the pens, pencils, and highlighters you use most.

    Excel for the web

    Edit data label text in Excel for the web
    You’ve been asking for more of your favorite Excel features to make their way to the web—and we heard you! We’ve added the ability to edit data label text directly in Excel for the web, a feature that was previously only available on Windows.

    Now you can customize chart labels on the fly—whether you're clarifying a data point or adding context—without switching platforms. Try it now in Excel for the web.

    Many of these features are the result of your feedback. THANK YOU! Your continued Feedback in Action (#FIA) helps improve Excel for everyone. Please let us know how you like a particular feature and what we can improve upon—"Give a compliment" or "Make a suggestion". You can also submit new ideas or vote for other ideas via Microsoft Feedback.

    Subscribe to our Excel Blog and the Insiders Blog to get the latest updates. Stay connected with us and other Excel fans around the world – join our Excel Community and follow us on X, formerly Twitter.

    Special thanks to our Excel MVPs David Benaim, Bill Jelen, Alan Murray, and John Michaloudis for their contribution to this month's What's New in Excel article. David publishes weekly YouTube videos and regular LinkedIn posts about the latest innovations in Excel and more. Bill is the founder and host of MrExcel.com and the author of several books about Excel. Alan is an Excel trainer, author and speaker, best known for his blog computergaga.com and YouTube channel with the same name. John is the Founder & Chief Inspirational Officer at MyExcelOnline.com where he passionately teaches thousands of professionals how to use Excel to stand out from the crowd.

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  • Jul 30, 2025
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      Jul 30, 2025
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      Jan 18, 2026

    Excel by Microsoft

    What's New in Excel (July 2025)

    July 2025 update delivers cross‑platform Excel enhancements. New PivotTable Auto Refresh, Get Data dialog with OneLake, Mac side‑by‑side views, web Power Query refresh and data source settings, and enterprise access requests to boost collaboration.

    Excel for Windows, Mac, and web

    • Compatibility Versions

    Excel for Windows and Mac

    • PivotTable Auto Refresh (Insiders) #FIA

    Excel for Windows

    • Get Data dialog and OneLake catalog (Insiders)

    Excel for Mac

    • View multiple panes, sheets or workbooks side by side

    Excel for web

    • Power Query refresh & data source settings for authenticated data sources
    • Request more access for Enterprise customers

    Excel for Windows, Mac, and web

    • Compatibility Versions

    Compatibility Versions are set per workbook. Version 1 reflects historical calculation behavior while Version 2 contains the improvements to text functions. Existing spreadsheets will be set to Version 1, so their calculations will remain consistent. Once a spreadsheet’s version has been set, it will not change unless you change it through the menu described above.

    Excel for Windows and Mac

    • PivotTable Auto Refresh (Insiders) #FIA
      With Auto Refresh, you no longer have to manually refresh your PivotTables as this allows you to keep your PivotTables up-to-date automatically. With Auto Refresh enabled, any updates to the source range – like new sales entries or corrections – are instantly reflected in the PivotTable, keeping it updated in real time.

    Excel for Windows

    • Get Data dialog and OneLake catalog (Insiders)
      We’re introducing a new way to connect to data in Microsoft Excel for Windows that will make finding and using external data sources faster, smarter, and more intuitive! The new Get Data dialog for Power Query brings together search and recommendations in a streamlined layout to help you quickly locate the right data source to bring data from. The new experience also gives you access to all the high-quality data from across your organization that’s stored in Fabric’s OneLake right within Excel.

    Excel for Mac

    • View multiple panes, sheets or workbooks side by side
      You can now quickly compare worksheets in the same workbook or in different workbooks by viewing them side by side with synchronous scrolling and reset window positioning, just like in Excel Windows.

    Excel for web

    • Power Query refresh & data source settings for authenticated data sources
      You can now refresh the Power Query queries in your workbook that source data from a selection of authenticated data sources. When you refresh a query, if authentication is needed, you can select the relevant method – anonymous, user and password, or your organizational account. In addition, you can now view and manage data source credentials for the Power Query queries in your workbook using Data Source Settings.

    This capability has already been made available to all Windows and Mac users. Try it out now in Excel for the web.

    • Request more access for Enterprise customers
      Enterprise customers on the web with view-only permissions will now have the ability to request more access while in a file, unlocking productivity and collaboration with just a few clicks.

    Many of these features are the result of your feedback. THANK YOU! Your continued Feedback in Action (#FIA) helps improve Excel for everyone. Please let us know how you like a particular feature and what we can improve upon—"Give a compliment" or "Make a suggestion". You can also submit new ideas or vote for other ideas via Microsoft Feedback.

    Subscribe to our Excel Blog and the Insiders Blog to get the latest updates. Stay connected with us and other Excel fans around the world – join our Excel Community and follow us on X, formerly Twitter.

    Special thanks to our Excel MVPs David Benaim, Bill Jelen, Alan Murray, and John Michaloudis for their contribution to this month's What's New in Excel article. David publishes weekly YouTube videos and regular LinkedIn posts about the latest innovations in Excel and more. Bill is the founder and host of MrExcel.com and the author of several books about Excel. Alan is an Excel trainer, author and speaker, best known for his blog computergaga.com and YouTube channel with the same name. John is the Founder & Chief Inspirational Officer at MyExcelOnline.com where he passionately teaches thousands of professionals how to use Excel to stand out from the crowd.

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  • Aug 27, 2024
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      Aug 27, 2024
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      Jan 18, 2026

    Excel by Microsoft

    What's New in Excel (August 2024)

    August 2024 update brings Copilot in Excel to craft custom charts and PivotTables plus text insights; regex modes for XLOOKUP and XMATCH roll to Beta; dynamic watermarking for Insiders; and Windows comment filtering. Practical AI and security boosts for Excel fans.

    Welcome to the August 2024 update

    This month, use Copilot in Excel to create custom charts & PivotTables, as well as summarize textual data within your workbook. Also, the new regex modes for XLOOKUP and XMATCH are now rolling out to Beta users for Windows and Mac, allowing you to take advantage of regex within those existing functions.

    Excel for Windows, Mac, and web:

    • Copilot in Excel: Create custom charts & PivotTables
    • Copilot in Excel: Text insights
    • Dynamic watermarking (Insiders)

    Excel for Windows and Mac:

    • New regex modes for XLOOKUP and XMATCH (Insiders)

    Excel for Windows:

    • Filtering for comments

    FIA

    Excel for Windows, Mac, and web

    Copilot in Excel: Create custom charts & PivotTables

    Copilot can now create PivotCharts and PivotTables according to your specification. Tell Copilot what kind of chart you want and configure the axes, title, labels, and more. Or you can specify the configuration for a PivotTable that you would like to create.

    Current chart types that are supported: line, pie, clustered bar, stacked bar, hundred percent stacked bar, clustered column, stacked column, hundred percent stacked column, donut, area, hundred percent stacked area, histograms, and scatter.

    Create a custom PivotChart example:

    Create custom charts using Copilot in Excel

    Create a custom PivotTable example:

    Create a custom PivotTable using Copilot in Excel

    Copilot in Excel: Text insights

    Summarize textual data like survey results, reviews, comments, and more with Copilot in Excel. Tone, length and content of the summary are all adjustable through your prompt.

    Get valuable insights from text using Copilot in Excel

    Dynamic Watermarking (Insiders)

    Sensitivity labels from Microsoft Purview Information Protection offer a highly effective way to limit access to sensitive files and prevent people from taking inappropriate actions with them, such as printing a document, while still allowing for full collaboration. Watermarking protects against screenshots and existing technology that may not provide this kind of security coverage.

    Read more here >

    Dynamic watermarking in Excel

    Excel for Windows and Mac

    New regex modes for XLOOKUP and XMATCH (Insiders)

    Now you can take advantage of regex within the existing XLOOKUP and XMATCH functions, by using the new [match_mode] = 3 and a regex pattern as the lookup_value. This will allow XLOOKUP and XMATCH to match against parts of text in a cell, or by any other pattern of text that can be described with regex. These functions are rolling out to Beta Channel users.

    Read more here >

    New regex mode for XLOOKUP

    Excel for Windows

    • Filtering for Comments

    You can now filter comments that are active, resolved, or ones that @mention you so that you can find the comments you're looking for. Filtering to a certain set of comments will update which comment indicators you see on the worksheet so you can focus on which comments are important with the context of your work. This feature is already supported on Mac and web and is currently rolling out to all Windows users.

    Filter comments that are active, resolved, or ones that @mention

    Many of these features are the result of your feedback. THANK YOU! Your continued
    Feedback in Action (#FIA) helps improve Excel for everyone. Please let us know how you like a particular feature and what we can improve upon—"Give a compliment" or "Make a suggestion". You can also submit new ideas or vote for other ideas via Microsoft Feedback.

    Subscribe to our Excel Blog and the Insiders Blog to get the latest updates. Stay connected with us and other Excel fans around the world – join our Excel Community and follow us on X, formerly Twitter.

    Special thanks to our Excel MVPs David Benaim, Bill Jelen, and Alan Murray for their contribution to this month's What's New in Excel article. David publishes weekly YouTube videos and regular LinkedIn posts about the latest innovations in Excel and more. Bill is the founder and host of MrExcel.com and the author of several books about Excel. Alan is an Excel trainer, author and speaker, best known for his blog Computergaga.com and YouTube channel with the same name.

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