In 2025, Microsoft tested a new function: COPILOT. You wrote a question in a cell, selected a range of cells, and the AI answered directly in the worksheet. The function was only available in preview for the Microsoft 365 Insider and Frontier programs. And it didn’t last: since September 14, 2026, the COPILOT function is no longer available in Excel.
What the function did
The function took a prompt and, optionally, a range of cells:
=COPILOT(“Classify this feedback as positive or negative”,A2:A20)
It was useful for sorting comments, summarizing text, or generating lists. ⚠️⚠️⚠️ But Microsoft itself advised against it for calculations.⚠️⚠️⚠️ The results could change from one calculation to the next, even with the same data 😮
What happens to your workbooks
If you used it, your workbooks still open. The results already calculated stay in the cells. But as soon as one of these cells recalculates, it returns the #NAME? error, because Excel no longer recognizes the function.
💡 To keep the results, copy the cells and paste them as values (Ctrl + Alt + V, then Values) before they recalculate.
What to use now
Microsoft has not planned any replacement function for now. But Excel has enough functions for you to find the right one for your project.
And Copilot is still available from the Home tab. Click the Copilot icon, and a pane opens on the right of your workbook. You write your request in plain words, as you did in the function.
⚠️ But the Copilot button doesn’t appear in every version of Excel, even in the Insider program. You need a subscription that includes Copilot: Microsoft 365 Personal or Family (with AI credits), Microsoft 365 Premium, or a business plan with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. The Copilot button appears on every ribbon tab.
1. To classify text: ask Copilot to add a column
This was the most common use of the function: label comments as positive or negative, or put each line in a category. Now, you write the request in the Copilot pane:
Classify the feedback in A2:A20 as positive or negative.
Add the result in a new column.⚠️ There is one big difference. The COPILOT function recalculates. Copilot writes values, once. If you add new comments in your list, you must ask again.
And if your categories depend on keywords, you don’t need the AI at all. A formula does the job, and it updates by itself:
=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH(“late”,A2)),”Delivery”,”Other”)
2. To summarize text: write the request in the pane
Same logic for a summary. Instead of the function, you write:
Summarize the feedback in A2:A20 in 3 sentences.The summary appears in the pane, and you choose where to paste it.
3. To look up information on the web
The function could also bring information from the web into a cell. Copilot does the same thing from the pane:
Look up the public holidays in the United States in 2027.
Put them in a table with the date and the name.Always check the dates and the figures before using them. An AI can be wrong, and nothing in the result tells you so.
4. To calculate: use a real Excel formula
For calculations, nothing replaces a real Excel formula. A SUMIFS, a COUNTIFS or an XLOOKUP always returns the same result, and you can check it. Use the AI to write the formula, not to replace it.
The best way to use the AI here is to ask it for the formula, not for the result. You copy the formula in your sheet, and it keeps working when your data changes:
My data is in a Table named tbl_Sales with the columns Date, Product, Region, Amount.
Write the formula that returns the total Amount for the product Coffee.=SUMIFS(tbl_Sales[Amount],tbl_Sales[Product],”Coffee”)
5. You don’t have Copilot in Excel?
Copilot in Excel needs a Microsoft 365 subscription with AI features. Without it, ChatGPT, Claude or any AI chat can write the formula for you. Describe your columns, ask for the formula, and paste it in Excel. You get the same result as with Copilot, and the formula belongs to your workbook.
In short
| You used COPILOT to… | Use now |
|---|---|
| Classify or tag text | The Copilot pane (values written once), or a formula with SEARCH for keywords |
| Summarize text | The Copilot pane |
| Look up information on the web | The Copilot pane, then check the result |
| Calculate, count, look up a value | A formula: SUMIFS, COUNTIFS, XLOOKUP… written with the help of the AI |
The lesson
An AI function inside a cell gives a result you can’t explain or reproduce. A formula you can read, check, and correct. That’s why learning the formulas is still worth it in the age of AI 😉👍
