Microsoft has introduced an autonomous AI agent into desktop Excel

Microsoft has rolled out Agent Mode, a feature in desktop versions of Excel for Windows and macOS—an autonomous AI assistant capable of independently creating complex spreadsheets, correcting formulas, and performing multi-step tasks based on user instructions.

Feb 2, 2026 0 3

Microsoft has introduced an autonomous AI agent into desktop Excel

Microsoft has introduced a cutting-edge AI assistant—Agent Mode—into the desktop versions of Excel for Windows and macOS, a feature previously only available in the web interface. The user defines an end goal, and the AI agent independently develops the steps to achieve it, populating the file with properly formatted tables, formulas, and graphs.

A key feature is the ability to choose the AI language model. Different models, such as OpenAI GPT-5.2 or Anthropic Claude Opus 4.5, have different strengths—some excel at structured computation, others at complex logical planning. If one model fails, the user can switch to another. The agent also supports web search for inserting relevant data, such as stock quotes or exchange rates.

This feature works effectively with unstructured data and corrects formula errors, including circular references. Agent Mode is available for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 Personal, and Premium users on Windows and macOS.