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28. Copilot and AI in Excel

28.4 Edit with Copilot (Formerly Agent Mode) and Plan Mode

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Example first. Zoya gives Copilot one long instruction: "In tblOrders add a column Late that is TRUE when Mins is more than 15. Then add a sheet called Late Summary with the number of late orders by City and a column chart." With Allow editing on, Copilot writes a plan, adds the column, builds the summary and the chart, checks its own result and reports back. Zoya then spends two minutes checking the three late orders herself.

Edit with Copilot — in 30 seconds

What: With Allow editing on, Copilot breaks a request into steps, changes the workbook directly (columns, formulas, sheets, charts, formatting), reviews the result and reports what it did. Plan mode shows the plan first and waits for you.

Why: Multi-step jobs that take you 20 clicks become one instruction. Because every change is a normal Excel object, you can inspect it, undo it or restore an earlier version.

Tiny example: Copilot adds a Late column with a formula like =[@Mins]>15. Three orders become TRUE: AMN-1005, BLK-1007 and BLK-1010.

First look at the data (before → after):

Edit with Copilot: before and after tables, fictional Blinkit Maharashtra data

Expected result — Late Summary (check it)

City Late orders
Kolhapur 1
Nagpur 0
Nashik 1
Pune 0
Sambhaji Nagar 0
Solapur 1
Total 3
Before table and formula as text

Before — tblOrders (part)

Order ID City Mins
BLK-1004 Nagpur 11
AMN-1005 Kolhapur 16
BLK-1006 Pune 8
BLK-1007 Solapur 18

Formula / click path

Allow editing (default) or Plan mode
"Add a column Late that is TRUE when Mins is more than 15 …"
Copilot: plan › edit › review › report

Do it step by step:

  1. Save a copy of the workbook first (File › Save a Copy), or be ready to use File › Info › Version History.
  2. Check Formulas › Calculation Options is Automatic: Microsoft says editing with Copilot needs it.
  3. Open the Copilot pane. For a big job, choose Plan in the menu above the prompt box; for a small one keep Allow editing.
  4. Type the full instruction (see the prompt below) and press Enter. In Plan mode, read the plan and confirm it.
  5. Watch the changes appear. Select the Stop button in the lower-right of the prompt box if Copilot goes the wrong way.
  6. Check the result: =COUNTIFS(tblOrders[Mins],">15") must equal the Total on Late Summary (3).

Version note

Microsoft first released this as Agent Mode (generally available on Excel desktop and Excel on the web) and now calls it simply editing with Copilot: it is the default Allow editing setting. It needs one of the Copilot licences listed in 28.1 and Calculation Options set to Automatic. Edit mode is available on Windows, Mac and the web; on iPad and iPhone it is still rolling out. Support for workbooks saved on your own computer (not only OneDrive) was announced by Microsoft in 2026, so the exact storage rules may differ in your version.

The prompt Zoya used

In tblOrders, add a column called Late that is TRUE when Mins is more than 15, otherwise FALSE.
Then add a new sheet called Late Summary with a table of City and the number of Late orders,
including cities with zero, sorted A to Z, and a column chart of that table.
Do not change any existing column.

A reply can look like this

Copilot: Plan: 1) add the Late column to tblOrders, 2) create the Late Summary sheet, 3) count Late orders per City with COUNTIFS, 4) insert a clustered column chart. Done. 3 of 10 orders are late: Kolhapur 1, Nashik 1, Solapur 1. Other cities have 0.

Illustrative: this Copilot reply was written for this lesson to show what a reply can look like. Your wording, layout and even numbers may differ, which is exactly why the checking steps matter.

What you check after an edit (two minutes, every time)

Check How Expected on our data
The new column formula is the same in every row Click two or three cells in Late; or press Ctrl+to show formulas |=[@Mins]>15` in every row
The count is right =COUNTIFS(tblOrders[Mins],">15") 3
The right rows are flagged Filter Late = TRUE AMN-1005, BLK-1007, BLK-1010
The summary adds up =SUM( of the Late Summary counts ) 3
Nothing else changed Compare with your saved copy or open Version History Original 9 columns unchanged

Edit, Plan or Chat: which one when?

Situation Best mode Why
Your own draft file, small change Allow editing Fastest; you can undo
A big multi-step job (new sheets, many formulas) Plan You approve the approach before anything changes
Shared file others are editing Chat only, or Allow editing on a copy Microsoft warns that saved Copilot changes are visible to everyone with access, including co-authors
You only want an answer or a formula idea Chat only Nothing in the workbook changes

Undo and versions. Microsoft's advice for sensitive or shared files: Copilot makes direct changes, so you can undo them or view prior versions at any time. Undo (Ctrl+Z) works for recent changes; for anything bigger, File › Info › Version History lets you open and restore an earlier version of a file saved in OneDrive or SharePoint.

Two things that stop editing from working. Calculation Options set to Manual (Microsoft: editing is only supported when Calculation Options are Automatic), and a file checked out in SharePoint or saved as Strict Open XML (Microsoft's "Unsupported file state" message).

Microsoft sources (checked 7 October 2026): Get started with Copilot in Excel; Frequently asked questions about Copilot in Excel; Copilot in Excel tips.

Practice task (try it before you open the answer):

  1. Write one edit prompt that adds a column Fee = 5% of Amount, rounded to 2 decimals, to tblOrders.
  2. Write the formula you expect Copilot to put in the column.
  3. Give the Fee for BLK-1007 and the total Fee for all 10 orders.
Answer
  1. "In tblOrders add a column called Fee equal to 5% of Amount, rounded to 2 decimals. Do not change other columns."
  2. =ROUND([@Amount]*5%,2)
  3. BLK-1007: ₹64.95. Total Fee: ₹143.5 (5% of ₹2,870).

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

Always end an edit prompt with "Do not change any existing column." Copilot follows what you write; say what must stay untouched.