Microsoft just found a new use for AI. Excel users can now turn to the new Explain Formula feature which uses Copilot to use artificial intelligence to understand how a formula works.
There are many advantages to this. It can serve as a way to learn about how to create new formulae of your own, but it is also a handy way to not only understand how a formula works as well as a means of debugging if the output is not what you were expecting it to be.
Announcing the new capabilities in a blog post, Microsoft explains:
Understanding complex formulas in Excel just got a lot easier. The new Explain Formula feature turns Copilot into your inline assistant, delivering clear, step-by-step breakdowns directly on the grid, right next to your data, no need to switch context or open the chat pane.
What makes this especially powerful is that the explanations are contextual, grounded in your actual data and workbook, not generic descriptions.
By bringing the explanation to where you’re working, Copilot helps you stay in flow. It’s a seamless, in-the-moment experience that makes it easy to scan, understand, and act on formulas right where you need it most.
The idea is beautifully simple, and the implementation is straightforward. Microsoft provides the following instructions:
- Select a cell with a valid formula
- A Copilot icon appears next to the cell
- Click “Explain this formula” from the dropdown
- Copilot shows a step-by-step explanation directly on the grid
- Need to dive deeper? Click “Chat with Copilot” to continue the conversation in the side pane
The beauty of the explanation is that it is not generic. If you try to search for information about the workings of a formula online, it can be hard to see how this relates to the data and spreadsheet you are working with. Copilot is contextual and therefore provides more useful information.
Find out more here.
