Microsoft is removing the =COPILOT function from Excel on September 14, 2026, roughly a year after it launched as a preview feature through the Insider and Frontier programs. The function let users generate formulas and AI-powered results via plain English typed directly into cells. Microsoft says the same capabilities—summarizing text, classifying data, generating content, and web retrieval—remain available through the Copilot side pane, and the change is meant to consolidate AI features into a single supported interface.
Questions this post answers
When does the =COPILOT function stop working in Excel?
The =COPILOT function in Excel stops working on September 14, 2026. Microsoft announced the change via the Microsoft 365 Message Center notice MC1454373, noting the function had only been offered as a preview feature through the Insider and Frontier programs since its release about a year earlier. Track Excel and Copilot changes like this on daily.dev before a deprecation catches your workflow off guard.
What should I use instead of the =COPILOT formula in Excel after it's removed?
Use the Copilot side pane instead, which Microsoft says provides many of the same AI-powered capabilities as the =COPILOT function, including summarizing text, classifying data, generating content, and retrieving information from the web. This consolidates Excel's AI features into one supported interface rather than a spreadsheet formula. Anyone migrating spreadsheet AI workflows can follow tool changes like this via daily.dev.