Microsoft is finally bridging the gap between web-based tools and local spreadsheets. If you’re using Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac, you can query local files directly via Copilot Chat, allowing the AI to scan data stored on your hard drive without requiring you to move the file to a remote server first.
This updated workflow is designed to be much more seamless, as the AI can now look at what’s already on your screen. Essentially, Microsoft is allowing its chat-based assistant to “read” the active local workbook, meaning you can get help with data analysis, finding specific entries, or summarizing complex ranges without the overhead of cloud synchronization. I’ve found it particularly helpful for quick audits of large datasets where I don’t want to commit to a full OneDrive upload just to find a single outlier.
By removing the cloud requirement, Microsoft is making its AI features feel much more integrated into the desktop experience. Most notably, Microsoft says that “analyzing your locally saved Excel workbooks with Copilot Chat makes it possible to stay productive even when you’re offline.”
Using the new feature is straightforward:
- Open your local file: Launch any supported Excel workbook (such as an XLSX or XLSM file) saved directly on your computer or a connected network drive.
- Open Copilot Chat: Click the Copilot icon in the Home tab on the ribbon.
- Select Chat: Ensure you’re in the Chat mode rather than App Skills.
- Ask your question: Type your query into the message box—such as “Summarize the trends in this sheet,” or “What is the highest value in column C?”
Credit: Microsoft
It’s a breath of fresh air for those of us with local-only save habits who still want to use modern tools. Before this update arrived, using Microsoft’s AI tools often felt like being tethered to the internet. Copilot’s most useful capabilities typically required a file to be saved within the OneDrive or SharePoint ecosystem to function at all. For many power users, this has been a significant pain point for a long time.
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This update is just the latest in a rapid rollout of Copilot updates to the Microsoft 365 suite. We have already seen Microsoft push numerous ways to use Copilot to improve the Excel experience, ranging from building complex formulas to deep data visualization. More recently, Agent Mode was introduced to Windows and Mac, allowing the AI to perform more complex, multistep tasks autonomously. As Microsoft expands how Copilot handles external data, the line between your local desktop and the global web continues to blur.
In terms of availability, this feature is currently tied specifically to Copilot Chat in Excel, meaning it isn’t available to everyone just yet. According to Microsoft’s eligibility documentation, the feature is restricted to specific commercial and education tiers, such as those with Microsoft 365 Business (Standard or Premium) or E3/E5 licenses. This also covers students and faculty using the A3/A5 education plans.
Unfortunately, there’s no word on whether Copilot Chat and this new local query feature will become available to Personal or Family subscribers. For the time being, the ability to chat with local files is exclusive to the professional and academic sectors, though I’m holding out hope that a consumer rollout isn’t too far behind so we can all stop hitting that “Upload to OneDrive” button quite so often.
Source: Microsoft Insider Blog
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