Excel Copilot Formula Completion Now Available on Desktop

Excel's Copilot-powered Formula Completion is now available on the desktop app — not just Excel for the Web. Type an equals sign, and Excel suggests complete formulas based on your data context. Here are three examples showing how it works.

Extracting First Names

With a "Rep Name" column containing full names like "Chris Menard," type = in a "First Name" column. Formula Completion suggests =LEFT(C2,SEARCH(" ",C2)-1) — a formula that finds the space and extracts everything before it. Press Tab to accept.

Extracting Last Names

For the "Last Name" column, Formula Completion suggests a RIGHT+LEN+SEARCH combination that extracts everything after the space. The same pattern: type =, review the suggestion, and press Tab.

Calculating Quarters from Dates

Given an "Invoice Date" column, Formula Completion suggests =ROUNDUP(MONTH(F2)/3,0) to calculate the quarter — dividing the month by 3 and rounding up. This correctly maps January–March to Q1, April–June to Q2, and so on.

Key Details

• Formula Completion now works on Excel Desktop, not just Excel for the Web
• It requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license
• Suggestions appear automatically when you type = in a cell adjacent to existing data
• Press Tab to accept a suggestion, or keep typing to ignore it

Related guides

Excel FORMULA Completion vs COPILOT(): When to Use Each Feature

I use both Formula Completion and the Copilot function in Excel every week. They require a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license. They solve different problems, and when you combine them, you can move fr

Chris Menard TrainingChris Menard

Financial Ratios - Formula Completion in Excel using Copilot

Writing formulas in Excel can be time-consuming and challenging, even for experienced users. Selecting the right function, referencing the correct cells, and ensuring proper syntax often slows down wo

Chris Menard TrainingChris Menard

Excel Formula Completion - Using XLOOKUP

Excel’s new Formula Completion feature makes writing formulas effortless. Just type the = sign, and Copilot suggests accurate, context-aware formulas.

Chris Menard TrainingChris Menard

Copilot In Excel: NEW Feature Enables Copilot Use Without a Table

Copilot in Excel has introduced some exciting new features that are designed to enhance your productivity. Copilot in Excel handles sorting, conditional formatting, pivottables, and asking questions.

Chris Menard TrainingChris Menard

Want to learn more? Visit courses.chrismenardtraining.com for online training courses.