Copilot Agent Mode in Excel Is Now Edit Mode
The short answer: Agent Mode is still there, under a new name. Microsoft made Copilot's agentic features in Excel generally available and the default on 22 April 2026, and the current support pages call it edit mode. Open Copilot from the button in the lower-right corner of Excel and it starts in edit mode, ready to change your workbook directly.
Edit mode is 1 of 3. Plan mode writes a plan before it touches anything, and chat mode answers without changing the file. Below: what changed, which mode to use when, and prompts for each.
What happened to Agent Mode in Excel
1September 2025: a preview on the web
Microsoft launched an early preview of Agent Mode in Excel on 29 September 2025, on the web, through the Frontier program, for Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed customers (the product is now called Microsoft Copilot) and for Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium subscribers.
2April 2026: generally available and the default
On 22 April 2026 Microsoft announced that the agentic capabilities in Word, Excel and PowerPoint were generally available and the default experience for Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Premium customers. Personal and Family plans got them too.
3Today: edit mode
Microsoft's current Excel support pages describe 3 modes: edit, plan and chat. Some 2026 posts say "Edit with Copilot", but I can't confirm that's the official Excel label today. So I write edit mode (earlier called Agent Mode), and I'd do the same in your internal guides.
Edit, plan and chat modes in plain words
1Edit mode, the default
Copilot edits your workbook directly. Microsoft describes the loop: it analyses your task, creates a step-by-step plan, carries it out in the workbook, reviews the results and checks whether they match what you meant. You can watch the reasoning in the pane while the changes appear live in the grid (oddly satisfying, the first few times).
2Plan mode
Copilot comes up with a plan before it edits your workbook, so you get to read the plan before anything changes.
3Chat mode
Copilot analyses your data and answers in the pane, without making changes to the workbook. Microsoft calls it chat only.
Whatever edit mode builds, it builds with Excel's own features, so the result stays editable. Microsoft's 2025 design notes also say it carries out computations on the grid rather than hard-coding values. That's the part I like most: you can click a cell and check how it got there. For the wider tour of Copilot in Excel, see my Microsoft Copilot for Excel guide.
Excel agent mode vs chat: which mode when
This is my rule of thumb, not Microsoft's.
1Chat, when you'd hate to undo it
A question about the numbers, someone else's file, a workbook people are editing right now. Nothing changes, so nothing breaks.
2Plan, when the job has more than 3 steps
Microsoft says Copilot in Excel can make dashboards, planning tools and templates from scratch. Those are exactly the jobs where I want to read the plan first.
3Edit, when you know exactly what you want
A new column, a chart, a PivotTable, a formatting rule. Say it, check it, move on.
How to use the Copilot Excel agent: prompts for each mode
Microsoft's own tip: name the columns you want Copilot to use. I'd do it in every mode. Swap in your own column names and paste.
Which 3 regions had the biggest drop in Margin between Q1 and Q2? Use the Region, Quarter and Margin columns.
Plan a monthly budget tracker on a new sheet: categories in rows, months in columns, a total per month and the variance against the Budget column. Show me the plan before you build anything.
Add a column next to Revenue that calculates the margin for each row and format it as a percentage.
Highlight every row where Due Date is before today and Status isn't Done.
More prompts, sorted by job, in Copilot prompts for Excel. And if the job is a PivotTable, there's a separate answer to can Copilot create pivot tables.
The other Excel agent, inside the Copilot Chat app
Search for "copilot excel agent" and you'll find a second thing too. Microsoft has Word, Excel and PowerPoint agents inside the Copilot Chat app, separate from the pane in Excel itself. You reach them from the navigation pane of the Microsoft Copilot app or from the Tools menu in Copilot chat. Since July 2026 you can also @mention the agent straight into your prompt.
One catch: if your admin has disabled Anthropic, these agents don't appear at all. That's a tenant setting, not your laptop.
Modes by platform, and the model picker
1Which device has which mode
Windows, Mac and the web have all 3. iPad has chat and plan, iPhone has chat, and on both Microsoft says edit mode is rolling out to production. Android has chat only.
2Choosing the model
Copilot in Excel supports Claude models from Anthropic and GPT models from OpenAI, or Auto to let Copilot pick, for the active session only. The model switcher needs a commercial Microsoft Copilot subscription or Microsoft 365 Premium, and in enterprises your admin must enable Anthropic as a Microsoft sub-processor before Claude shows up. My advice: leave it on Auto and spend the energy on the prompt.
What it gets wrong, and what to check
1The file itself
Save as .xlsx (or .xlsb, .xlsm). In February 2026 Microsoft told Insiders that local files work, but new unsaved workbooks, .csv and .xls weren't supported yet. A Strict Open XML file or a SharePoint file that's checked out fails with "Unsupported file state", and if your organisation requires check-out on a site, Copilot on Windows or Mac won't work for files from it.
2Calculation set to Manual
Copilot editing only works when Calculation Options are set to Automatic. If you keep a heavy model on Manual for speed, switch it back before you prompt (and back again afterwards, if you must).
3Co-authors see everything
When you save Copilot's changes, anyone with access to the file sees them, including people in a co-authoring session. You can undo or go back to a prior version, and in Excel for the web, Show Changes flags Copilot edits. Copilot runs with AutoSave on or off, so switch AutoSave off while you experiment.
4Accuracy
Microsoft's own 2025 benchmark gave Agent Mode 57.2% on the 912 SpreadsheetBench instructions. That's a dated, self-reported number, not today's accuracy. The current FAQ still says to verify anything Copilot creates and to avoid using it for decisions in sensitive areas such as finance, legal or medical topics.
Questions about Copilot Agent Mode in Excel
What is Agent Mode in Excel?
It was Microsoft's name for Copilot editing a workbook directly, step by step. It started as a web preview in September 2025, became the default on 22 April 2026, and the current support pages call it edit mode.
How do I use Copilot Agent Mode in Excel?
Select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of Excel, or press F6. Copilot opens in edit mode by default. Describe the change you want and name the columns it should use.
What's the difference between Excel Agent Mode and Copilot chat?
Edit mode, the former Agent Mode, changes your workbook directly. Chat mode analyses your data and answers in the pane without changing the workbook. Plan mode sits in between and writes a plan before it edits.
Does Agent Mode work on iPad, iPhone or Android?
Windows, Mac and the web have all 3 modes. iPad has chat and plan, iPhone has chat, with edit mode rolling out on both. Android has chat only.
Can I choose the AI model in Excel edit mode?
Yes, with a commercial Microsoft Copilot subscription or Microsoft 365 Premium. You can pick Claude models from Anthropic, GPT models from OpenAI, or Auto. In enterprises, your admin must enable Anthropic before Claude is available.
Want your finance team trying all 3 modes on their own files?
I run live online Copilot workshops for groups of up to 20 people, from 1.5 to 4 hours. There's a session built for finance teams, and the mode question is where I'd start.