Copilot in Excel on Mac, Web and Desktop: Where Each Feature Actually Works (and Where Microsoft Is Silent)
The short answer: on Windows, Mac and the web, Copilot in Excel has all 3 modes: edit, plan and chat. iPad has chat and plan. iPhone has chat. Android has chat only. And edit mode on iPad and iPhone? Listed as rolling out.
That modes table is the only clean platform matrix on the Microsoft pages checked for this article. For everything else (skills, Clean Data, Python, chat history) Microsoft names some platforms and goes quiet about the rest. So wherever Microsoft goes quiet, the matrix below says not documented. (No guessing. That's the whole point of this page.)
Copilot in Excel on Mac, web and desktop: the modes table
Microsoft's get-started page has one proper table, and this is it. Enjoy it. The rest of this page is messier.
| Platform | Edit | Plan | Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | yes | yes | yes |
| Mac | yes | yes | yes |
| Web | yes | yes | yes |
| iPad | rolling out | yes | yes |
| iPhone | rolling out | not listed | yes |
| Android | not listed | not listed | yes |
Not listed means Microsoft's table doesn't mention it. It doesn't mean no.
Quick translation: edit changes the workbook, plan shows its plan first, and chat answers without touching the file. The long version is in Copilot Agent Mode in Excel Is Now Edit Mode.
Every other feature, by platform
These rows come from Microsoft's support pages, release notes and Excel blog posts, read on 8 November 2026. The mobile cells say the same thing in every row (spoiler: not documented), so they share one column.
| Feature | Windows | Mac | Web | iPad, iPhone, Android |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Data button (Data tab) | yes | not documented | yes | not documented |
| clean-data skill | rolling out | rolling out | rolling out | not documented |
| Python in Edit with Copilot | listed | listed | listed | not documented |
| Skill builder | rolling out | rolling out | rolling out | not documented |
| Skill recorder | Insiders | Insiders | generally available (pages differ) | not documented |
| Interactive canvas | Insiders | not documented | coming soon | not documented |
| Get data skill | not named | not named | yes | not documented |
| Chat history (needs a commercial licence) | yes | yes | yes | not documented |
| Copilot tag in Show Changes | yes | yes | yes | not documented |
| Importing PDF, Word or PowerPoint content | page applies | page applies | not documented | not documented |
| Local files | Insiders in Feb 2026 (pages differ) | Insiders in Feb 2026 (pages differ) | not applicable | not documented |
Listed means Microsoft's release notes name that platform. Rolling out is Microsoft's own wording. Insiders means early access. Page applies means the Applies To tag on Microsoft's page names that platform. Not documented means none of the Microsoft pages checked for this article names that platform for that feature.
4 places where Microsoft's own pages disagree
I won't pick a winner. You shouldn't either, until you've tried the feature on your own file.
1iPad edit mode
A September 2026 Excel blog post says edit mode on iPad is now available. Microsoft's support pages, dated later, still say it's rolling out to production. Same company, different answers.
2Skill recorder on the web
The October 2026 blog calls it generally available on the web. Its support page says it's rolling out to production, so you may not see Record a skill yet. (Check your own screen before you promise anyone a demo.)
3Interactive canvas
The October blog says Windows Insiders, with the web coming soon. The built-in skills page says it's enabled by default. Early access or on by default? The 2 pages don't agree.
4Local files
Microsoft's Insider post of February 2026 said Copilot could query .xlsx, .xlsb and .xlsm files saved on Windows and Mac. A Microsoft accessibility tutorial from 28 September 2026 says a local file can limit or disable Copilot. No firm answer from me.
2 Clean Datas and 2 Pythons
Microsoft reuses names, which gets confusing fast. Check which one a page means before you quote it.
1Clean Data comes in 2 versions
The older one is a button on the Data tab. It works in Excel for the web and Windows, and works best up to 100 columns and 50,000 rows. The newer one is the clean-data skill. It's rolling out to general availability, you call it with @clean-data, and it also looks for duplicate values and inconsistent dates.
2Python comes in 2 versions
Python in Edit with Copilot is listed for Windows, Mac and the web in Microsoft's release notes of 25 August 2026. The @python-in-excel skill is a separate thing, listed as Insiders in Microsoft's August 2026 post. Python in Excel formulas aren't available on iPad, iPhone or Android. And Edit with Copilot on mobile? Not documented.
Shortcuts and the button, by platform
The Copilot button sits in the lower-right corner of the workbook. Microsoft lists these shortcuts for it. Each one puts focus on the button:
1Windows and web
Alt + C.
2Mac (desktop and web)
Cmd + Control + I.
3All platforms
F6.
Alt + C and Cmd + Control + I are still rolling out across apps and languages, so try F6 first. Want the button back on the ribbon? Right-click it and choose Move to ribbon. That needs Windows build 16.0.20129.15140 or later, or macOS build 16.109.525.2 or later.
Button missing altogether? That's a fix, and it has its own page: Copilot Not Showing in Excel? The Fix List.
Mixed Windows, Mac and web? Here's the rule
This part is my method, not Microsoft's. It's what I'd do with the matrix above.
1If your people use Windows, Mac and the web, then train on all 3 modes
Edit, plan and chat exist on all three, so one lesson on the modes covers them.
2If some use iPad, iPhone or Android, then teach chat
Plan also works on iPad. Don't build a process that needs edit mode on a phone.
3If your platform's cell says not documented, then test before you promise
1 person, 1 real file, 1 afternoon. Then you know what Microsoft doesn't say.
4If a feature says Insiders or rolling out, then keep it out of the rollout plan
Add it when it shows up for you. The wider picture is in my guide to Microsoft Copilot for Excel. The limits and licence rules behind all this are in What Copilot in Excel Can't Do.
Questions about Copilot in Excel on Mac, web and desktop
Does Copilot in Excel work on Mac?
Yes. Microsoft's modes table lists edit, plan and chat for Excel on Mac, the same as Windows and the web. The Mac shortcut is Cmd + Control + I, which is still rolling out, so try F6 first. It moves focus to the Copilot button and is listed for all platforms.
Is Copilot in Excel available on iPad, iPhone and Android?
Yes, with fewer modes. iPad has chat and plan, iPhone has chat, and Android has chat only. Edit mode on iPad and iPhone? Microsoft says it's rolling out to production, although one September 2026 blog post says iPad already has it.
Does Copilot work in Excel for the web?
Yes. Excel on the web has edit, plan and chat modes. Here's the catch: the browser needs third-party cookies enabled so Copilot can validate your licence.
What is different about Copilot in Excel on desktop and online?
The 3 modes are the same. The differences sit in the newer features. The Data-tab Clean Data button is listed for Windows and the web. And Microsoft's October 2026 post says the Get data skill is available to web users, naming no other platform.
Does Copilot in Excel work with files saved on my computer?
Microsoft's pages disagree. A February 2026 Insider post says local .xlsx, .xlsb and .xlsm files work on Windows and Mac. A September 2026 Microsoft tutorial says a local file can limit or disable Copilot. 2 pages, 2 answers, so try it on your own file.
Same Copilot, different screens. People still need practice.
I run live online Copilot workshops, hands-on, from 1.5 to 4 hours, for groups of 20 to 25 at most. Clients include Intel, Roche, EY and Amdocs.