Microsoft’s latest Excel update focuses on expanding Copilot’s capabilities, introducing features for tracking workbook changes, revisiting past conversations, and generating visualisations from prompts, signalling a shift towards more AI-driven data analysis tools.
Microsoft’s August 2026 Excel update is centred almost entirely on Copilot, adding a set of features that make the assistant more useful for tracing workbook changes, revisiting past chats and building visuals from prompts. According to 4sysops and Microsoft’s release notes, Copilot can now summarise how a workbook has changed, identify specific edits and help users roll back to an earlier version or undo selected changes. A new history view for previous Copilot conversations also makes it easier to resume an analysis without starting again.
The update also extends Copilot’s reach into presentation-ready output. Microsoft Support says users can describe the chart or PivotTable they want, and Copilot will generate it from the underlying data. That includes turning raw spreadsheet content into charts and summaries with less manual formatting, which could save time for teams that need to share findings quickly. Microsoft’s guidance still advises users to review, edit and verify any AI-generated output before relying on it.
For Insiders, Microsoft has also expanded Python-in-Excel through Copilot. The company says the assistant can now generate Python formulas directly inside a workbook, while keeping them editable and refreshable. In practical terms, that opens the door to more advanced analysis without requiring users to write every line of code from scratch, although the feature remains subject to Excel’s existing security and execution controls.
The release is notable for what it does not include. 4sysops reports that Microsoft has not paired the August rollout with a major traditional Excel feature, which means the update’s value will depend heavily on whether an organisation already has Copilot licensing in place. For users on standard Excel plans, the month’s changes appear likely to be limited to the familiar core application experience.
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