Microsoft has announced that Agent Mode in Excel, part of Microsoft 365 Copilot, is now generally available on Excel for Windows, with availability for Excel on Mac rolling out shortly. This release expands access beyond Excel for the web, which launched earlier, and brings agent-based capabilities directly into the desktop versions many organizations use daily. Agent Mode enables Copilot to operate as an active collaborator by taking a user’s goal, planning a series of steps, performing actions directly in a workbook, and validating outcomes as work progresses.

During the public preview period, Microsoft enhanced Agent Mode to better support real-world Excel workflows, including scenarios involving complex, multi-step tasks and imperfect data. Improvements introduced during preview include broader platform availability across web and desktop, integrated web search with source citations for pulling in current information, and a new model selection option that allows users to choose between OpenAI and Anthropic reasoning models. These changes were aimed at improving reliability, performance, and success rates across common Excel tasks such as workbook creation, formula correction, and chart or PivotTable generation.

With general availability on desktop, Agent Mode extends Copilot’s role beyond a conversational assistant by allowing it to act directly within Excel files. Users can guide the agent toward an intended outcome while Copilot iterates, checks results, and refines its work. According to Microsoft, this approach is designed to align with how Excel is used in organizations, where workflows often require transparency, repeatability, and verifiable results.