Excel's Copilot function is headed for the Recycle Bin

Microsoft will discontinue its Excel COPILOT() function on September 14, 2026, after just a year since its preview release. The function, introduced in August 2025, allowed users to communicate with the company's AI assistant by typing commands directly into a cell. Initially available only to Beta Channel users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and later to Excel for the web users in the Frontier program, Microsoft has decided the Copilot side pane is sufficient for most users.

The company has chosen to retire the feature instead of pushing it to a general release in 2027. A Microsoft spokesperson explained that this decision will help streamline the Copilot experience within Excel while still offering AI assistance through a supported interface. Users can still access Copilot in Excel via the Copilot side pane, which offers similar AI-powered features like summarizing text, classifying data, generating content, and retrieving web information.

However, the function should no longer be relied upon in production workflows. Microsoft has emphasized that users must review and validate any output from the COPILOT() function, particularly for critical business decisions or reports. Despite Microsoft's efforts to make Copilot more consistent across its productivity applications and address user feedback, such as relocating the Dynamic Action Button to the toolbar, the organization determined that a dedicated worksheet function for the AI assistant was unnecessary. Google Sheets currently provides a comparable AI function.