Microsoft is dropping its Excel Copilot function after only a year - and without ever getting a full public launch

Microsoft Excel is discontinuing its Excel Copilot function, a tool that allowed users to describe tasks in natural language and receive results directly in cells. The function, which was first announced in August 2025 and originally set for launch in January 2027, had been in testing for over a year with Frontier and Insider users.

However, Microsoft has now decided to drop the feature, even though it never received a full public launch. The function was described as a way for users to summarize, classify, generate content and look up information using natural language, but it was not intended for numerical calculations or gathering information from sources within a workbook.

Microsoft explained that it is removing the COPILOT() function as Excel already offers other more effective ways to access AI capabilities. Users can continue working with Copilot through the Copilot side panel and the floating Dynamic Action Button, making the dedicated function slightly redundant. The decision to drop the feature comes as Microsoft makes changes to AI capabilities within Excel, including a new update aimed specifically at finance workers.