Excel + AI: 5 Next-Gen Ways to Use ChatGPT Inside Excel Like a Pro
AI is changing the way we use spreadsheets—and Microsoft Excel is no exception. While Excel has always been powerful, combining it with tools like ChatGPT unlocks a whole new level of productivity. In this post, you'll discover five futuristic ways to integrate ChatGPT with Excel for smarter, faster, and more creative data work.
EXCEL TRICKS AND TIPS
Vishal Aggarwal
5/8/20241 min read
1. 🧠 Explain Any Formula in Plain English – Right in Excel
Sometimes formulas get overwhelming. With ChatGPT, you can paste a formula into a side panel or ChatGPT window and get a step-by-step breakdown.
Example:
Paste this into ChatGPT:
=INDEX(A2:A10,MATCH(MAX(B2:B10),B2:B10,0))
You’ll get a plain-English explanation like:
“This formula finds the value in Column A where Column B has the highest number.”
🎯 Use Case: Teaching Excel, debugging legacy workbooks, onboarding new team members.
2. 🧾 Generate Excel Formulas from Natural Language Prompts
Instead of Googling for formulas, just describe what you need:
Example Prompt:
“In Excel, how do I calculate the number of days between two dates excluding weekends and holidays?”
ChatGPT replies with:
excel
CopyEdit
=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,HolidayList)
⚡ No more guesswork—just quick and accurate formula generation.
3. 📋 Convert Raw Data into Clean Excel Tables with Prompts
Got messy copy-pasted data? Use ChatGPT to help format or restructure it.
🛠️ Prompt Example:
“Reorganize this comma-separated list into a clean Excel table with headers.”
This helps especially when importing data from PDFs, websites, or email reports.
4. 📌 Create Dynamic Excel Templates with ChatGPT
Want to create an Expense Tracker, Task Planner, or Sales Dashboard?
💡 Just ask:
“Can you generate an Excel template for tracking daily team tasks with conditional formatting for overdue items?”
ChatGPT can give you structure, formulas, and even conditional formatting rules. Paste the suggestions directly into Excel and go!
5. 🧪 Use AI to Automate Repetitive Excel Tasks with VBA
You don’t have to be a coder. Just describe the task, and ChatGPT will write the macro.
🎯 Prompt Example:
“Write a macro to highlight duplicate values in column A and delete the rows.”
🚀 Result: You get a ready-to-copy VBA script and instructions on how to run it.
🌟 Final Thoughts: Excel + AI = Superhuman Productivity
This isn’t the future—it’s already here. By learning how to combine ChatGPT with Excel, you're unlocking a powerful edge over the average spreadsheet user. Whether you’re building templates, debugging formulas, or automating reports, the AI + Excel combo is unbeatable.