Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application from Microsoft. A spreadsheet stores data in a grid of cells, arranged in rows and columns, and calculates new values from those cells with formulas. Microsoft describes Excel as a spreadsheet application and data analysis tool.
A user types or imports data into worksheets, then writes formulas with built-in functions such as IF, VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP, sorts and cleans the data, and summarizes it in charts and PivotTables. A PivotTable groups rows by category and calculates totals or averages for each group. Workbooks can be shared for real-time collaboration. Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant, is built into Excel: a user describes a change or a question in plain language, and Copilot helps write formulas, edits tables and formatting, and analyzes the data.
Excel runs on PCs, Macs, phones and tablets, and in the browser. Excel for the web is free after signing up. The desktop apps and Copilot come with Microsoft 365 subscriptions, billed monthly or yearly.