In July 2026, Microsoft added as many as six Copilot features to Excel, and I am not even considering the third-party integrations. Now, there’s another one coming, and it’s called Copilot Canvas, which might actually be useful. By the looks of things, you’ll be able to turn workbook data into interactive dashboards using Copilot.
One of the products where Copilot could be genuinely useful is Microsoft Excel. If you’ve never used Excel and you suddenly open a complex spreadsheet with dozens of sheets connected to each other, let’s say a financial model, you can’t possibly understand everything right away, and Copilot could actually explain it to you well.
I haven’t had much luck with Copilot in Excel, and if I have to use AI in a spreadsheet, I’d rather use Claude, which somehow does a better job than Microsoft. But that might not remain the case for too long, as Microsoft is clearly catching up.
Microsoft now says you’ll be able to create a full-fledged interactive Canvas using Copilot and keep it updated automatically.
“A Copilot-generated canvas that turns workbook data into a polished, interactive view of key visualizations, metrics, and insights. As workbook data changes, it automatically updates to reflect the latest information. Users can modify the canvas by chatting with Copilot,” the company noted in an updated roadmap.
Some of you might argue that it’s already possible to create dashboards, charts, insights, or trends using Copilot in Excel. It is, but with Canvas, Microsoft is taking that to the next level.
Right now, Copilot in Excel lets you create templates from scratch with a prompt and even build complex dashboards, as long as you have the data. You can also use Copilot to identify trends and outliers, create PivotTables and charts, edit existing charts, and pull information from the internet with proper attributions.
With the new Copilot Canvas, all of that can be brought together into an interactive dashboard-like view with your important charts, metrics, and insights.
The Canvas does not create a static AI-generated summary, which isn’t really useful. Instead, it stays connected to the workbook, and Copilot will automatically update the dashboard when the underlying data changes, either manually or when it’s fetched from another source.
This feature will begin rolling out in the coming weeks, and most of you should see it by early October.
Microsoft keeps adding Copilot features to Excel for Windows 11
One of the most controversial changes to Office apps was the addition of a floating Copilot button, but that was ultimately made optional, and AI moved to the ribbon.
Since then, Microsoft has focused more on making the existing Copilot integration useful. One recent addition is “inline citations,” which provides deeper source links so you can validate Copilot’s responses.
Another feature that recently made its way to Copilot in Excel is a “theme design” skill, where Microsoft applies harmonized color palettes and structured layouts to raw data for a more polished look.
Speaking of Copilot skills, the August 2026 update also added a “change history skill,” which shows how a workbook has evolved over time. It’s similar to Revisions in Word, but in this case, since it’s built around AI, Copilot can also summarize recent changes, so you can find out who made edits in a shared workbook and what changes were made by AI.
