I make Copilot build my spreadsheets so I don't have to. You give it a document, like a project proposal, and one prompt. It pulls out every task, owner, date and cost, then adds a chart, a summary and a simple dashboard.
In the video I said to comment SHEETS. This is that guide. In the video I'm using my project proposal. Any document with tasks in it works: a Word document, a PowerPoint or a PDF.
Turn this document into a spreadsheet. Pull out every task, owner, date and cost. Add a chart, a summary of key insights and a simple dashboard. Use only what's in the document. If a task has no owner, date or cost, leave that cell blank and list those tasks at the end. Don't guess.
If you don't see a way to attach the file, or Copilot says it can't open it, open the document, copy all of the text and use this version of the prompt. It does the same job from the pasted text.
Turn the document below into a spreadsheet. Pull out every task, owner, date and cost. Add a chart, a summary of key insights and a simple dashboard. Use only what's in the document. If a task has no owner, date or cost, leave that cell blank and list those tasks at the end. Don't guess. Document: [paste the full text of your document here]
Yes. Save the Word document to OneDrive or SharePoint, open a blank workbook and ask Copilot to turn the document into a spreadsheet, naming the file in your prompt. Microsoft says Copilot in Excel can pull from Word, PowerPoint and PDF files saved there. If it can't open the file, paste the document's text into the chat with the same prompt.
Yes. Microsoft says Copilot in Excel can make dashboards, planning tools and templates from scratch, using real Excel charts, PivotTables and formulas. Ask for the dashboard in plain words, say what it needs to show, and Copilot builds it in your workbook. You can watch it work and select Stop at any point.
Yes, when the PDF is saved in OneDrive or SharePoint. Microsoft lists PDF files there as a source Copilot in Excel can pull data from. Copilot can't use a file from a local path on your computer, so upload it first. If your account can't reference the file, copy the PDF's text and paste it into the prompt.
At home, Microsoft 365 Premium, or Personal or Family with an AI credits plan. At work, a business plan that includes Copilot Chat, or a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Copilot builds in the workbook on Windows, Mac and the web, and only when calculation is set to Automatic.
Copilot now opens from one button in the corner of the workbook, and you can right-click it and choose Move to ribbon. On Windows, Alt + C jumps to it, and on a Mac it's Cmd + Control + I. If there's no button at all, your plan may not include Copilot, or your company has turned it off.
Three follow-up prompts: one checks every task and total against your document, one adds a status column with color coding, and one sets the workbook up so you can update it every week.
Send these in the same Copilot chat, one at a time, after the first prompt finishes. Copilot keeps the context of your document and the sheets it built.
Check this spreadsheet against [document name]. For every row, confirm the task, owner, date and cost match the document. Add the total cost from the document next to the spreadsheet's total. Then list anything that doesn't match, anything you couldn't find in the document, and any task in the document that's missing from the sheet. Don't change any data yet. Show me the list first.
Add a Status column to the task table with a dropdown of Not started, In progress, Done and Blocked. Set every task to Not started. Use conditional formatting to color Done green and Blocked red, and to turn the date red when a task's date has passed and it isn't Done. Add a count of tasks by status to the dashboard.
Set this workbook up as a weekly tracker. Add a Last updated column to the task table. Add a Weekly log sheet with columns for week starting, tasks done, tasks blocked, total cost spent and notes. On the dashboard, add a short list of tasks due in the next 7 days and tasks that are overdue. Keep the chart and the summary linked to the task table so they update when I change it.
Each week, open the workbook, change the statuses and ask Copilot: "Summarize what changed since last week and add a row to the Weekly log." To keep Copilot's formatting the same every week, open the Add menu in the prompt box and choose Create workbook rules. Copilot adds a sheet called .Rules with suggested rules. Keep that sheet visible, because Copilot only reads rules it can see. The rules travel with the workbook when you share it.
Prompts, step-by-step guides and checklists you can put to work today.