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Microsoft is making complex Word and Excel tasks easier to handle with a new Agent Mode in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
With this addition, you don't necessarily need to be a Word or Excel wizard to generate high-quality documents or spreadsheets. You can start with a simple prompt in the sidebar, let Copilot respond, and then provide further prompts to make it deliver the results you desire. Microsoft is calling it "vibe working."
"In the same way vibe coding has transformed software development, the latest reasoning models in Copilot unlock agentic productivity for Office artifacts," says Sumit Chauhan, corporate VP of Microsoft's Office Product Group. "It's the new pattern of work for human-agent collaboration."
Copilot's Agent Mode relies on the latest AI models from OpenAI. In Excel, you can use it to generate outputs, evaluate results, and fix issues. After receiving a prompt, it walks you through each step of its response.
Once done, it delivers the results on the main sheet and provides a summary of the work it's accomplished and key discoveries in the sidebar. "It's like you're handing off work to an Excel expert—while you steer and guide," Chauhan says.
Some of the sample prompts shared by Microsoft suggest Agent Mode can analyze sheets and create graphs and charts for very particular datapoints.
"Run a full analysis on this sales data set. I want to understand some important insights to help me make decisions about my business. Make it visual," read one of the sample prompts, while two others focused on loan calculations and personal budgeting. You can check them out here.
At first glance, Agent Mode's work in Word appeared more or less similar to what AI chatbots can already handle. You can attach a document with your prompt and ask Copilot to make the desired changes. It could be an analysis, feedback-based correction, or just editing the document for grammar and syntax.
Microsoft is bringing a similar feature, called Office Agent, to regular Microsoft 365 Copilot chats as well. It's powered by Anthropic's models and available for PowerPoint presentations and Word documents at launch. Select the format below the text box, provide your prompt, and let Office Agent get to work.
It will begin with clarifying questions about your prompt, such as focus areas, language tonality, and style templates. Then it goes through the web to collect information and images before delivering the final output.
Agent Mode in Copilot for Excel and Word is rolling out today on the Frontier program for Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed customers and Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscribers. It is currently available on the web and will be coming to desktop apps soon.
To try Agent Mode in Excel, you need to get the Excel Labs add-in and choose Agent Mode. In Word, you can just open Copilot and select Agent Mode from the menu below the prompt box. The feature will soon be extended to PowerPoint as well.
Office Agent for Microsoft 365 Copilot, on the other hand, is currently available in the Frontier program for Personal or Family subscribers on the web.