Microsoft Excel introduces Copilot-powered Canvas for interactive reporting

Microsoft is rolling out Excel Canvas, a Copilot-powered visual interface designed to transform workbook data into interactive reports. The tool allows users to generate charts, headline metrics, and written insights using natural language prompts. The resulting canvas remains connected to the source data, enabling automatic updates when the underlying workbook changes.

While the feature offers faster report creation and easier editing for non-experts, early beta testing has identified limitations. These include occasional software crashes, unpredictable results during re-prompting, and a lack of direct integration with Power Pivot or Power Query.

To use Copilot in Excel, users must have a compatible Microsoft 365 plan. On Windows, the feature can be enabled through the File and Options menu, though availability for work or school accounts depends on specific license and privacy settings. The tool is currently being released to Microsoft 365 Insiders, with a broader rollout scheduled for mid-October 2026 on Windows and web platforms.