Microsoft Copilot Spreadsheet Uploading: Excel And CSV File Support, Data Analysis Features, Formula Handling, And Limits

Microsoft Copilot enables spreadsheet uploading and analysis through multiple surfaces, including the consumer Copilot chat, Copilot Studio agents, and deeply integrated Copilot in Excel for Microsoft 365. The experience and capabilities differ by platform, with each supporting a range of Excel and CSV workflows.

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Microsoft Copilot Supports Excel And CSV Uploads Across Chat, Studio, And Excel.

In the consumer Copilot chat interface, users can upload spreadsheets in XLSX and CSV formats, along with other common document types, for conversational analysis and summarization. Uploads are treated as context for question answering, data extraction, and insights generation.

Copilot Studio expands these capabilities by allowing uploaded spreadsheets (XLS, XLSX) to become agent knowledge sources, supporting more advanced retrieval and reasoning in custom Copilot agents. These files are stored and indexed for generative answers within agent interactions.

In Microsoft 365 Excel, Copilot is integrated directly into the workbook environment, enabling AI-powered analysis and formula support within the spreadsheet itself. This in-app Copilot is designed for native Excel experiences rather than uploading a file as external context.

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Microsoft Copilot Spreadsheet Support Across Surfaces

Surface	Supported Formats	Primary Workflow
Consumer Copilot chat	XLSX, CSV	Upload, ask questions, get summaries
Copilot Studio	XLS, XLSX	Use as agent knowledge, answer queries
Excel with Copilot	XLSX (native)	In-workbook analysis, formula help

Each platform optimizes spreadsheet handling for its core use case.

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Data Analysis Features Range From Summarization To Advanced In-Workbook Reasoning.

Copilot in Excel provides the richest analysis, enabling users to generate insights, create charts, summarize data, and interact with tables directly inside the workbook. Features include “Agent Mode” and “Analyst” experiences for deep reasoning and structured outputs, along with importing and refreshing external data.

In consumer chat and Copilot Studio, spreadsheet uploads are parsed for table-based Q&A, data extraction, and conceptual analysis. Copilot answers questions about table content, highlights trends, and produces summaries or recommendations. While these platforms can describe and interpret data, they do not recalculate formulas or perform live computation as Excel itself does.

A notable addition is the =COPILOT worksheet function, available in Excel, which generates AI-driven responses based on cell ranges and prompts, further extending analysis capabilities.

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Microsoft Copilot Spreadsheet Data Analysis Features

Platform	Analysis Features	Output Types
Excel with Copilot	Charting, trend detection, table analysis, =COPILOT function	Charts, summaries, cell-level output
Copilot chat / Studio	Q&A, summarization, data extraction	Textual answers, recommendations

Excel integration supports more advanced and granular analysis.

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Formula Handling Includes Explanation, Generation, And Guided Editing.

Copilot in Excel helps users create, understand, and troubleshoot formulas directly within workbooks. Dedicated features guide users through formula construction across rows and columns, translating natural language questions into Excel logic.

In chat and Studio uploads, Copilot can interpret, explain, and recommend formulas found within spreadsheets, but does not execute or recalculate them in real time. Formula guidance here is conceptual, serving as documentation or suggestion rather than active computation.

Copilot’s strengths lie in translating analytical goals into formula logic and demystifying complex calculations for end users.

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Formula Handling Across Microsoft Copilot Surfaces

Surface	Formula Support	Computation
Excel with Copilot	Generation, troubleshooting, explanation	Native Excel execution
Copilot chat / Studio	Explanation, suggestion, rewrite	No live recalculation

Direct Excel integration is required for deterministic formula results.

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Limits Vary By Surface, With File Size And Workbook Scale Constraints.

In consumer Copilot chat, spreadsheet uploads are limited to 50 MB per file, with up to 20 files per conversation. Copilot Studio allows files up to 512 MB, with a maximum of 500 files uploaded per agent.

For Microsoft 365 Copilot in Excel, workbook size is subject to native Excel constraints and recommended best practices. Community guidance references a practical ceiling of around 2 million cells per workbook for optimal Copilot performance, especially with large or complex datasets.

Enterprise Copilot Chat experiences may impose tenant-specific upload and processing limits, and requirements such as storing workbooks on OneDrive or SharePoint for integration scenarios.

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Microsoft Copilot Spreadsheet Upload And Processing Limits

Surface	Max File Size	File Count	Additional Constraints
Copilot chat	50 MB	20 per conversation	XLSX, CSV formats
Copilot Studio	512 MB	500 per agent	XLS, XLSX formats
Excel with Copilot	N/A (native limits)	Workbook scale applies	2 million cell guidance

Staying within these limits ensures optimal upload, analysis, and workflow reliability.

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Microsoft Copilot Spreadsheet Uploading Powers Conversational Analysis And Advanced Excel Workflows.

Microsoft Copilot’s spreadsheet support spans file uploads in chat, agent knowledge in Studio, and full-featured analysis within Excel. Users benefit from data summarization, formula guidance, and charting, with limits shaped by platform, file size, and context handling.

Maximizing Copilot’s value requires selecting the right workflow, respecting upload constraints, and leveraging Excel integration for computation and interactive analysis.

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