How to personalise Copilot inside Excel

Copilot in Excel Just Got More Personal

One of the biggest challenges with AI is that you often have to repeat yourself.

"Use NZ date formats." "Show currency with two decimal places." "Keep explanations brief." "Use a clustered column chart."

Now, Microsoft is solving that in Copilot for Excel with Personalisation.

You can set your preferences once, and Copilot will remember how you like to work across all your Excel workbooks and sessions.

For example, you can tell Copilot:

• Use DD-MMM-YYYY date formats

• Show negative numbers in red and brackets

• Apply banded rows to tables

• Use named ranges in formulas

• Default to a clustered column chart

• Start with a short executive summary before detailed analysis

• Use plain English and keep commentary brief

The more Copilot understands your preferred way of working, the less time you spend adjusting formatting, rewriting outputs, and refining responses. Instead of starting from scratch each time, Copilot begins to work more like a trusted assistant that already knows your preferences.

For organisations rolling out Copilot, this is also a great opportunity to encourage consistency. Teams can establish preferred reporting styles, formatting standards, and communication approaches, helping create more professional and reliable outputs across the business.

To enable it:

1. Open the Copilot pane in Excel

2. Select the ... menu

3. Choose Personalisation

4. Add your preferences

5. Save

Start with the things you find yourself correcting most often. Date formats, currency settings, chart styles, summary preferences, and table layouts are all a great starting point.

AI becomes most valuable when it adapts to the way you work, rather than forcing you to adapt to it.

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