Microsoft is rolling out Excel Canvas through October, a Copilot-powered feature that turns workbook data into a polished report with visualizations, metrics, and insights. The reports refresh automatically when the underlying data changes, and users with Copilot access can tweak them using natural language prompts.
The Register notes the feature arrives amid ongoing changes to Excel, including an opt-in option for multiple values in one cell. It also follows a rocky history for Copilot additions: a dynamic action button drew user complaints and was moved to the toolbar, and Microsoft dropped the COPILOT() function in August after about a year, with a warning that its output should be checked for accuracy.
Automatically refreshing reports could save work if Copilot selects appropriate charts and metrics, but Canvas enters a crowded market of dashboard tools. The Register's report does not include independent testing or user feedback on Canvas, so it remains to be seen how it compares.