What this is and why it matters

OpenAI released a ChatGPT add-on for Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets that's now available globally. Instead of switching between your spreadsheet and a browser tab, ChatGPT appears in a sidebar panel on the right side of your sheet. You describe what you want in plain English, and it builds, edits, or explains the spreadsheet directly.

This is different from typing formulas into cells yourself. You're giving instructions like you'd give a colleague: "Add a column that shows the percentage of budget used" or "Clean up this data so all the dates are in the same format." ChatGPT makes the changes and you review them.

How to install it in Google Sheets

Open any Google Sheet. Go to Extensions → Add-ons → Get add-ons. In the search bar, type ChatGPT and look for the official OpenAI add-on. Click Install and follow the prompts to allow permissions. Once installed, go back to Extensions and click ChatGPT → Open. A panel will appear on the right side of your sheet. Sign in with your OpenAI account and you're ready.

The add-on is available on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. Business and Enterprise users have a free preview running until June 2026.

How to install it in Excel

Open Excel. Go to Insert → Add-ins → Get Add-ins. Search for ChatGPT and install the official add-on from OpenAI. It will appear in your ribbon. Click Open ChatGPT from the ribbon, sign in with your ChatGPT account, and the sidebar opens.

If you manage your Microsoft account through your employer, the add-in may be blocked by your IT team's policies. If the install button is unavailable, check with IT before raising a support ticket.

Five things it's genuinely useful for

1. Building a tracker or template from scratch

Describe what you want to track and ChatGPT generates the full sheet — headers, formula columns, dropdown lists where relevant. You review and adjust. Much faster than building a blank grid and then adding columns one by one.

2. Writing formulas in plain English

Instead of Googling how to write a SUMIF or a VLOOKUP, describe what you want. "Sum column C only where column A says Marketing and column B says Q2." ChatGPT writes the formula and explains what each part does. You paste it in and verify the result.

3. Cleaning up messy data

If you've got a column where names are in all-caps in some rows and Title Case in others, or dates formatted three different ways, ask ChatGPT to standardise it. It rewrites the data in place. Always check the result before saving — it's fast but not infallible.

4. Understanding a sheet someone else built

Inherited a spreadsheet full of formulas you don't recognise? Click on a cell and ask: "What does this formula do?" or "Walk me through how this sheet calculates the total in column F." The explanation comes back in plain English.

5. Analysing data across multiple tabs

If your workbook has several tabs — monthly data across a year, for example — ChatGPT can read across them and produce a summary. Ask it to "Compare Q1 and Q2 spend across all departments and flag anything that increased by more than 15%."

I have a spreadsheet tracking monthly expenses by department. Column A: Month, Column B: Department, Column C: Amount spent. Build me a new tab called "Summary" that shows: - Total spend per department across all months - The month with the highest spend for each department - A percentage column showing each department's share of total spend Use clear headers. Format currency columns with two decimal places. Bold the totals row.
💡 This week's action

Open any Google Sheet or Excel file you're currently working on. Install the ChatGPT add-on using the steps above. Then type one plain-English request into the panel: "What does this spreadsheet do?" or "Add a column that calculates [something you've been meaning to add]." Most people find the first result useful enough to keep the add-on installed permanently.

What it won't do

ChatGPT in your spreadsheet works with the data in front of it. It can't connect to external databases, pull live figures from another system, or run macros. If you need data from another file, paste the relevant section into the current sheet first. It also won't execute click sequences — this is for building and editing spreadsheet content, not automating actions outside the sheet.

As with any AI output, verify specific numbers and formulas before the spreadsheet is used for anything consequential. The results are almost always a useful starting point, but a quick check before sharing is good practice.