Microsoft is rolling out two significant updates to Microsoft Excel today: new financial connectors and a library of reusable Copilot Skills. These additions aim to simplify how users interact with financial data and leverage AI for repetitive tasks.
New Financial Connectors
The first update introduces dedicated financial connectors within Excel. Previously, pulling specific market data or financial metrics often required manual entry or third-party add-ins. These new native connectors allow you to link directly to financial sources, ensuring your spreadsheets reflect real-time or accurate historical data without extra setup.
This is particularly useful for users who manage budgets, track investments, or perform financial modeling directly in Excel. By reducing the friction of data ingestion, Microsoft hopes to make Excel a more robust tool for quick financial analysis rather than just static record-keeping.
Reusable Copilot Skills
The second major addition is the introduction of reusable Copilot Skills. Instead of prompting Copilot from scratch every time you need to perform a specific type of analysis, you can now save and reuse these skills. This means if you frequently generate quarterly reports or format complex datasets in a particular way, you can create a skill that automates that workflow.
These skills act as pre-configured prompts or actions that Copilot can execute on demand. For everyday users, this translates to less time typing instructions and more time reviewing results. It effectively turns one-off AI interactions into repeatable productivity tools within the spreadsheet environment.
What this means for you
If you use Excel for anything beyond basic lists, these updates reduce manual overhead. The financial connectors mean fewer errors from copy-pasting data, while reusable Copilot Skills help standardize your most common analytical tasks. You don’t need to be an AI expert to benefit; simply using the new features as they appear in your interface will streamline your daily workflow.
Source: Thurrott
Over to you: Will you use reusable Copilot Skills to automate your regular Excel reports?
