Microsoft reveals Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint upgrades powered by Copilot — showing AI might actually be the key to unlocking your workplace creativity after all

(Image credit: Microsoft)

More Copilot-powered features coming to top Microsoft 365 tools
Microsoft Excel gets new template-building tool
PowerPoint can now build richer slides, and Outlook gets smarter calendar integration

Microsoft has unveiled a host of Copilot-powered upgrades to some of the most popular office software tools in use today.

The likes of Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint are all set for another AI-enabled update after the company revealed the news at its Microsoft Ignite 2024 event.

Microsoft says the changes will lead to greater efficiency and productivity across the board, freeing up more time and space for workers at all levels to focus on the tasks that really matter.

Copilot upgrades

Included in the new updates is a new Microsoft Excel tool which aims to make creating specialized spreadsheets more straightforward for workers at all levels.

The new "start experience" will let users tell Copilot exactly what kind of spreadsheet they are creating, whether it be a project budget, inventory tracker, sales report, or anything else, and the tool will suggest a template file.

This template can then be refined further with headers, formulae and even visuals, giving the user a kickstart on creating the perfect spreadsheet.

This feature will be generally available by the end of the year with Microsoft 365 Copilot in Excel.

Elsewhere, Copilot will soon be able to better integrate with a user's Outlook platform in order to analyze their calendar to pick and schedule the best time for events such as 1:1 meetings, or even just some focus time.

The tool, available by the end of November 2024, can even help draft an agenda for a meeting by prompting it with details about the goals of the event, for example, “The goal of this meeting is to review the next project and introduce a team member”, and create an agenda to help the meeting stay on track.

Microsoft Places will also get closer integration with both Outlook and Teams, bringing AI-powered location tools that will help workers get the most out of being in the office.

Microsoft Copilot on a laptop. — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

There are also a range of new PowerPoint tools enabled by Copilot that Microsoft says will help users create better presentations in a matter of minutes.

This includes Copilot's Narrative Builder feature, which will use information from a pre-established template and referenced file from the user to create a full-scale first draft presentation, including branded design, speaker notes and built-in transitions and animations.

Copilot can also now handle translation of PowerPoint presentations, with 40 languages initially available, all whilst keeping the slide design as intended, helping get your message across to colleagues around the world.

Narrative Builder is coming to Copilot in PowerPoint in January 2025, with translation coming to Copilot in PowerPoint on the web beginning in December and for desktop and Mac in January 2025.

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.