What if Excel wasn't just a spreadsheet, but a silent partner in how you run your business—anticipating decisions, orchestrating data, and shrinking the distance between a question and an answer?
That is the real story behind the new Excel features landing in December 2025. Under the surface of interface tweaks and AI upgrades, Microsoft is quietly redefining what work looks like inside Microsoft 365—and what leaders can reasonably expect from their productivity apps.
Below is not just "what's new," but why these changes matter strategically for how you manage data, decisions, and digital transformation.
1. Agent Mode: From spreadsheet tool to decision agent
For years, Excel has been where your spreadsheet workflow happened. With Agent Mode, it becomes where your workflow thinks.
Instead of manually stitching together formulas, imports, and formatting, Agent Mode in Excel for Windows and Excel for the web lets you describe multistep tasks in natural language while Copilot executes them using Excel's own features.[6][10] You are not just automating clicks—you're delegating intent.
Why this matters to your business
Multistep orchestration, not single-step shortcuts
You can ask Agent Mode to reshape data, merge sheets, build reports, or generate dashboards—tasks that previously demanded an expert power user.[6][10] It's a quiet but profound shift: you are moving from procedural work ("how do I do this?") to conceptual work ("what am I trying to achieve?").Live web search inside Excel as a strategic advantage
The new web search functionality in Agent Mode means your models can pull live market trends, scientific data, or historical statistics directly into a workbook without context switching or risky copy-paste.[7][13]
Imagine a forecasting model that can continuously refresh from trusted online sources—this is Zoho Flow meeting operational finance.Choice of AI reasoning models is a governance decision
By default, Agent Mode uses OpenAI models, but you can now choose Claude from Anthropic, giving you alternative reasoning styles and explanations.[7][9][13]
For leadership, this isn't a technical curiosity; it's a new governance lever:- Which model is better for risk narratives vs. numeric analysis?
- How do you standardize guidance across teams when different models can reach different recommendations?
Admin-controlled AI providers as part of your AI policy stack
In business environments, your admin must explicitly allow "AI Providers For Other Large Language Models" in the Admin Center before Claude is available.[7]
This setting effectively becomes part of your AI policy and compliance framework—who gets which AI, for what scenarios, and under what guardrails?
Strategic questions to ask
- If Excel can now perform analyst-grade tasks via Agent Mode, how do you redefine the role of your analysts—tool operators, or insight designers?
- What does your model governance look like when you can switch between OpenAI and Anthropic's Claude for the same Microsoft 365 workflow?
2. The New Get Data Dialog: Data connections as a front door, not a side panel
Your organization's competitiveness increasingly hinges on how quickly you can connect disparate data into a coherent picture. The modernized Get Data dialog in Excel for Windows is more than a UI refresh—it's a signal that data connections must feel as natural as opening a file.[7]
What's changed—and why it matters
Interface modernization with intent
The new Get Data dialog delivers a cleaner starting point, built-in search, and quick access to popular sources—turning a once "clunky" step into an intuitive data import/export experience.[7]
This is interface design as strategy: the easier it is to connect, the fewer excuses there are for shadow spreadsheets and offline copies.A unified path into Power Query
Once you pick a source, you drop straight into the familiar Power Query flow to transform and load data.[7] This matters because:- It standardizes how users prepare data.
- It nudges teams toward repeatable, auditable transformations instead of manual cleanup in cells.
Cloud-first posture with OneLake on the horizon
While OneLake catalog import is still in testing with the Microsoft Insider program, the direction is clear: Excel is being positioned as a front-end to enterprise-scale data, not just local files.[7]
For leaders, that means reports built in Excel can increasingly sit on top of governed, central data rather than siloed exports.
Strategic questions to ask
- Are your finance and operations teams still emailing CSVs when a modern Get Data experience could plug them directly into governed sources?
- How will you use Excel's cloud integration to phase out fragile spreadsheet "data warehouses" scattered across shared drives?
3. Comment Previews in Email: Small feature, big signal about collaboration
On paper, "preview @mentioned comments in email notifications from protected workbooks" sounds minor. In practice, it is about reducing friction in collaboration tools where your most sensitive data lives.
Why this matters more than it looks
Protected workbooks with faster feedback loops
Previously, when someone @mentioned you in a comment on a protected workbook, you had to open and unlock the file just to understand the issue. Now you can see the full comment directly in the email notification—as long as the comment was made in Excel for Windows, iOS, or the web.[7]
This compresses the time between notification and decision: you can triage, respond, or escalate without opening the file.Security and productivity in tension—and alignment
Traditionally, more protection meant more friction. This update shows a different pattern: surface just enough context in the email to stay productive, while still gating actual data behind the workbook's protection.
Strategic questions to ask
- How many approvals or sign-offs in your organization stall because someone never opened the workbook behind the notification?
- Where else in your Microsoft 365 environment are "micro-frictions" slowing financial closes, audits, or compliance reviews?
4. Excel for iOS and Liquid Glass: Mobile productivity as a first-class citizen
If the office is now everywhere, then Excel for iOS is no longer a companion—it's a primary workspace for many leaders. The new interface modernization on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro is less about aesthetics and more about mobile productivity at decision speed.
What's new—and why it matters
A "modern home experience" built on Liquid Glass
Leveraging Apple's Liquid Glass design language from iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26, Microsoft has refreshed Excel's home experience on iOS devices.[7]
This is cross-ecosystem design: Microsoft tools respecting Apple's visual grammar so your work environment feels native on every device.Bottom-aligned search for one-handed decision-making
The updated search experience at the bottom of the screen aligns with iOS 26 patterns, making it easier to find workbooks, templates, and content with one hand.[7]
That sounds trivial—until you realize how often key choices are made on a phone between meetings.Template discovery as a strategy accelerator
Tapping the Search magnifying glass lets you filter templates via a horizontal menu rather than scrolling endless lists.[7]
In practice, this is about lowering the barrier to best practices: forecasting models, operating dashboards, and financial trackers become a few taps away, not something you rebuild from scratch.Cross-app consistency across Word and PowerPoint
The same interface upgrade applies to Word and PowerPoint on these devices, creating a coherent productivity apps ecosystem for mobile and Apple Vision Pro experiences.[7]
Leaders can move from model (Excel) to narrative (PowerPoint) to context (Word) without cognitive friction.
Strategic questions to ask
- If your executives are making calls from mobile devices anyway, how can you intentionally design workflows that assume Excel for iOS is the primary touchpoint?
- What becomes possible when your frontline leaders can review, filter, and act on live models from an iPhone instead of waiting to "get back to the laptop"?
Rethinking Excel in the age of AI and cloud
These Excel features are not isolated novelties. Seen together, they trace a clear strategic direction for Microsoft 365:
AI capabilities move from novelty to infrastructure
Copilot and Agent Mode are becoming embedded assumptions, not add-ons. You are expected to talk to your workbook, not just type into it.Cloud integration becomes the default expectation
From web search in Agent Mode to Get Data's modern entry point and future OneLake connectivity, Excel is increasingly the glass over your data estate, not the container of it.Interfaces, even small ones, shape behavior
A refreshed Get Data dialog, email comment previews, and a Liquid Glass-inspired mobile UI together signal a design philosophy: if the experience feels heavy, people will work around it—and your controls disappear with them.Access layers reshape your operating model
Enrollment in the Microsoft Insider program, Copilot licensing across Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, and Premium, admin settings in the Admin Center, and version requirements (like Version 2.102 (Build 25101016) on iOS) all determine who gets to work this way, and when.
One final question
If Excel can now act as an AI-powered agent, a cloud-connected data front end, a secure collaboration surface, and a mobile-first decision console—
what does it say about organizations that still treat it as "just a spreadsheet"?
As you evaluate your next year of digital investment, the more provocative move may not be to add a new platform, but to intentionally exploit the evolving capabilities of the one nearly everyone already has: Excel inside Microsoft 365.
For organizations looking to bridge the gap between traditional spreadsheet workflows and modern automation platforms, these Excel updates represent a strategic inflection point. While Excel evolves into an intelligent workspace, complementary tools like Apollo.io for sales intelligence and AI agent frameworks can help organizations maximize their productivity investments across the entire business stack.
What is Agent Mode in Excel and how does it change how I work with spreadsheets?
Agent Mode turns Excel from a manual spreadsheet editor into an AI-driven decision agent: you describe multistep tasks in natural language and Copilot executes them using Excel features (imports, transformations, formulas, dashboards). The result is a shift from procedural "how" work to conceptual "what" work—letting non‑experts accomplish analyst‑grade workflows faster and more reliably. For organizations seeking to streamline complex data workflows, this represents a fundamental shift toward intelligent automation.
Which AI models can Agent Mode use, and why does that matter to my organization?
By default Agent Mode uses OpenAI models, but administrators can enable Anthropic's Claude as an alternative. Different models produce different reasoning styles, responses, and explanations, so choosing which providers are available becomes a governance decision that affects risk narratives, numerical analysis, and standardization of guidance across teams. Organizations implementing agentic AI strategies must consider these model variations as part of their broader AI governance framework.
How do admin settings impact access to AI providers like Claude?
Admins must explicitly allow "AI Providers For Other Large Language Models" in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center before Claude is available to users. This setting becomes part of your AI policy stack—controlling who can use which model, for what scenarios, and under which compliance guardrails. Understanding Microsoft's governance tools helps organizations maintain proper oversight while enabling innovation.
What is the new Get Data dialog in Excel and why should I care?
The modernized Get Data dialog in Excel for Windows is a cleaner front door to data connections with built‑in search and quick access to common sources. It reduces friction to connect to governed data, sends you directly into Power Query for repeatable transformations, and nudges teams away from fragile, manual data prep toward auditable workflows. This aligns with broader trends toward automated data pipeline management that modern organizations require.
Is Excel becoming a front end to enterprise data platforms like OneLake?
Yes. With OneLake catalog import in testing, Microsoft is positioning Excel as a front‑end to cloud data estates rather than just local files. That enables reports and models to sit on governed, central data sources instead of siloed exports, improving data lineage and reducing shadow spreadsheets. Organizations can leverage tools like Make.com to create seamless integrations between Excel and their broader automation ecosystem.
How do the comment preview email notifications work and what are the security implications?
Email notifications for @mentioned comments in protected workbooks now include the comment preview, so recipients can triage or respond without opening the workbook. This reduces friction for approvals while still keeping workbook data protected—only the comment text is surfaced, and access to the underlying file remains gated by workbook protection. For teams managing complex approval workflows, effective communication strategies become even more critical.
What are the Excel for iOS updates (Liquid Glass) and why do they matter?
Excel on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro received an interface refresh using Apple's Liquid Glass design language, including a bottom‑aligned search for one‑handed use and better template discovery. These changes make mobile Excel a more viable primary workspace for quick decisions, template reuse, and cross‑app consistency with Word and PowerPoint. Mobile-first productivity aligns with modern SaaS development principles that prioritize accessibility across devices.
Which platforms and app versions receive these new features?
Agent Mode is available in Excel for Windows and Excel for the web. Comment preview works from Excel for Windows, iOS, and the web. The Liquid Glass UI is on iOS devices (iPhone, iPad) and Apple Vision Pro. Some features (like OneLake import) may be available first to Microsoft Insider participants and require specific builds or Copilot licensing. Organizations should consider Zoho Projects for comprehensive project management that complements these Excel enhancements.
How should organizations rethink analyst roles and workflows with Agent Mode?
As Excel can now automate analyst‑grade tasks, organizations should shift roles from "tool operators" to "insight designers"—focusing on framing questions, validating outputs, and building governance around model selection, data sources, and repeatable transformations rather than manual formula work. This transformation requires understanding strategic customer success principles to ensure teams adapt effectively to AI-augmented workflows.
How do the updates reduce the risk of shadow spreadsheets?
By making data connections easy (Get Data dialog), encouraging Power Query‑based transformations, and surfacing governed cloud sources (OneLake), Excel lowers the friction that drives people to export CSVs and maintain local "data warehouses." Better UX and cloud integration make governed workflows the path of least resistance. Teams can further enhance this with Zoho Flow to create automated data pipelines that eliminate manual export processes entirely.
What governance and compliance actions should IT leaders take now?
Review and update AI provider policies in the Admin Center, define which teams can use which models, audit data connection defaults, require Power Query templates for repeatable transforms, and plan rollouts via the Microsoft Insider program and Copilot licensing. These steps align access, provenance, and risk controls with business use cases. Organizations should also consider comprehensive SaaS governance frameworks to manage these new AI capabilities effectively.
How can leaders measure the strategic impact of these Excel changes?
Track metrics such as time-to-insight for common reports, number of manual spreadsheet fixes reduced, rate of governed data adoption, approval latency reduced by email comment previews, and reuse of templates. Also monitor model‑related variance in outputs when different AI providers are used to surface governance gaps. Implementing data-driven measurement strategies helps quantify the business value of these technological improvements.
If we already have other automation tools, should we still invest in these Excel features?
Yes: these updates make Excel a more powerful and integrated part of your stack rather than a competing point solution. Agent Mode, cloud connectors, and mobile UX improvements let you leverage the ubiquitous Excel interface as the business‑facing layer over governed data and automation platforms, reducing training and adoption costs. Consider complementing Excel with n8n for flexible workflow automation that bridges Excel with your broader technology ecosystem.
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