Copilot agentic features now standard in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Microsoft has expanded its artificial intelligence assistant Copilot with new capabilities that allow it to take direct, multi-step actions inside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Sumit Chauhan, President of the Office Product Group, writes that these so-called agentic features are now generally available and the default experience for subscribers.

Previously, Copilot could answer questions but struggled to make changes directly within a document, spreadsheet, or presentation. Improved AI models now allow it to execute complex tasks such as reformatting documents, restructuring data, building visuals, and updating presentations while preserving user intent.

Microsoft says users remain in control throughout. They can review changes, keep what they want, and ensure their preferred structure and style are respected.

Chauhan attributes the progress to improvements in AI reasoning, instruction-following, and what Microsoft calls “Work IQ,” a feature that grounds Copilot in a user’s work context to improve output quality.

The features are available to Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 Premium, Personal, and Family subscribers. Microsoft says future updates will focus on deeper editing, greater transparency, and a more consistent experience across applications.