Skip to main content

Quickstart for spreadsheets

GPT for Work integrates the power and intelligence of generative AIs directly into Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. Use your favorite AI to generate, rewrite, translate, categorize, extract, and otherwise process text in bulk – at machine-powered scale and speed.

GPT for Work contains two spreadsheet add-ons: GPT for Excel and GPT for Sheets.

This guide gives you a quick walkthrough of the add-ons from installation to trying out their key features.

Install the add-on​

To use GPT for Work in Excel or Sheets, install the appropriate add-on:

Microsoft logoInstall GPT for Excel and WordGoogle logoInstall GPT for Sheets and Docs

For detailed installation instructions, see Install GPT for Work add-ons.

Excel is better than Sheets

If you have a choice between using Excel or Sheets, choose Excel. Excel is generally faster at processing data, provides a smoother user experience, and can reliably handle bigger spreadsheets (200 000 rows and above) than Sheets.

  • GPT for Excel can execute up to 1,000 prompts per minute and reliably process up to a million rows in one go

  • GPT for Sheets can execute up to 360 prompts per minute and reliably process up to 200,000 rows in one go.

Use your own API key

To get more AI models, more control, and more privacy, use your own API key. For more information, see Use models with your own API keys.

Open the add-on​

  1. Download our quickstart example template, and open it in Excel as a new workbook. You'll need the workbook for the example tasks below.

  2. Click GPT for Excel Word in the Home tab.

    Home Ribbon

    info

    You can also go to Home > Add-ins > My add-ins > GPT for Excel Word.

    The GPT for Excel sidebar opens.

    Workbook with GPT for Excel sidebar

Use a bulk tool​

Bulk tools allow you to run prompts on an entire spreadsheet column at once without writing any formulas. You configure and run bulk tools from the add-on sidebar.

Let's generate some text with the Custom prompt bulk tool:

  1. In the sidebar, select Bulk tools if not already selected.

  2. Click Custom prompt.

  3. Define the following settings:

    • Column name row: Select 2. The bulk tool will process all rows with content below this row.

    • Prompt to run for each row: Enter the following prompt for the AI:

      Write a short SEO-optimized product description for a bike based on its specifications: {{Specifications}}

    • Put results in column: Select B.

    • Leave all other settings to their default values.

  4. Run the bulk tool:

    1. Select All rows

    2. Click Run all rows.

    The bulk tool executes the prompt for every row with content, starting from row 2, and puts the responses generated by the AI in column C.

The following video shows the entire process.

Use a GPT function​

GPT functions are custom spreadsheet functions that allow you to run AI prompts from inside spreadsheet cells. GPT functions work exactly like native spreadsheet functions in that you can nest them and combine them with other functions.

Let's use the GPT_TRANSLATE function to translate the first few product descriptions you generated above to French:

  1. In the workbook, select cell C3.

  2. Enter the following formula in the cell:

    =GPT_TRANSLATE(B3, "French")

    The function generates a translation of the content in cell B3.

  3. Drag the formula from cell C3 across to cell C7. The function is copied to each cell in the range, which automatically generates a dedicated translation for each row.

The following video shows the entire process.

tip

You can also use the Translate bulk tool to translate text. If you're working with up to a few hundred cells, GPT_TRANSLATE is fine. However, if you're working with thousands or more rows, or if you don't want to write formulas, use the Translate bulk tool.

Use the formula assistant​

The formula assistant allows you to generate spreadsheet formulas based on plain-language descriptions of what you want to achieve. You can also use the formula assistant to explain existing formulas (in English).

Let's both generate and explain a formula:

  1. In the sidebar, click the back arrow to return to the main view.

  2. In the Excel Formula Assistant section, expand Generate formula.

  3. In Describe your goal, enter the following prompt:

    Return the difference in number of characters between cells B3 and C3.

  4. Click Generate formula. The assistant generates the formula.

  5. Click Copy. This copies the generated formula to the clipboard.

  6. Expand Explain formula.

  7. In Formula, paste the generated formula from the clipboard.

  8. Click Explain formula. The assistant generates an explanation of what the formula does.

The following video shows the entire process.

You're done with the quickstart! You've successfully dipped your toe in GPT for Excel. 💚

What's next​

On this page