Copilot M365

Hayden 0 Reputation points
2026-08-31T21:08:25.1466667+00:00

I've been having challenges with using Copilot. I have an excel document that I am trying to automate the updating of information online. I am looking to understand if this is a limitation of Copilot or if I am doing something wrong, as it worked as intended originally, but seems to have broken:

  1. I've uploaded the same workbook multiple times.
  2. I've been trying to complete a large-scale excel database that accesses public information / product labels online.
  3. I expected work to continue across chat sessions.
  4. The workbook updates have been partial and required repeated prompting.
  5. I want clarification on Copilot's limitations when performing long-running workbook updates and external label research.
Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Copilot | Development
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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-31T21:08:43.3966667+00:00

    What is described aligns with current Copilot in Excel limitations rather than a guaranteed end-to-end automation workflow.

    Supported limitations relevant to this scenario:

    1. Copilot can be inaccurate or incomplete Copilot in Excel can make mistakes, misinterpret information, and produce inaccurate results. Its outputs should be reviewed and verified before relying on them.
    2. Workbook edits are not guaranteed to complete as a single long-running operation Copilot in Excel helps build and edit workbooks, generate formulas, create charts and PivotTables, transform data, and fetch information from the web. But the documented experience does not state that it will reliably continue a large workbook update across repeated sessions or complete long-running external research tasks without interruption.
    3. Conversation continuity is limited Access to previous Copilot in Excel conversations is currently rolling out for commercial Microsoft Copilot subscriptions. If available, conversation history is accessed from the menu icon in the upper-left corner of the Copilot in Excel pane. This means cross-session continuity is not universally available.
    4. Direct workbook changes are visible and should be reviewed When Copilot changes are saved, anyone with access to the workbook can see them. If needed, changes can be undone or prior versions can be reviewed.
    5. Calculation mode can block editing behavior Copilot editing is only supported when Excel Calculation Options are set to Automatic. If workbook updates are partial or apply behavior is inconsistent, this setting should be checked.
    6. File state can prevent Copilot from working correctly If the workbook is checked out in SharePoint, Copilot in Excel on Windows or Mac may not work until the file is checked back in and reopened. If the organization requires check-out for editing in SharePoint, Copilot in Excel on Windows or Mac will not work for files from that site, but Excel for the web can still be used. Unsupported file formats can also cause issues; saving as .xlsx is supported.
    7. Storage location matters If the file is hosted in a third-party storage location, Copilot can show license validation or other errors. Moving or copying the file to OneDrive or SharePoint is the documented workaround.

    Based on the described behavior:

    • Partial workbook updates and repeated prompting are consistent with Copilot’s documented tendency to produce incomplete or inaccurate results.
    • Expecting work to continue across chat sessions is not something that is universally supported; conversation history is still rolling out for commercial subscriptions.
    • Large-scale online label research and workbook updating goes beyond a guaranteed “set it and let it run” automation model in the documented Copilot in Excel experience.

    Practical checks:

    1. Save the workbook as Excel Workbook (.xlsx).
    2. Make sure Calculation Options are set to Automatic.
    3. If the file is in SharePoint, confirm it is not checked out.
    4. If possible, store the workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint rather than third-party storage.
    5. If session continuity is important, check whether conversation history is available in the Copilot pane menu.
    6. Review and verify each Copilot-generated update rather than assuming complete unattended execution.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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