According to a blog post by NeoWin on the 12th, Microsoft has introduced an Interactive Canvas for Excel. Its logic is straightforward: users can simply give instructions in plain language, and the existing workbook data will instantly transform into dynamic, automatically refreshing interactive reports—perfect for executive reviews, project weekly reports, or status summaries, all created on the spot.

This canvas is "tied" to the underlying spreadsheet: whenever the source data changes, the charts and layouts in the report will automatically update without manual intervention. Users can then continue to ask Copilot to adjust the layout, change key insights, or modify the presentation style, as if directing a tireless report assistant. Currently, this feature is available for Microsoft 365 Insiders to try out.

Delivering two complementary tools: recording operations as "skills"

Microsoft also launched Skill Builder and Skill Recorder together. The former is scheduled to be officially released in October, and its usage involves clearly explaining a workflow to Copilot—providing instructions, sharing historical context, or submitting examples, which allows it to distill the process into a reusable skill. The latter is aimed at users who can't clearly explain how they perform tasks and is planned to be released to Insiders by late October: simply demonstrate the operation in Excel, and Copilot will quietly record the actions and generate a repeatable skill.

From "writing formulas" to "saying requirements," and then "solidifying routines into skills," Microsoft is pushing Excel from a spreadsheet tool toward an execution layer that understands human language and builds workflows on its own. For office workers long troubled by weekly reports and reconciliations, this move might offer more practical value than adding a few more functions.