How to use Agent Mode in Excel for Finance?

Microsoft has just released Agent Mode inside Excel — and for finance teams, FP&A professionals, and CFOs, this could be one of the most transformative AI features of the year.

Unlike Copilot, which assists with formulas and insights, Agent Mode goes a step further.

It’s an AI agent that speaks Excel natively — meaning it can build models, create dashboards, generate pivot tables, and automate reporting… all from a simple prompt.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through:

• What Agent Mode is and how it works
• How to install Agent Mode in Excel
• Key finance use cases (with 25 examples)

What is Agent Mode in Excel?

Agent Mode is part of Excel Labs, a set of experimental features from Microsoft. It allows you to type a request in plain language (e.g., “Build a 5-year discounted cash flow model”) and watch Excel generate entire models, tables, charts, and sensitivity analyses.

The agent:

1. Reasons step-by-step before executing tasks