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To make Copilot in Excel follow recurring conventions, match the instruction to its scope: put workbook-specific rules on a visible .Rules worksheet, save personal preferences in Copilot’s Personalization settings, and use a skill for a repeatable multistep task. These options can work together. Give Copilot concrete directions, identify the relevant data, and review its changes rather than assuming saved guidance guarantees a correct result.
Choose the right kind of instruction
The key difference is what the guidance should follow: a particular file, your account, or a procedure you repeat. Workbook rules travel with the workbook; personalization is for your preferences across workbooks; skills package instructions for repeatable tasks.
| Option | Best for | Where it lives | Sharing and use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workbook rules | Conventions specific to one workbook | A visible worksheet named .Rules, with rules in column A |
The rules stay with the workbook when it is shared. |
| Personalization | Your recurring formatting, calculation, or explanation preferences | Copilot pane > Settings > Personalization | Preferences follow your account across workbooks and Copilot sessions. |
| Skills | A repeatable task with several steps | A skill selected or invoked in Copilot; custom skills use a folder containing SKILL.md |
Skills can be selected from Add work content or invoked by name, such as @name. |
These choices are complementary, not competing settings. For example, a workbook can carry its own column and formatting conventions, while your account specifies how you prefer dates displayed and a skill describes a recurring cleanup workflow. See Microsoft’s guidance on workbook rules, personalization, and skills.
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Use a .Rules worksheet when guidance should apply to anyone working with a specific workbook. Microsoft’s current instructions say the sheet must be visible and the rules must be listed in column A. If you share the workbook, its rules are shared too; recipients do not need to configure the same rules separately.
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Create the rules sheet
- In the Copilot pane, open Add work content and ask Copilot to create the rules sheet, or insert a worksheet yourself.
- Name the worksheet exactly
.Rules. - Enter the rules in column A and make sure the worksheet is visible.
- Organize related rules under headings. Keep each rule focused on one idea, and add a brief example of the result you want when it will clarify the instruction.
For instance, a workbook rule could say to show revenue as currency with no decimal places, then give a short example of the desired display. The example makes the expected output concrete rather than leaving Copilot to infer what “format consistently” means. Microsoft’s concise guidance is: “Showing the desired result is more effective than describing it.” Read the Microsoft Support guide to Copilot in Excel rules for the current setup and authoring details.
Keep rules relevant to the workbook instead of turning the sheet into a general-purpose instruction dump. Some rule text can use formulas to adapt to the workbook’s state—for example, to change an instruction based on a dropdown selection or whether data is present. Rules are fully supported only in English; Microsoft says non-English support is inconsistent. Microsoft also notes that behavior may change as Copilot and its available models evolve.
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Save personal preferences across workbooks
Use Personalization for preferences you want Copilot to apply beyond one file. Microsoft’s examples include number and currency formats, date and unit conventions, formula preferences, chart defaults, and the style of explanations.
- Open the Copilot pane.
- Select Settings, then Personalization.
- Add several short, specific preferences rather than one long paragraph.
Saved preferences take effect on your next prompt. A specific instruction in that prompt can override a saved preference for that request. Keep workbook conventions in .Rules when they need to travel with a shared file; reserve Personalization for defaults that should follow you. Microsoft explains the feature in its Copilot personalization guide.
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Use a skill for a repeatable workflow
A skill is the better fit when you regularly ask Copilot to carry out a procedure, rather than simply apply a standing preference. You can choose skills from the Copilot pane’s Add work content menu or call one directly with @name. In Skills settings, you can enable or disable automatic use. Turning off automatic use does not prevent you from calling that skill explicitly.
Create a custom skill
- Open Manage skills and choose Custom skills.
- Create or open the skills folder in OneDrive.
- Add a folder for the skill. Include a file named
SKILL.md. - In
SKILL.md, add the required frontmatter with the skill’s name and a description of when it should be used, followed by ordinary task instructions. - Refresh the custom skills area after adding or renaming a skill folder.
Optional scripts, reference files, and other assets can support a skill and make its output more predictable. Microsoft’s guidance also names managed skills such as @brandkit and @theme-design; its built-in skills page discusses chart-design. Availability and the skills shown to you may depend on your environment. See Microsoft’s guide to using and creating skills.
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Write prompts that work with saved guidance
Rules, preferences, and skills provide context; they do not replace a clear request. State what you want created or changed, point to the relevant data, and specify any task-specific calculation or formatting requirement. Naming the exact columns or range helps Copilot act on the right information.
- State the output: say whether you want a formula, summary, chart, or formatting change.
- Identify the data: name the relevant worksheet, columns, or range rather than referring vaguely to “the data.”
- Include the task detail: specify the calculation, grouping, or format needed for this request.
- Refine if needed: start broad, inspect the result, and ask a follow-up question or give a more targeted prompt if Copilot misses something.
Well-structured source data is a useful starting point: use a table or range with one header row, one type of item per column, and avoid scattered merged cells. Microsoft’s Excel tutorial for screen reader users describes this structured-data context and workflow.
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Choose a mode and verify the result
Copilot in Excel may offer edit, plan, and chat modes. In edit mode, it can make changes directly in the workbook; plan mode lets you review a proposed approach first; chat mode keeps the response in the conversation. The modes and menus available vary by platform and rollout, and access can depend on your Microsoft 365 subscription and organization settings. Microsoft’s Copilot in Excel getting-started guide describes capabilities and prompting guidance.
When a proposed change has meaningful consequences, use plan mode if it is available so you can inspect the approach before edits are made. Regardless of mode, check formulas, values, and formatting in the resulting workbook. Microsoft warns that Copilot can produce incorrect results or misinterpret information; do not rely on its output as the sole basis for sensitive financial, legal, or medical decisions. Its Copilot in Excel FAQ explains this limitation.
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