# Excel's COPILOT function was removed. What to use instead

Microsoft removed the COPILOT function from Excel on 14 September 2026. Cells that used it keep their last results until they recalculate, and then show `#NAME?`. For classifying, tagging and scoring text, `=HUNCH.PICK`, `=HUNCH.SCORE` and `=HUNCH.ASK` do the same jobs as formulas you can fill down, with one of your labels or a number in every cell.

Updated 28 September 2026. Source: https://hunchsheet.app/compare/excel-copilot-function-alternative

## What Microsoft changed

Microsoft's support page for the function says it plainly: starting 14 September 2026, the COPILOT function is no longer available in Excel. Results that were already calculated stay in the workbook as cached values. When one of those cells recalculates, it returns `#NAME?` because Excel no longer recognizes the function.

Microsoft points users to Copilot in Excel instead, the chat pane opened from the Copilot icon, where you describe a task in your own words. That works for one-off questions about a table. It does not give you a formula that sits in a column, fills down and recalculates when the data changes.

> Save the old results first: Before anything recalculates, select the cells that used COPILOT, copy them, and use Paste Special › Values. The cached results then survive as plain text, and you can compare them with the new formulas.

## Which COPILOT formulas have a replacement

| What the COPILOT formula did | Replacement | Returns |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Classify feedback or tickets into categories | `=HUNCH.PICK(A2, "billing\|bug\|praise\|other")` | One of your labels |
| Label sentiment | `=HUNCH.SCORE(A2, "Sentiment of this feedback", "very negative\|negative\|neutral\|positive\|very positive", "label")` | A level name, or a 0–4 score without `"label"` |
| Answer a yes/no question about each row | `=HUNCH.ASK(A2, "Is the customer asking for a refund?")` | Probability of yes, 0 to 1 |
| Tag each row with several themes | `=HUNCH.MULTI(A2, "Mentions price?\|Mentions support?\|Mentions a bug?")` | One probability per theme |
| Summarize, rewrite, translate or draft text | No Hunch replacement. Use Copilot in Excel or a chat model. | Text |
| Pull a value out of the text, such as a company name | No direct replacement. Hunch picks from options you give it and does not extract free text. | Text |

The first four rows cover most of what people used COPILOT for in a column: sorting a list of text into buckets and scoring it. Those jobs work better as a judgment than as generated text, because the answer is always one of your labels or a number. The last two need a model that writes text, which Hunch is not.

## Before and after, with real outputs

A typical COPILOT formula asked for a category in words, such as `=COPILOT("Classify this feedback as billing, bug, praise or other", A2)`, and got back a word that usually, but not always, matched one of the four. The Hunch version passes the list as options, so the cell can only contain one of them.

```
=HUNCH.PICK(A2:A8, "billing: charges, invoices, refunds|bug: something is broken|praise|other")
```
In Google Sheets: `=HUNCHPICK(A2:A8, "billing: charges, invoices, refunds|bug: something is broken|praise|other")`

```
=HUNCH.SCORE(A2:A8, "Sentiment of this customer feedback", "very negative|negative|neutral|positive|very positive")
```
In Google Sheets: `=HUNCHSCORE(A2:A8, "Sentiment of this customer feedback", "very negative|negative|neutral|positive|very positive")`

| Feedback | Category | Sentiment (0–4) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| You billed us for 14 seats after we removed 3 of them. | billing | 0.91 |
| The Mac app crashes every time I open a shared file. | bug | 0.42 |
| Onboarding call was great, Sofia answered everything. | praise | 3.44 |
| Works fine. Would like dark mode at some point. | praise | 2.94 |
| Still waiting on the refund you promised two weeks ago. | billing | 0.84 |
| Export to CSV drops the last column. | bug | 1.00 |
| Do you offer a discount for nonprofits? | billing | 2.04 |

Every cell holds one of the four options, so a pivot table can count them straight away. Two picks show where the option list needs work. The nonprofit discount question lands in `billing`, which is defensible for a pricing question. The dark mode request lands in `praise` because the list has no feature request option; add one and it moves there. The sentiment column orders the same rows from the Mac crash (0.42) to the onboarding call (3.44).

## Moving a workbook over

1. Paste the old COPILOT results as values (see above) so nothing is lost when the workbook recalculates.
2. Install the Hunch add-in from [hunchsheet.app/excel](https://hunchsheet.app/excel). It works in Excel for Windows with Microsoft 365, Excel 2016 or later on Mac, and Excel on the web. It does not need a Copilot license.
3. Save your key once with `=HUNCH.SETKEY("hunch_…")`. The form on the home page sends 100 free rows.
4. Replace each COPILOT column with the matching formula from the table. Point one formula at the whole range, such as `A2:A500`, and the results spill down.
5. Compare the new column with the saved values on 20 or 30 rows. Where they disagree, read the text and adjust the options or their descriptions.

## Differences to expect

|  | COPILOT (until 14 Sep 2026) | Hunch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What a cell holds | Generated text | A probability, one of your labels, or a score |
| Status | Removed. Cells show `#NAME?` on recalculation | Add-in for Excel on Windows, Mac and the web |
| What you pay | Needed a Microsoft 365 plan with Copilot | Per answered row: 100 free, then $29 for 5,000. No subscription |
| Writes summaries and drafts | Yes | No |
| Recalculation | Called the model again | Cached for six hours, so recalculating is free |
| Consistent labels for COUNTIF and pivots | Needed cleanup | Always exactly one of your options |

## Sources

- [Microsoft Support: COPILOT function](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/functions/copilot-function), checked 28 September 2026
- [The Register: Excel's Copilot function is headed for the Recycle Bin](https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/08/17/excels-copilot-function-is-headed-for-the-recycle-bin/5288327), checked 28 September 2026
- [Redmondmag: Microsoft pulls Excel's COPILOT() function after just one year](https://redmondmag.com/blogs/generationai/2026/08/microsoft-pulls-excel-copilot.aspx), checked 28 September 2026

Hunch is our product and is not affiliated with Microsoft. If a fact on this page has changed, tell us through the [contact form](https://hunchsheet.app/contact) and we will correct it.

## Questions

### Why does my COPILOT formula show #NAME?

Because Excel no longer has a function called COPILOT. Microsoft removed it on 14 September 2026. Cells keep their cached result until they recalculate, then show `#NAME?`.

### Can I get the old results back?

Only while the cells still show them. Copy the cells and paste values before the workbook recalculates. After a recalculation the cached result is gone.

### Does Hunch need Microsoft 365 Copilot?

No. Hunch is a separate add-in with its own key. You pay per answered row, not per seat.

### Can Hunch summarize text like COPILOT did?

No. Hunch classifies and scores text. For summaries and drafts use Copilot in Excel or a chat model, and use Hunch for the columns you need to sort, filter and count.