In your apps · 5 min

Make a chart and PivotTable in Excel by asking

Excel, Copilot

Short answer: Open the workbook in Excel, open Copilot, and ask for the PivotTable and chart you need, naming the columns. Copilot creates them with editable links to your data. Check the totals.

Last checked against Microsoft docs: Oct 20, 2026

You've seen ChatGPT draw a chart from a CSV. Here's how in Copilot: ask in Excel and it builds a real PivotTable and chart, linked to the source data, that you can edit.

A common situation (composite)

The data's all there.
I just need one bar chart by month.
Building the PivotTable always takes me 30 tries.

What you get

Data: an Excel table.
Does: creates a PivotTable and chart.
Output: an editable PivotTable and chart.
How often: weekly or before meetings.

Before you start

Needs: Microsoft 365 Copilot. Not sure what you have? Start here.
Where: Excel, Copilot.
Access: Copilot only uses content you already have permission to open. Use only information your company allows in Copilot.

The steps

Open the workbook and select any cell in your table.
Open Copilot.
Paste the prompt with your column names.
Check that the PivotTable total matches the column total.

Copy this prompt

On a new sheet, build a PivotTable of [sum of Amount] by [Month] and [Region]. Then add a clustered column chart from it with the title "[title]". Sort months in calendar order.

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/excel-chart-pivot/)

What a good result looks like

The PivotTable grand total matches the source column total.

If a feature is missing

If Copilot is missing, check the file is .xlsx and that your account has Copilot in Excel.

Make it smarter

Keep a short "What it got wrong" note. Paste it above the prompt next time, like "Don't invent dates".

Not sure what to ask? Copy the quick note for your Copilot admin.

Questions people ask

Make a chart and PivotTable in Excel by asking?

Open the workbook in Excel, open Copilot, and ask for the PivotTable and chart you need, naming the columns. Copilot creates them with editable links to your data. Check the totals.

What do I need for this?

Microsoft 365 Copilot. If Copilot is missing, check the file is .xlsx and that your account has Copilot in Excel.

Next step

Try it once, then make it yours.

Run the prompt on one real task this week. Then pick your next workflow.

See the workflow library ↗

Cite or share this guide

Make a chart and PivotTable in Excel by asking. Stuck with Copilot. https://stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/excel-chart-pivot/ Last checked Oct 20, 2026.

One Copilot idea a week

One idea a week that makes your job easier, makes you smarter, and gets your Copilot doing more for you. Something genuinely cool, not a hack. Built for people in sales, marketing and ops.

Official references

Last checked against Microsoft docs: Oct 20, 2026.