Skip to content

All tasks · Work and office · 6 prompts

AI prompts for Excel and Google Sheets help

Spreadsheet formulas are a task where an AI assistant saves real time, and also one where a confident wrong answer is common. The trick is to describe your sheet exactly and to test what you are given. A formula either works on your data or it does not, so checking is easy.

The prompts

Write a formula

I use [EXCEL / GOOGLE SHEETS], version [VERSION IF YOU KNOW IT].

My data: column A has [WHAT], column B has [WHAT], column C has [WHAT]. Headings are in row 1 and data runs from row 2 to row [NUMBER].

I want: [DESCRIBE THE RESULT, WITH ONE EXAMPLE OF INPUT AND EXPECTED OUTPUT]

Give me one formula, tell me which cell to put it in, and explain each part in one line. If there is a simpler way without a formula, mention it.

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

Explain a formula I found

Explain this formula in plain words, part by part, from the inside out. Then give a small example with made-up values showing what it returns. Tell me anything that could make it give a wrong result.

[PASTE THE FORMULA]

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

Fix a formula that gives an error

This formula in [EXCEL / GOOGLE SHEETS] gives [THE ERROR OR WRONG RESULT]. I expected [WHAT YOU EXPECTED].

Formula: [PASTE IT]
The cells it uses contain: [DESCRIBE OR PASTE A FEW SAMPLE VALUES]

List the likely causes, most likely first, and how to check each. Then give a corrected formula.

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

Clean messy data

Column A of my sheet has [DESCRIBE THE MESS, FOR EXAMPLE NAMES WITH EXTRA SPACES AND MIXED CAPITALS, OR DATES TYPED AS TEXT]. Examples:
[PASTE FIVE SAMPLE VALUES]

I want them as: [THE CLEAN FORM, WITH ONE EXAMPLE]. Give me a formula for column B that does this, and tell me how to replace the original column with the cleaned values afterwards. I use [EXCEL / GOOGLE SHEETS].

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

Plan a new sheet

I want to keep track of [WHAT, FOR EXAMPLE MONTHLY SHOP EXPENSES OR STUDENT FEES] in a spreadsheet.

What I need to see at the end: [TOTALS, REPORTS OR ANSWERS YOU WANT]

Suggest the columns, with the type of data in each, and the formulas for the totals. Keep it simple enough for someone who knows only basic formulas. One row should be one [ENTRY, FOR EXAMPLE ONE EXPENSE].

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

Steps without formulas

Tell me the exact menu steps in [EXCEL / GOOGLE SHEETS] to [WHAT YOU WANT, FOR EXAMPLE REMOVE DUPLICATE ROWS, FREEZE THE TOP ROW OR MAKE A DROP-DOWN LIST]. Number the steps. If the steps differ between versions, say so.

Replace the parts in [CAPITALS] first, or after pasting.

How to adapt these prompts

Always say which program. Excel and Google Sheets share most functions but differ in some, and a formula for one may fail in the other.
Mention your version if you use an older Excel. Newer functions such as XLOOKUP and FILTER do not exist in old versions. Add "I cannot use functions newer than Excel 2016" if that applies.
Give one worked example. "If A2 is 12 March 2026 and B2 is 500, I want C2 to show March" removes most misunderstanding.
Use made-up sample values. The assistant needs the shape of your data, not the real names and amounts.
Ask for the simplest answer. Add "prefer a short formula I can understand over a clever one".

Test what you get

Never trust a formula until you have tried it. Put it in the sheet, then check three or four rows by hand, including an awkward one: an empty cell, a zero, a name with a space. If it fails, paste the formula and the wrong result back and ask for a correction.

Menu steps given by an assistant are often slightly out of date, because menus change between versions. If a named button is not where it says, look for a similar name nearby or search the program's own help.

For any sheet that holds money, stock or marks, keep a copy before trying a formula that changes data.

Related tasks

This is an independent site. It is not connected with any company that makes AI assistants. The prompts are plain text and can be used in any AI chat assistant. An AI assistant can give wrong or made-up answers: check anything important before you rely on it, and do not paste private details into a prompt.