OpenAI quietly improved ChatGPT’s data analysis feature so it can now open .xlsx and .csv files directly, run basic calculations, generate pivot table summaries, and write results back to Excel without you needing to copy-paste anything or reformat. The output retains your existing column headers and sheet structure.
Why it matters
The workflow for “let AI analyze my spreadsheet” has always broken at the export step. You get a wall of text that you then have to manually rebuild in Excel. That friction killed the use case for anything beyond a one-off quick query. Native Excel read/write closes that loop. You upload, ask your question, and get a corrected file back.
Try this
Drop your monthly expense sheet into ChatGPT and ask it to add a column categorising each entry, flag any transaction over a set threshold, and calculate totals by category. Download the result and open it in Excel — the formatting should survive intact.
Worth trying?
Maybe later — the export formatting is still inconsistent. For simple datasets it works well. For anything with merged cells, complex formulas, or multiple sheets, expect manual cleanup. Check whether the output format works for your workflow before relying on it for recurring tasks.
Source: ChatGPT Data Analysis