Excel is a foundational skill in the workplace, yet for many it remains an insurmountable hurdle—not because they lack basic knowledge, but because they hit a wall when facing slightly complex requirements. They might struggle to write VLOOKUP correctly, fail to grasp pivot tables, or not know which function to use for multi-condition summation. Consequently, they either spend hours searching for information, ask colleagues who know how to do it for help, or simply resort to tedious manual processing. Cool Excel ChatExcel aims to solve exactly this problem: replacing formula writing with natural language conversation. You describe your spreadsheet needs in plain language, and the AI handles the operations.
What is Cool Excel ChatExcel?
ChatExcel is an AI-powered spreadsheet tool developed by a team from Peking University. Its core capability lies in operating Excel files through natural language dialogue. After uploading a spreadsheet file, users describe what they want to do in Chinese (e.g., "Summarize sales by month," "Find duplicate data," or "Add a column to calculate growth rate for each row"). The AI understands the requirements and automatically completes the operations, returning the processed results.
This tool initially circulated online under the name "ChatExcel." Due to its practicality and extremely low barrier to entry, it gained widespread traction on social media before being officially launched as a product under the brand "Cool Excel" (KuBiao). The research team behind it is from Peking University, which distinguishes it from many similar tools by providing a solid technical research background.
Core Features
Natural Language Spreadsheet Operations
The core feature: speak in Chinese what you want to do, and let the AI operate the spreadsheet. Some typical use cases include:
- "Classify by city and calculate the total sales for each city."
- "Find all duplicate values in column B and highlight them."
- "Change the date format from '2024/1/1' to 'January 1, 2024'."
- "Delete all empty rows."
- "Match department information from another table based on the names in column A."
There is no need to know which functions to use or memorize syntax; simply clarify your requirements.
Formula Generation and Explanation
For users who want to learn Excel, ChatExcel offers a highly practical feature: it not only completes operations for you but also explains which formulas were used and why they are written that way.
This "learn while doing" mode is more effective than passively watching tutorials—you have a real-world need, the AI provides a usable solution, and explains the underlying logic. Next time you encounter a similar problem, you will know exactly what to use.
Data Cleaning
Data in spreadsheets is often irregular—some cells have inconsistent formatting, others contain extra spaces, some merged cells need splitting, and data types may be inconsistent. By describing your cleaning needs in language, the AI processes them in bulk, saving you the trouble of manual adjustments one by one.
Common cleaning operations include:
- Removing extra spaces from all cells
- Converting text-formatted numbers to numeric format
- Splitting merged cells
- Unifying date formats
- Standardizing uppercase or lowercase letters
Data Analysis and Summarization
Basic data analysis needs:
- Grouping and summarizing by a specific dimension (by department, month, product, etc.)
- Calculating various statistical metrics (average, maximum, median, percentage)
- Sorting and filtering (finding the top ten products by sales, filtering data based on specific conditions)
- Comparative analysis (month-over-month growth, year-over-year changes)
Cross-Sheet Operations
Data correlation between multiple spreadsheets—for example, using an ID from one table to look up corresponding information in another. This is similar to Excel's VLOOKUP but requires no manual formula writing. This feature is particularly useful for users who need to integrate multiple data sources.
Comparison with Other Tools
vs. Built-in Excel Functions: Excel functions are powerful but have a learning curve, requiring memorization of syntax. ChatExcel removes this barrier, allowing complex operations without knowing functions. The two are not mutually exclusive—those who know Excel functions can use ChatExcel more efficiently, while those who don't can complete tasks that were previously impossible.
vs. WPS AI: WPS AI is an AI feature integrated into the WPS ecosystem, available across documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. ChatExcel is a standalone tool specifically focused on spreadsheet operations, offering deeper functionality for table processing.
vs. ChatGPT for Excel Processing: Sending spreadsheet data to ChatGPT for analysis is feasible, but it has data volume limits (due to context window constraints), and the results must be manually copied back into the spreadsheet. ChatExcel allows direct file uploads and direct download of processed results, creating a smoother workflow.
vs. Python pandas: For data analysts with programming skills, using Python to process spreadsheets is more efficient and flexible. ChatExcel targets non-technical users who do not code, offering a low barrier to entry and quick onboarding.
vs. Microsoft Copilot for Excel: Microsoft has integrated Copilot AI into Excel, with a similar functional positioning. However, Copilot requires a paid Microsoft 365 subscription and is currently primarily aimed at enterprise users. ChatExcel targets general users and offers a free version.
Who Should Use Cool Excel ChatExcel?
Workplace newcomers who are not proficient in Excel: You know the goal of data processing but don't know which formulas to use. ChatExcel can tell you exactly how to do it, or even complete it for you.
Professionals who need to process spreadsheets but for whom Excel is not their primary skill: Roles such as HR, operations, and finance frequently handle data tables, but spreadsheet manipulation is not their core competency. ChatExcel allows them to focus on the work content rather than getting stuck on Excel functions.
Handling one-off or temporary spreadsheet tasks: It is not worth learning a specific function for a single task, yet manual processing is too slow. In such scenarios, ChatExcel is the most convenient choice.
Those who want to learn Excel but prefer practical application: By using ChatExcel's explanation feature, you can see which formulas the AI used and why. Combined with your own real data, this learning approach is more effective than purely watching tutorials.
Summarizing and analyzing spreadsheets with moderate data volumes: For data processing within a few thousand rows, ChatExcel is fast and efficient, eliminating the need to introduce complex data analysis tools.
Usage Tips
Be as specific as possible when describing your requirements. A description like "summarize the data" is too vague; a description like "Sum the sales in column C based on the provinces in column A, and place the results in a new sheet" will yield more accurate results.
If the initially generated result is incorrect, you can continue to explain what is wrong. The AI will adjust based on your feedback. This conversational correction is more efficient than starting over from scratch.
Limitations
For very large spreadsheets (hundreds of thousands of rows or more), processing speed and accuracy may decline. Such scenarios are better suited for professional database tools or Python scripts.
The AI's understanding of requirements may sometimes deviate, especially when business context is complex—for example, if your spreadsheet contains many custom field names, the AI might not interpret them accurately. In such cases, you need to provide additional background information when describing your requirements.
It is best to verify that the generated formulas or operations produce results consistent with expectations before applying them. Do not apply unverified changes to important data without checking.
Pricing
ChatExcel offers a free tier that provides access to basic spreadsheet processing features, while its paid plans unlock higher file-processing limits, larger file size caps, and support for more complex operations. For the most accurate details, refer to the official website.
For users who need to process spreadsheets regularly but have limited Excel skills, ChatExcel represents one of the lowest-barrier solutions available today. The technical pedigree of its Peking University team significantly boosts its accuracy, making it well worth a try.