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Quick reference

Get Setup for Copilot

Get setup for success by performing three fundamental tasks before using Copilot. 

When to use

We must perform these three steps before attempting to access Copilot or the Copilot button will be inaccessible. 

Instructions

If we open an Excel workbook and notice that the Copilot icon is grayed out, we need to check we have performed three basic tasks. These tasks must be done before attempting to use Copilot. 

Save to OneDrive

The workbook, document, or file you are working with must be saved to OneDrive. More specifically, it must be saved to the OneDrive location associated with your Copilot license. 

Turn Autosave On

Ensure you have autosave turned on. Autosave can be accessed from the Quick Access Toolbar and must be in the toggled "on" position. 

Format Data as a Table

If we are using Copilot within Excel, we must also ensure that our data is formatted as an Excel table. One of the limitations of Copilot currently is that it can only be used on table data. 

If we forget to format our data as a table, we will be reminded when we open the Copilot window. 

  • Click somewhere in the data. 
  • Press CTRL+T. 
  • Tick the box, 'Yes my table has headers'. 
  • Click OK. 

It's always preferred to give Excel tables a meaningful name so they are easy to identify. By default, tables are given generic names of Table1, Table2 etc. 

  • Click the Table Design tab. 
  • In the Properties group, click in the Table Name field. 
  • Type 'MegaSales' or choose a name to suit your needs. 
  • Press Enter. 

Hints & tips

  • We only need to put our data in a table when using Copilot in Microsoft Excel. This does not apply when using Copilot in other Microsoft 365 applications. 
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  • 00:04 Before we even begin to start working with Copilot,
  • 00:07 we need to make sure that we set ourselves up for success.
  • 00:10 Because there are three things that you need to do to ensure that
  • 00:15 the Copilot icon on the home ribbon is accessible.
  • 00:18 Because what you'll find is that, if you don't do these three things,
  • 00:23 then the Copilot icon is going to be grayed out and you can't click on it.
  • 00:27 So what exactly are those three magical things?
  • 00:31 Well, the first thing is that the workbook that you're using needs to be
  • 00:35 saved to OneDrive.
  • 00:36 And it needs to be the OneDrive account that's attached to the account
  • 00:41 that has your Copilot license.
  • 00:43 So if you're anything like me, you might have multiple OneDrives.
  • 00:47 For example, I have a personal OneDrive where I store all of my personal files.
  • 00:51 I have OneDrive for business where I store my business files, and
  • 00:55 I also have another OneDrive that's assigned to my Copilot license.
  • 01:00 So you need to make sure that the file is saved to the correct OneDrive,
  • 01:03 first of all.
  • 01:04 The second thing that you need to check is that you have the AutoSave button
  • 01:09 toggled on.
  • 01:10 If this is toggled off, notice what happens to my Copilot icon,
  • 01:14 It's inactive and I can't click on it.
  • 01:17 So we need to make sure that this slider is on.
  • 01:20 And then,
  • 01:21 the third thing you need to check is that your data is in an Excel table.
  • 01:25 And that is one of the limitations of Copilot at this stage.
  • 01:28 This might change further down the track, is that it can only work with table data.
  • 01:34 Now, currently, my dataset isn't in a table.
  • 01:37 And this is the data set that we're going to be using throughout the balance of
  • 01:40 this course.
  • 01:41 Now, this is a data set for a global megastore and
  • 01:44 it's just a very simple sales data set.
  • 01:47 So let's start out by putting this into a table.
  • 01:50 Now, if I click inside this data set and click on the Copilot icon,
  • 01:53 you'll see that in that preview pane that opens up, it is going to remind you that
  • 01:58 you need to convert your data to a table before you can work with Copilot.
  • 02:02 You can see the message down there and it tells me I can either go to Insert Table
  • 02:07 or I could alternatively use the keyboard shortcut, which is Ctrl+T.
  • 02:12 So let's do that, Ctrl+T.
  • 02:14 Yes, my table has headers, let's click on OK.
  • 02:18 As soon as I convert this to a table, that message disappears and
  • 02:21 we're ready to start working with Copilot.
  • 02:24 Now, the final thing I'm going to do in this lesson is I'm just going to give
  • 02:27 my table a meaningful name.
  • 02:29 If we take a look at the Table Design ribbon in the Properties group,
  • 02:33 notice that currently my table just has the rather generic name of Table 1.
  • 02:37 So we're going to change this because it's always best to give your tables meaningful
  • 02:41 names, so that you can identify them easily further down the track.
  • 02:45 So I'm going to call this MegaSales.
  • 02:49 And we're now ready to dive in to Copilot.

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