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Practical AI prompts for Excel formulas and spreadsheet work

Prompt templates for generating, explaining, repairing, and verifying Excel formulas without hiding assumptions or data problems

Spreadsheet formulas can look correct while referencing the wrong field, hiding missing matches, or mishandling blanks. These recipes start from the real workbook layout and require test cases before a formula is trusted.

How to use this collection

Provide exact headers, cell references, and representative values.
Verify generated formulas on normal, blank, and error cases before filling down.

Tested with real examples

Choose a recipe

Showing 1–12 of 28 recipes

Organize information 4 min setup

Generate an Excel formula from a requirement

Turn a calculation need and real column layout into a formula you can verify

A copy-ready formula, explanation, assumptions, and test cases

Learn 3 min setup

Explain an Excel formula step by step

Understand what a formula calculates, its dependencies, and where it can fail

A plain-language walkthrough, worked example, and risk checklist

Organize information 5 min setup

Diagnose and fix an Excel formula error

Find the root cause of an Excel error before replacing the formula

A diagnosis, minimal correction, and verification plan

Organize information 5 min setup

Build an XLOOKUP between Excel sheets

Join two sheets with an explicit key, match rule, and no-match behavior

A verified lookup formula plus duplicate and data-quality checks

Organize information 5 min setup

Build a multi-condition Excel IF formula

Turn ordered business rules into a formula with explicit precedence and edge cases

A reviewable IF or IFS formula with a decision table and tests

Organize information 5 min setup

Build an Excel conditional summary formula

Create a SUMIFS, COUNTIFS, or AVERAGEIFS formula from explicit criteria

A criteria-safe summary formula with date, blank, and range checks

Organize information 5 min setup

Extract names, emails, or codes in Excel

Build a text formula from real delimiters without assuming every row has the same shape

A robust extraction formula with malformed-input checks

Organize information 6 min setup

Clean Excel dates and calculate a duration

Normalize mixed date inputs before calculating calendar or working time

A safe conversion and duration method with locale and boundary tests

Organize information 8 min setup

Create a column-by-column Excel data cleaning plan

Inspect field meanings and define reversible cleaning rules before changing data

A prioritized cleaning plan, validation rules, and audit columns

Organize information 7 min setup

Find and handle duplicate records in Excel

Define duplicate identity, detect exact and near matches, and preserve conflicts for review

Duplicate flags, resolution groups, and a non-destructive review workflow

Organize information 6 min setup

Split combined fields into Excel columns

Separate names, addresses, or codes using verified delimiters and exception flags

A non-destructive split method, validation columns, and exception queue

Organize information 6 min setup

Normalize text formatting in Excel

Standardize presentation differences without changing identifiers or meaningful text

Field-specific normalization formulas, exception flags, and before-after tests