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Office staff often know what they want a spreadsheet to do but not how to write the formula, especially when it combines several functions or looks up data on another sheet. Waiting for someone else to write it slows the work down.
Excel Formula Bot is an online AI tool that turns a short description into a working formula. In the video I test it on two problems: a VLOOKUP that pulls salaries from Sheet1 into Sheet2, and a formula that approves absence requests when the reason mentions covid or fever.
It can also explain a formula you already have, and it works for Google Sheets too.
What you need
- Microsoft Excel (or Google Sheets)
- A free Excel Formula Bot account
- Clear sheet, column and row references for your data
Step by step
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01
Sign in and choose the request type
Go to the Excel Formula Bot website and create an account or sign in. Choose Excel as the platform and Generate as the request type.
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02
Describe the lookup you need
Explain the problem with exact references. In the video, the prompt is along the lines of: find salary from column C in Sheet1 by the name, where the name is in column A on Sheet2.
Naming the sheets and columns tells the bot this is a lookup across worksheets.
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03
Paste and fill the formula
Copy the generated formula into the first cell on Sheet2 and fill it down. The result is a VLOOKUP along the lines of
=VLOOKUP(A2,Sheet1!A:C,3,FALSE). Check a few names against Sheet1 to confirm the salaries match. -
04
Generate a more complex formula
For the absence example, describe the logic: if column B contains covid or fever, then say Approved, else say Not Approved.
The bot returns a longer formula combining several functions. An equivalent formula is
=IF(OR(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("covid",B2)),ISNUMBER(SEARCH("fever",B2))),"Approved","Not Approved"). Paste it and drag it down all rows. Rows mentioning covid or fever show Approved. -
05
Explain an existing formula
Switch the request type to Explain, paste a formula and submit. The bot describes it in plain English, for example: if the word covid or fever is found in the cell in column B, return Approved, otherwise return Not Approved.
Tips and common problems
- Be specific about sheet names, columns and rows in your description. Vague prompts give formulas pointing at the wrong cells.
- Always test the formula on a few rows you can check by hand before relying on it.
- At the time of the video, the free trial allowed five requests, with a paid plan (2.99 dollars a month then) for unlimited use.
Questions
Can AI write Excel formulas for me?
Yes. Tools like Excel Formula Bot generate a formula from a plain-English description. Include the sheet names and column references so the formula points at the right cells.
How do I check if a cell contains one of several words in Excel?
Combine SEARCH, ISNUMBER, OR and IF, for example =IF(OR(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("covid",B2)),ISNUMBER(SEARCH("fever",B2))),"Approved","Not Approved"). SEARCH is not case-sensitive.
Does Excel Formula Bot work with Google Sheets?
Yes. It can generate and explain formulas for both Excel and Google Sheets.
