Microsoft Excel Will Now Let You Run Python Scripts as Formulas

Excel users will not have to install any additional software or add-on since Python integration will be part of Excel’s built-in connectors and Power Query

Microsoft is bringing High-level programming language Python to Excel, allowing Excel users to manipulate and analyze data sheets using Python code, allowing advanced data analysis, increasing automation, improving data visualization and much more.

“You can manipulate and explore data in Excel using Python plots and libraries, and then use Excel’s formulas, charts and PivotTables to further refine your insights,” said general manager of modern work at Microsoft, Stefan Kinnestrand.

“Now you can do advanced data analysis in the familiar Excel environment by accessing Python directly from the Excel ribbon,” he added.

Excel users who want to play around with their data using Python will not have to rely on any additional software or set up an add-on since Python integration will be part of Excel’s built-in connectors and Power Query.

Apart from the Python functionality, Microsoft is also adding a PY function which will allow Python data to be displayed on an Excel spreadsheet.

Partnering with Python repository ‘Anaconda’, Microsoft has also introduced popular Python libraries like pandas, statsmodels, and Matplotlib in Excel.

“I’m excited that this excellent, tight integration of Python and Excel is now seeing the light of day. I expect that both communities will find interesting new uses in this collaboration, amplifying each partner’s abilities. When I joined Microsoft three years ago, I would not have dreamed this would be possible,” said Python’s creator and Microsoft distinguished engineer ‘Guido van Rossum’.

Excited to try out Python codes in MS Excel? Well, the Python feature is rolling out as a public preview for Microsoft 365 Insiders Beta Channel and will be only limited to Windows, before Microsoft releases it onto other platforms at a later date.