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Microsoft 365 users who need some AI-powered assistance with their files have a couple of options. As long as you subscribe to a plan that includes Copilot, you can tap into Microsoft's AI to help you draft, edit, analyze, and summarize your files. Another option now available is Anthropic's Claude, and that's one worth considering.
With Claude AI, you're able not only to work in a single application but also to work across multiple applications. For example, you can ask Claude to generate a PowerPoint presentation based on data in an Excel spreadsheet or create a Word document based on information from a PowerPoint presentation.
Also: How to learn Claude Code for free with Anthropic's AI courses - one took me just 20 minutes
As usual, there are a few requirements. First, you need a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise). That means free accounts aren't supported. Second, you should have a Microsoft 365 subscription. Third, you need the add-ins for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, all of which you can download from the Microsoft Marketplace. Despite the need for Microsoft 365, the add-ins are supposed to work in the 2016 edition or later (Windows and Mac) and the web versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Claude also offers an add-in for Microsoft Outlook. But here, I decided to focus just on the three core Office productivity applications. Since I have a Microsoft 365 Family plan and a Claude AI Pro subscription, I met the requirements. With that in mind, I recently took Claude AI for a spin across Microsoft 365 to see how it fared. Here's what happened.
How I use Claude with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
What you need: To get started, I first had to download the various add-ins. For Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, you can download each add-in separately, depending on which ones you want. Alternatively, you can download the Claude for Microsoft 365 add-in to access them all in one shot.
1. Set up the add-ins Head to the Claude for Microsoft 365 Microsoft Marketplace page and click the Get it now button. You'll be prompted to sign in with your account. Microsoft advises using a work or school account, but I was able to use my personal Microsoft account. You're eventually taken to the Claude for Microsoft 365 Office Store page. Also: This new Claude skill saves you from bad contracts - and costs less than a lawyer Here, you download each add-in separately by clicking the three buttons for Open in Excel, Open in Word, and Open in PowerPoint. Show more
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