Claude Learning Series · Skills · fig. 01
Excel — spreadsheets without the formulas.
Claude's spreadsheet skill builds, cleans, and analyzes real .xlsx files — with working formulas, formatting, and charts.
What it is
Skills are pre-built playbooks that teach Claude how to do a job the right way. The Excel skill means Claude doesn't just talk about your data — it hands you back a finished spreadsheet file you can open and keep working in.
How to use it
- Document skills like this are built into Claude's paid plans — there's nothing to install.
- Attach a spreadsheet (or describe what you need) and ask. To browse optional skills: Settings → Capabilities.
- Claude returns a downloadable .xlsx file.
Use cases
uc/01The cleanup job
"This export is a mess — split the combined name column, fix the date formats, remove duplicates, and give me back a clean file."
uc/02The budget model
"Build a 12-month budget spreadsheet from these numbers, with formulas for totals and variance so I can change inputs later."
uc/03The reconciliation
"Here are two sheets — our records and the vendor's statement. Match them up and flag every discrepancy on a third tab."
uc/04The chart-ready summary
"Summarize this sales data by month and region, add a chart, and put the takeaways on a summary tab."
Good to know: Ask for working formulas (not pasted values) when you'll keep editing the file — Claude builds either. Spot-check totals on anything that matters; it's your spreadsheet now.