Everyday productivity

Make spreadsheets feel less mysterious.

Describe what you want to do in Excel or Google Sheets. This free helper builds a careful prompt you can take to an assistant; it does not inspect or change your spreadsheet.

Start here

Choose your app and goal. The preview builds instructions for an assistant. The fixed examples below illustrate two documented formulas; this page does not execute arbitrary formulas, open files or validate your workbook.

Use a fictional example below, or enter your own details. Examples replace the current form; nothing is sent.

Spreadsheet app

What do you want help with?

Describe your task

What should the spreadsheet help you understand or do?

Column names or layoutoptional

Names such as Date, Category, Amount help the assistant give relevant guidance.

Small sampleoptional

Use made-up values only. Do not include private or identifying data.

Keep private data out of prompts

Spreadsheet samples stay in this page while you build the template, but anything you later paste into a third-party AI assistant is subject to that service’s policies. Use invented examples instead.

Two common formula patterns

Add values that match a category

Add amounts in column B only when the matching category in column A matches the value in E2.

Excel: =SUMIF(A2:A100, E2, B2:B100)Google Sheets: =SUMIF(A2:A100, E2, B2:B100)

Assumes categories are in A2:A100 and amounts are in B2:B100.

With Supplies/24, Travel/10 and Supplies/6 in A2:B4 and Supplies in E2, the expected total is 30 (24 + 6). Leave remaining example rows empty.

Official syntax: Excel (new tab) · Google Sheets (new tab)

Flag repeated values

Mark a value in A2 as repeated if it appears more than once in column A.

Excel: =COUNTIF(A:A, A2)>1Google Sheets: =COUNTIF(A:A, A2)>1

Copy the formula down beside your list. It returns TRUE for repeated values.

With Apple, Pear, Apple in A2:A4, the expected results in B2:B4 are TRUE, FALSE, TRUE. Use nonblank ordinary text labels, no wildcard characters, and no other matching values in column A. COUNTIF is not case-sensitive.

Official syntax: Excel (new tab) · Google Sheets (new tab)

These are examples with stated assumptions, not tests of your workbook. Check the cell ranges against your own layout.

English function names and comma separators are shown; your locale may use translated names or semicolons. Try a copy of your sheet with made-up data first. Syntax reviewed against official documentation on November 5, 2026; no Excel or Sheets execution is performed here.

Live structured preview

Updates as you change the form, on this device. Use the main build button to create a separate editable copy. Form changes do not overwrite your edited copy; build again to replace it.

Add the required details above to see the prompt structure.