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How to connect Excel to Claude

Connect Claude Web, Desktop and Cowork to Excel MCP. Add sales data row to q2 table, create bar chart from revenue column, and more using natural language, with authentication handled for you.

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Microsoft Excel is a robust spreadsheet application for organizing, analyzing, and visualizing data. It's the go-to tool for calculations, reporting, and flexible data management.

54 Tools

Introduction

Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant, available on the web, in the desktop app, and on mobile. Cowork is its agent for knowledge work, and it runs on all of those surfaces too. Connected to your apps, Claude can work with your files and services to accomplish complex tasks on your behalf.

This guide walks you through the easiest and most secure way to connect your Excel account to Claude via Composio Connect, enabling it to add sales data row to Q2 table, create bar chart from revenue column, share this workbook with your manager, and more such actions on your behalf without compromising your account security.

Setup is the same on Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork, and you only need to do it once. The connector is tied to your account, so it's available in all three.

Also integrate Excel with

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Connecting Excel to Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork

Two ways to add the Composio connector. Pick whichever you prefer.

1. Add with one click

Click the button. Claude opens with the Composio connector filled in. Click Add, then go to step 2.

Add to Claude

Add manually

In Claude Desktop, click Customize in the left sidebar, then select Connectors and click the + icon at the top.

Claude Desktop connectors screen with Add custom connector selected

Click Add custom connector and paste in the Composio MCP server URL:

bash
https://connect.composio.dev/mcp
Add custom connector dialog with Composio MCP server URL

2. Authorize in your browser

Click Connect. You'll be redirected to a browser window where you can authorize Composio to continue.

Composio authorization screen for Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork

3. Connect your Excel account

Back in Claude, ask it to connect to Excel or give it any Excel-related task.

For example, ask Claude to:

  • "Add sales data row to Q2 table"
  • "Create bar chart from revenue column"
  • "Share this workbook with your manager"

It will prompt you to authenticate and authorize access.

That's it. Composio's tools are now available in Claude, and your Excel account is ready to use.

What is the Excel Claude Connector, and what's possible with it?

The Excel MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Excel account. It provides structured and secure access to your spreadsheets, so your agent can perform actions like adding data, creating tables, managing worksheets, generating charts, and sharing workbooks on your behalf.

  • Automated data entry and updates: Let your agent add rows, columns, or clear specific ranges in any worksheet—keeping your data fresh, organized, and accurate.
  • Effortless table and worksheet management: Direct your agent to create tables, add new worksheets, or organize data structures for seamless tracking and reporting.
  • Dynamic chart generation: Have your agent visualize your data instantly by adding charts to any worksheet for quick insights and analysis.
  • Advanced filtering and sorting: Ask your agent to apply filters or custom sorts to tables, making it easy to focus on what matters most in your datasets.
  • Secure sharing and permission control: Empower your agent to grant access or update permissions on workbooks, ensuring your team can collaborate safely and efficiently.

Troubleshooting

1. Why does Claude not use the Composio connector for Excel?

The connector can show as connected, but Claude must use it in each Excel conversation.

  • Click + at the lower left of the chat, or type /.
  • Hover Connectors.
  • Turn on Composio.
  • Ask Claude to connect to Excel again.

2. Why does Claude show an MCP server error before Excel connects?

Claude can show Couldn't reach the MCP server or Authorization with the MCP server failed when you add the connector for Excel.

  • Check that the connector URL is https://connect.composio.dev/mcp.
  • Connectors run from Anthropic's cloud, so your device network is usually not the problem.
  • Add the connector again from Customize > Connectors, then ask Claude to connect Excel.
  • If it fails again, send the error and the ofid_ reference id to support@composio.dev.

3. Why does the Excel authorization link not work?

The Composio connector is one server. Your Excel account connects separately when Claude asks for it.

  • If the browser does not open, or the link expires, ask Claude to retry the Excel connection.
  • Composio creates a fresh Excel authorization link.
  • Open that link in your browser and finish the Excel sign-in.

4. Why do Excel actions fail after they worked before?

The Excel connection can expire or lose permission.

  • Ask Claude to inspect the Excel connection.
  • If the connection is unhealthy, disconnect it when Claude prompts you.
  • Reconnect the Excel account and retry the action.
  • If Claude shows a permission prompt, approve it before Claude changes data in Excel.
  • If the action still fails with a permission error, check that the connected account has that permission in Excel itself.

5. How do I switch to a different Excel account?

Claude can manage the Excel connection for you.

  • Ask Claude to disconnect or delete the current Excel account.
  • Ask Claude to connect Excel again.
  • Open the new Composio authorization link for Excel.
  • Sign in with the other Excel account in the browser.
  • After the account connects, ask Claude to retry the Excel task.

6. Why is my Excel connection missing in Claude Desktop or on a Team plan?

The connector belongs to your Claude account, so your Excel connection works in Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork.

  • In Claude Desktop, open Customize > Connectors.
  • Next to Composio, click ⋮ and click Clear cache.
  • If Excel tools still do not appear, click ⋮, disconnect, remove the connector, and add it again.
  • On Team or Enterprise, an Owner or Primary Owner must enable the connector before you can connect Excel.
TOOLS

Supported Tools

Every Excel action and event your agent gets out of the box.

Add Chart

Add a chart to a worksheet using Microsoft Graph API.

Add SharePoint Worksheet

Add a new worksheet to a SharePoint Excel workbook using Microsoft Graph Sites API.

Add Table

Create a new table in a worksheet using the Microsoft Graph API.

Add Table Column

Add a column to a table using Microsoft Graph API.

Add Table Row

Add a row to a table using Microsoft Graph API.

Add Workbook Permission

Tool to grant access to a workbook via invite.

Add Worksheet

Add a new worksheet to an Excel workbook using Microsoft Graph API.

Apply Table Filter

Apply a filter to a table column using Microsoft Graph API.

Apply Table Sort

Apply a sort to a table using Microsoft Graph API.

Clear Range

Tool to clear values, formats, or contents in a specified worksheet range.

Clear Table Filter

Clear a filter from a table column using Microsoft Graph API.

Close Excel Session

Tool to close an existing Excel workbook session.

Convert Table To Range

Convert a table to a range using Microsoft Graph API.

Create Workbook

Tool to create a new Excel workbook file at a specified drive path.

Delete Table Column

Delete a column from a table using Microsoft Graph API.

Delete Table Row

Delete a row from a table using Microsoft Graph API.

Delete Worksheet

Tool to delete a worksheet from the workbook.

Export Workbook to PDF

Tool to export an Excel workbook to PDF via Microsoft Graph's format conversion.

Get Chart Axis

Tool to retrieve a specific axis from a chart.

Get Chart Data Labels

Tool to retrieve the data labels object of a chart.

Get Chart Legend

Tool to retrieve the legend object of a chart.

Get Range

Get a range from a worksheet using Microsoft Graph API.

Create Excel Session

Create a session for an Excel workbook using Microsoft Graph API.

Get SharePoint Range

Get a range from a worksheet in SharePoint using Microsoft Graph Sites API.

Get SharePoint Worksheet

Get a worksheet by name or ID from a SharePoint Excel workbook using Microsoft Graph Sites API.

Get table column

Tool to retrieve a specific column from a workbook table.

Get workbook

Tool to retrieve the properties and relationships of a workbook.

Get Worksheet

Get a worksheet by name or ID from an Excel workbook using Microsoft Graph API.

Get Worksheet Used Range

Tool to retrieve a worksheet's used range (active data region) without specifying a fixed range address.

Insert Range

Tool to insert a new cell range into a worksheet, shifting existing cells down or right.

List Charts

List charts in a worksheet using Microsoft Graph API.

List Chart Series

Tool to list all data series in a chart.

List Comments

Tool to list comments in an Excel workbook.

List Drive Item Children

Tool to list immediate children (files/folders) of a folder DriveItem using driveId and itemId.

List Drive Files

List files and folders in a drive root or specified path.

List Named Items

List named items in a workbook using Microsoft Graph API.

List SharePoint Tables

List tables in a SharePoint worksheet using Microsoft Graph Sites API.

List SharePoint Worksheets

List worksheets in an Excel workbook stored in SharePoint using Microsoft Graph Sites API.

List Table Columns

List columns in a table using Microsoft Graph API.

List Table Rows

List rows in a table using Microsoft Graph API.

List Tables

List tables in a worksheet using Microsoft Graph API.

List Workbook Permissions

Tool to list permissions set on the workbook file.

List Worksheets

List worksheets in an Excel workbook using Microsoft Graph API.

Merge Cells

Merge cells in a worksheet range using Microsoft Graph API.

Protect Worksheet

Tool to protect a worksheet using optional protection options.

Search Drive Files

Tool to search OneDrive drive items by query to discover Excel workbook IDs.

Sort Range

Sort a range in a worksheet using Microsoft Graph API.

Update Chart

Update a chart in a worksheet using Microsoft Graph API.

Update Chart Legend

Tool to update formatting or position of a chart legend.

Update Range

Update a range in a worksheet using Microsoft Graph API.

Update SharePoint Range

Update a range in a SharePoint worksheet using Microsoft Graph Sites API.

Update Table

Update a table in a workbook using Microsoft Graph API.

Update Worksheet

Update worksheet properties (name, position) in an Excel workbook using Microsoft Graph API.

Upload Workbook from URL

Tool to upload an external Excel file from a URL into OneDrive/SharePoint.

FRAMEWORKS

How to build Excel MCP Agent with another framework

Claude Code logo

Claude Code

Use Excel MCP with Claude Code

Cursor logo

Cursor

Use Excel MCP with Cursor

ChatGPT logo

ChatGPT

Use Excel MCP with ChatGPT

Antigravity logo

Antigravity

Use Excel MCP with Antigravity

OpenAI Agents SDK logo

OpenAI Agents SDK

Use Excel MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

Claude Agent SDK logo

Claude Agent SDK

Use Excel MCP with Claude Agent SDK

Grok Bot logo

Grok Bot

Use Excel MCP with Grok Bot

Codex logo

Codex

Use Excel MCP with Codex

Kimi Code logo

Kimi Code

Use Excel MCP with Kimi Code

Grok Build logo

Grok Build

Use Excel MCP with Grok Build

VS Code logo

VS Code

Use Excel MCP with VS Code

OpenCode logo

OpenCode

Use Excel MCP with OpenCode

OpenClaw logo

OpenClaw

Use Excel MCP with OpenClaw

Hermes logo

Hermes

Use Excel MCP with Hermes

Atomic Agent logo

Atomic Agent

Use Excel MCP with Atomic Agent

CLI logo

CLI

Use Excel MCP with CLI

Google ADK logo

Google ADK

Use Excel MCP with Google ADK

LangChain logo

LangChain

Use Excel MCP with LangChain

Vercel AI SDK logo

Vercel AI SDK

Use Excel MCP with Vercel AI SDK

Mastra AI logo

Mastra AI

Use Excel MCP with Mastra AI

LlamaIndex logo

LlamaIndex

Use Excel MCP with LlamaIndex

CrewAI logo

CrewAI

Use Excel MCP with CrewAI

Pydantic AI logo

Pydantic AI

Use Excel MCP with Pydantic AI

AutoGen logo

AutoGen

Use Excel MCP with AutoGen

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

With a standalone Excel MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Excel tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Excel and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Yes, you can. Claude Cowork fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Excel tools.

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Excel scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Excel data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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