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Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A

Use Copilot, Power Query and Python in Excel for finance work, building forecasts and board commentary with the numbers under control.

Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for finance professionals, analysts and accountants who work in Excel. It has 9 modules and takes about 7.8 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.

  • Free
  • Beginner
  • 7.8 hours
  • Self-paced
  • Certificate optional
  • Lab practice in your browser
See what you learn

No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.

Who it is for
Finance professionals, analysts and accountants who work in Excel
Jobs
Roles that use this skill: analyst, operations specialist, project coordinator and team lead using AI tools. No course guarantees a job.
Tools
Microsoft Excel from Microsoft 365 (Copilot and Python in Excel need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes them), and a free account on ChatGPT or Claude. Every exercise has a route for people without Copilot. Hardware: A laptop or desktop.
Updated
Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course cover
Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course cover

After this course you can

By the end you will be able to:

  • Decide where Copilot helps and where ordinary formulas must stay
  • Clean messy exports with Power Query and AI
  • Compare Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT on your own data
  • Build a driver-based forecast and dashboard
  • Keep every reported number reproducible and reviewed

Who it is for, and what you need first

Who it is for

Finance professionals, analysts and accountants who work in Excel.

Level: Beginner. Beginner in AI. You should be comfortable with Excel formulas, tables and pivot tables. No coding needed to start.

What you need

Software: Microsoft Excel from Microsoft 365 (Copilot and Python in Excel need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes them), and a free account on ChatGPT or Claude. Every exercise has a route for people without Copilot..

Hardware: A laptop or desktop.. What to download, and how.

How this course works

  1. Watch the lessons

    Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.

  2. Read the notes

    Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.

  3. Practise in the 3D labOptional

    Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.

  4. Check yourself

    Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.

  5. Final assessment

    Pass the final once you have been through the modules.

  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptional

    Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.

What you learn

9 modules in order, at your own pace. 7.8 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.

  1. 1How to start with AI in finance14m
  2. 2Copilot in Excel: the tour, with lab practice: 30m
  3. 3Copilot in the grid: from =COPILOT to the side pane32m
  4. 4Cleaning data fast with AI and Power Query, with lab practice: 35m
  5. 5Python in Excel for FP&A43m
  6. 6Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT on the same spreadsheet, with lab practice: 51m
  7. 7Forecasts, dashboards and month-end reporting, with lab practice: 43m
  8. 8Presenting finance with AI, and saving the hours39m
Show the other 1 modules
  1. 9Final Assessment3m

Software you need

What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.

Copilot and Python in Excel need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes them. Every exercise has a route for people without Copilot.

Show what to download (3 tools)

Required

  1. 01

    Microsoft Excel

    Microsoft

    Free web version with limits
    Runs on
    Excel for the web in any modern browser; desktop apps for Windows and macOS with a Microsoft 365 subscription
    Account
    A free Microsoft account

    Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of cloud storage. The desktop app comes with a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, which offers a free trial. Python in Excel is not available on free licences, and fuller Copilot features need an eligible paid plan.

    Official download pagemicrosoft.com

    Alternatives

One AI assistant

Any one is enough.

  1. 02

    ChatGPT

    OpenAI, in the browser

    Free plan with limits
    Runs on
    Any modern web browser, plus mobile and desktop apps
    Account
    A free OpenAI account

    The Free plan allows everyday text chats. File uploads, image creation, voice and data analysis have tighter limits than paid plans, and ads may appear in some countries. Paid plans raise the limits.

    Open ChatGPTchatgpt.com
  2. 03

    Claude

    Anthropic, in the browser

    Free plan with limits
    Runs on
    Any modern web browser, plus desktop and mobile apps
    Account
    A free Claude account (you must be 18 or over)

    The Free plan covers chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation and Artifacts. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window and depend on message length and features used. Paid plans give more usage.

    Open Claudeclaude.com

Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.

Practise in the 3D lab

Practise the rule this course keeps: check an AI-written finance summary against the table, clean a messy export, and strip personal data before you share a file.

Train and testWatch

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Course project, about 8 hours

An AI-assisted monthly FP&A pack for an auto-components maker: cleaning log, driver forecast, controls procedure and board commentary

Build the monthly FP&A pack for a mid-size manufacturer, using AI where it helps and formulas where they must stay. Clean an invented ERP export with Power Query, build a six-month driver forecast, write the controls procedure, tie out the board commentary and measure the hours saved. The sample pack shows each document for the same company.

This project at a glance
  1. 4documents in the pack
  2. 6steps to follow
  3. Laboptional: in the 3D lab
  4. 5things to hand in
  5. 8 hof work, at your pace
  • RegisterPower Query cleaning log: September ERP export
  • PlanDriver-based forecast: design and ownership
  • ProcedureUsing AI in the monthly FP&A pack
  • ReportBoard commentary: September, with tie-out record

Do it in the lab: 4 steps.

The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.

After the course, your next step

Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.

Sample EDWartens Certificate of Completion for Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A

Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, your final score, a certificate ID and a QR code that opens its verification page.

Optional

A certificate you can verify

Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.

Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.

A person reviewing a task board of sticky notes in columns from in progress to complete.
Free · 4 weeks · free certificate

AI for Project Management

Eight short weeks of using AI for charters, schedules, risks, minutes and status reports, and of knowing where its estimates fall short: notes, diagrams, a few videos and worked exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.

See the internship

More free courses

Roles that use this skill

  • Analyst
  • Operations specialist
  • Project coordinator
  • Team lead using AI tools

These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.

Plain notes

  • Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
  • Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
  • No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
  • Lessons by: Christian Martinez, David Fortin, Mike Dion. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.

Christian Martinez: AI for Finance · David Fortin · Mike Dion | AI For Finance. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.

Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

See the 3D lab
  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Why learn with EDWartens

What you get with this course, and what comes after it.

  • Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
  • Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
  • Video lessons with written notes and a project.
  • An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
  • Free internships to keep practising afterwards.

Common questions

Do I need Copilot to take this course?

No. Copilot and Python in Excel need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes them, and every exercise has a route using a free assistant and ordinary Excel. You will still understand what Copilot does and how to control it.

Is this a Microsoft course?

No. The lessons are from independent finance and Excel educators, credited on each module, and Microsoft is not affiliated with EDWartens.

Will AI do my month-end for me?

No, and the course is clear about why. AI takes the cleaning, the first drafts and the layout. Every reported number still comes from a formula and is tied out and reviewed.

Do I need to code?

No. Python in Excel is introduced with short examples an assistant can write for you. The course shows how to check the result with an ordinary formula.

How long does the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course take?

About 8 hours of video lessons and study across nine modules, plus about 8 hours if you do the optional FP&A pack project. The course plan spreads it over about four weeks, at your own pace.

Does the course still cover the =COPILOT function?

Yes, with an update. Microsoft's notice set the function's retirement for 14 September 2026 (check the notice and your own copy of Excel). The module shows what the lessons teach with it. It shows how to do the same text jobs in the Copilot pane or another assistant. It also shows how to clear =COPILOT out of old workbooks before they break.

Is the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course really free?

Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.

What certificate does the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course give?

An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a Microsoft certification.

Do I have to use the lab?

No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.

Is the lab free?

Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.

What topics does the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course cover, module by module?

The Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course has 9 modules. It opens with "How to start with AI in finance", goes through "Copilot in Excel: the tour", "Cleaning data fast with AI and Power Query", "Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT on the same spreadsheet" and "Presenting finance with AI, and saving the hours" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.

What can I do after the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course?

After the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course: Use Copilot in Excel on a clean table and check every formula it writes; Classify and summarise text with Copilot, and know why to keep AI away from reported figures; Clean messy exports with Power Query so next month is one refresh. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.

What software and hardware do I need for the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course, and does it cost anything?

For the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course, software: Microsoft Excel from Microsoft 365 (Copilot and Python in Excel need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes them), and a free account on ChatGPT or Claude. Every exercise has a route for people without Copilot. Hardware: A laptop or desktop. The course itself is free.

Is the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course suitable for me, and what level is it?

Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A is rated beginner. Beginner in AI. You should be comfortable with Excel formulas, tables and pivot tables. No coding needed to start. It is written for finance professionals, analysts and accountants who work in Excel, and takes about 7.8 hours at your own pace.

Which jobs use the skills from the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course?

Skills from the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course (for example: use Copilot in Excel on a clean table and check every formula it writes) are used in roles such as analyst, operations specialist, project coordinator and team lead using AI tools, and in financial analyst work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.

Start free today

Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.