I'm new to using Claude and recently upgraded to the Pro version for some light coding and to assist with my grad school finance courses. I've noticed that Claude performs better than other AI models, especially for finance-related tasks. Since much of my coursework involves Excel spreadsheets, I'm hoping to find a simple Claude plug-in that can be integrated into Excel. I've previously used 'GPT for Excel', but it wasn't very user-friendly. Does anyone know of a good plug-in for Claude that fits the bill?
5 Answers
I think using the AI that's built into the platform is a strong choice. Gemini in Google Sheets may have the upper hand. But if you're set on using Excel, you might need to do a bit of manual work since AI tools can struggle with complex spreadsheet formulas. Consider using Python to generate tables and graphs—it’s flexible and might make your life easier!
If you’re keen on getting Claude to work with Excel, you might explore using an MCP server that can enable Claude's integration with your local files. Just a heads up, you’ll probably need to convert your Excel files to CSV format for smooth functioning. The DesktopCommander MCP works well in these cases!
Not a direct plug-in, but I created a Google Apps script that exports your Google Sheets data as JSON, so you can send it to Claude. This way, Claude will understand every cell and formula. Check it out [here](https://github.com/mettamatt/gSheet-AI-Export). It can be automated with some tweaks!
Have you thought about using Claude with Google Sheets instead? I had success using apps script with VS Code to push to Sheets. Claude can write scripts that you can run directly from the toolbar—this could really enhance your Excel work!
While I get where you’re coming from, have you checked out Gemini for Google Sheets? It’s not exactly what you asked for, but it might help! You can find more info [here](https://workspace.google.com/resources/spreadsheet-ai/).
Thanks for the suggestion! I'll look into Gemini, sounds interesting.