Working with Excel and Word files

GPT Workspace edits Excel workbooks (.xlsx) and Word documents (.docx) that live in Google Drive in place. The file keeps its id, name, link, folder and sharing, it stays an Office file (it is never converted to a Google Sheet or Google Doc), and Drive records a new version each time, so you can always go back with File → Version history.

Ask the chat the same way you would for a Google Sheet or Doc, naming the file or attaching it with @:

• “In Budget 2026.xlsx, set B4 to 1200 and add a Total row below the table.”
• “Read the Q3 sheet of the forecast workbook and tell me which months are above target.”
• “In the contract.docx, replace ACME Ltd with Globex Inc and add a paragraph saying the agreement is governed by Dutch law.”

The chat never proposes a conversion first. If you do want a Google Sheet or Doc, say so (“convert this to a Google Sheet”) and a converted copy is created next to the original, which stays untouched.

Read - the agent lists the sheets (name, size, used range) and reads the cells of a sheet or range, including the formulas and their last computed results. Reads are paged at 200 rows x 50 columns per call.

Edit - the agent writes values and formulas into cells: a grid of values written from a starting cell, formulas as =SUM(B2:B10), dates as 2026-03-01, and empty values to clear cells. Only the cells it writes change: every other cell keeps its value, and all cells keep their number formats, fonts, fills, borders, column widths, merges, data validation, conditional formatting, images and freeze panes. Formulas are recalculated by Excel the next time the file is opened.

In Google Sheets, an .xlsx opened in Office editing mode is handled with the same tools, so the file stays Excel.

Read - the agent reads the document body as numbered paragraphs (table cells included).

Edit - the agent does exact find and replace in the body text and appends plain paragraphs at the end. Styles, images, tables, headers, footers, comments and tracked changes are kept as they are; a replacement keeps the formatting of the text it replaces, and an appended paragraph uses the document’s default paragraph style.

File size	Up to 20 MB per file. Larger files are refused with a clear message; split the file or ask for a smaller one.
Formats	.xlsx and .docx only. Legacy binary .xls / .doc, macro-enabled .xlsm and PowerPoint files are not edited in place.
Not preserved in workbooks	Charts, pivot tables, slicers, form controls and macros are dropped when a workbook is saved. The agent warns before editing a workbook that contains them; ask it to work on a copy if you need them.
Workbook edits	Cell values and formulas only. Formatting, charts, sheet structure, filters and conditional formatting are not edited in Excel files; convert to a Google Sheet for those.
Document edits	Find/replace must match text inside one paragraph (text split by formatting is still found) and is case-sensitive; headers, footers, footnotes and text boxes are not searched. New text is appended at the end only.
Permissions	You need edit access to the file in Drive. Shared drives are supported.

Through the Google Drive MCP server the same operations are available as read_office_workbook, update_office_workbook, read_office_document and replace_office_document_text.