- Report finds that Microsoft Excel maintains its dominance across generations and bridges the gap between young and old
- Younger finance professionals report greater emotional attachment to Excel
- Its speed and functionality make it preferable to cloud-first spreadsheet tools
Microsoft Excel continues to hold a firm place in finance and accounting departments, despite first being released in 1985.
Originally competing with VisiCalc and Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft’s spreadsheet software has outlasted its early competitors and established itself as a central tool for professionals.
Even younger finance professionals who joined the workforce long after Excel’s debut report strong loyalty, suggesting the software has successfully bridged generational gaps – with only 5% of finance professionals expressing outright negative feelings towards Excel.
Excel remains indispensable
Research from to Datarails (via The register) found over half (54%) of finance professionals aged 22 to 32 report “loving” Excel, a higher proportion than among older generations, where 39% express similar enthusiasm.
89% of all users expect the software to remain as important or more important in the next decade, and most would hesitate to accept roles that prohibit the use of Excel.
The popularity of Excel stems from its combination of speed, functionality and local performance advantages over cloud-first alternatives like Google Sheets.
While Sheets encourages collaboration, Excel is preferred for large data sets and complex modeling tasks, which are often critical to financial planning.
Airbus mentions e.g. file size limitations as a reason it continues to rely heavily on Excel for its finance team.
Pivot tables, conditional formatting, and other advanced features remain core elements that professionals across generations rely on to perform essential calculations efficiently.
These numbers indicate that familiarity with Microsoft’s spreadsheet software translates into both professional confidence and personal preference.
Microsoft continues to add AI functionality to Excel, including Copilot functions embedded directly in cells.
The improvements aim to streamline repetitive tasks and offer predictive insights for complex data.
However, experts warn that such integration must respect the workflow skills that users have developed over the years.
Events such as the recent Microsoft Excel World Championship illustrate the software’s widespread use and the devotion that users feel for it.
It shows that Excel is more than just a productivity tool; it is a key component of many professionals’ productivity habits.
Excel’s integration with other office software and compatibility with spreadsheet software standards help ensure continued relevance.
New productivity tools can only challenge its supremacy if they deliver equally powerful features with improved collaboration and efficiency.
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