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Python inside Excel — =PY()

Use Python in a cell like a formula. Pass ranges, return DataFrames, chart inline, and decide when =PY() is the right tool.

Toolkit 7 lessons ~60 min

This is the headline feature. The =PY() formula lets you write a few lines of Python directly inside an Excel cell and get the result back into the spreadsheet. Cloud-powered, no install required (other than Microsoft 365), and surprisingly powerful.

⚠️ Requires Microsoft 365
Standalone Excel 2019/2021/2024 doesn't include =PY(). If you don't have 365, you can still read this module for the concepts and use Python in Jupyter for the same outcomes.

Lessons in this module

  1. =PY() — the first ten formulas · 9 min
    Type =PY(, write Python, hit Ctrl+Enter. The basic muscle memory.
  2. The xl() helper — getting Excel data into Python · 8 min
    How to reference cells, ranges, and tables from inside =PY().
  3. Pandas in =PY() — the killer combination · 9 min
    Run real pandas operations inside Excel cells. Groupby, pivot, sort, filter.
  4. Charts in =PY() with matplotlib and seaborn · 8 min
    Return a chart from a =PY() cell. Lives inside the workbook like an image.
  5. When =PY() is the right tool — and when it isn't · 6 min
    A decision guide so you reach for the right hammer.
  6. Twelve =PY() recipes you'll use · 9 min
    Copy-paste-ready snippets for the most common Python-in-Excel tasks.
  7. Limits, costs, and security of =PY() · 6 min
    What =PY() can't do, where it stores your data, and how it's priced.