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Does Microsoft plan to improve the functionality of Excel for iPadOS?

Andriy Yakovliev 0 Reputation points
2026-03-25T08:26:47.4033333+00:00

Hello,

It’s a bit frustrating having an annual subscription and to do not have a full functionality in Excel, like using Vlookup formulas for external book and, which very silly - ability to select random multiple cells using ctrl+select..

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | iOS
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  1. Norah-L 6,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-03-29T08:25:40.0866667+00:00

    Hello Andriy Yakovliev!

    Thank you for reporting this issue to the Q&A forum.

    Based on what Microsoft has publicly shared so far, there’s no announced roadmap to bring Excel for iPadOS to full feature parity with the Windows or macOS desktop versions. At present, Excel on iPad is designed as a mobile‑optimized app rather than a full desktop replacement.

    Please also note that this is a user‑to‑user community forum, so we can only share suggestions based on our own experience and findings. For product‑level requests or back‑end changes, the official way to request missing features is to submit feedback directly in Excel for iPad (Help & Feedback → Suggest a Feature) or via Feedback Portal. While this doesn’t guarantee immediate changes, user feedback plays an important role in shaping future product decisions.

    Thank you for taking the time to share your concern, and apologies for any inconvenience.

    Best regards.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-03-25T08:27:03.41+00:00

    There is no published information in the provided material about future plans to expand Excel for iPadOS to full desktop parity, including features like cross‑workbook VLOOKUP or Ctrl+click style random multi‑cell selection.

    The context confirms that:

    • Excel on mobile (including iPad) is intentionally a reduced version compared to Windows and macOS.
    • Mobile apps receive selected new features over time (for example, new functions like IFS, MAXIFS, MINIFS, SWITCH, CONCAT, and TEXTJOIN, improved Formula AutoComplete, and other enhancements).
    • Microsoft encourages submitting feedback for missing or desired functionality through the in‑app feedback mechanism or the feedback portal so that product teams can see and prioritize requests.

    Based on this, the only supported action is to submit detailed feedback from within Excel on iPad describing the exact scenarios needed (e.g., cross‑workbook lookups and multi‑cell selection behavior). No commitment or schedule for such improvements is provided in the context.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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