Anthropic Claude now connects with Microsoft Word, Outlook: Here is how it works

Anthropic is doubling down on Claude for Microsoft 365 suite of apps. The AI model can now connect across apps such as Word, Excel and Outlook. You can now start your work with Claude on Outlook and then carry the same context into Word or PowerPoint. Here is how it works.

In Short

• Anthropic adds Claude to Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook
• Now you can use Claude to do the work across these apps with same memory
• Users on social media say Copilot may be dead

Anthropic is making it easier to use Claude for work. The company has now expanded Claude across Microsoft 365 suite of apps, with add-ins for Excel, PowerPoint and Word now generally available. The AI startup has also brought Claude for Outlook, which is in beta. This means that now you can use Claude directly across Microsoft apps with the same context instead of having to use the AI on the web.

On X, the official Claude account revealed that the AI will remember the context as you use different apps – you can go from Word to PowerPoint and Claude will remember exactly what you are doing. The caption read, “As Claude moves between your Microsoft apps, it carries the full context of your conversation.”

How to use Claude across Microsoft apps?

In a demo video shared by Anthropic, a user starts off the work on Outlook, where they ask Claude to summarise emails. Once Claude informs the user on the project they need to do, they switch to Word. On Word, you don’t need to give Claude the context again – the AI will remember what you had discussed on Outlook.

Similarly, you can then ask Claude to create a presentation related to the same project on PowerPoint, without having to explain everything all over again.

And Claude can do a lot within these apps. According to Anthropic, in Excel, for instance, Claude can edit cells and assumptions without breaking existing formulae. While in PowerPoint, the AI can work within your template and create native charts instead of inserting them as images.

Anthropic goes after Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft already has built-in AI features in its suite of apps via Copilot. However, unlike the extra cost that Microsoft charges for Copilot, Claude can be integrated across your suites for free – as long as you are on a paid Claude plan.

The general availability for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint also plays a role, since it may allow for easier integration.

Do note that Anthropic had released a similar update last month, but now you can carry the same context across your apps with Claude.

Internet reacts to Claude for Word, says Copilot is dead

On X, users were quick to respond to the Claude update. One user shared a clip of the Marvel character Thanos and wrote, “Claude just killed Microsoft Copilot for good.”

Another user posted, “Microsoft developers watching Claude integrate better than Copilot in their own software.” Do note that Copilot has reportedly seen an increase in sales recently, with Microsoft seemingly having over 70 Copilot products across different categories.

Though social media users were not just talking about the impact of Claude on Copilot. Some believed that this may be detrimental to those who had spent years perfecting their Microsoft Office skills.

One person posted a clip of Jake Gyllenhaal from Prisoners where is breaking things at his desk and wrote, “The guy who paid for advanced Excel courses and burned his eyelashes out trying to learn how to use it.”

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