Skip to content

Cells & Workbook Features

Work directly with cells, formulas, formatting, worksheets, and workbook settings. These tools handle the core editing and lifecycle operations used in most Excel automation workflows.

View all feature categories

📁 File Operations (6 operations)

Open, create, and close Excel workbooks. Every other tool works on a session opened here.

Operations: - List Sessions: View all active Excel sessions - Open: Open workbook and create session (returns session ID for all subsequent operations). IRM/AIP-protected files are automatically detected and opened read-only with Excel visible for credential authentication — no extra parameters needed. - Close: Close session with optional save - Close Workbook: Close workbook without closing Excel - Create Empty: Create new .xlsx or .xlsm workbook - Test: Verify workbook can be opened and is accessible. Returns isIrmProtected flag for IRM/AIP-protected files.


🧮 Calculation Mode (3 operations)

Control when and how Excel recalculates formulas — useful for speeding up bulk edits.

Operations: - Get Mode: Query current calculation mode and calculation state - Set Mode: Switch between automatic, manual, and semi-automatic modes - Calculate: Explicitly recalculate workbook, sheet, or range


📋 Ranges (51 operations)

Read and write cell values, formulas, and formatting across any range of cells.

Formatting split: use range for number display formats such as dates, currency, percentages, and text display. Use range_format for visual styling, validation, auto-fit, and size/layout changes.

Data Operations: - Get/Set Values: Read or write cell values - Get/Set/Validate Formulas: Read, write, or validate formula syntax across ranges - Clear All/Contents/Formats: Clear a range's contents, formats, or both - Copy / Copy Values / Copy Formulas: Copy a range, or just its values/formulas - Insert/Delete Cells: Shift cells to insert or remove space - Insert/Delete Rows: Insert or delete entire rows - Insert/Delete Columns: Insert or delete entire columns - Find: Search a range for matching values - Replace: Find and replace values in a range - Sort: Sort a range by one or more columns

Discovery & Utilities: - Get Used Range: Get the worksheet's used range - Get Current Region: Get the contiguous data region around a cell - Get Range Info: Get a range's address and dimensions

Hyperlinks: - Add Hyperlink: Add a hyperlink to a cell - Update Hyperlink: Change an external/internal target, display text, or tooltip - Remove Hyperlink: Remove a hyperlink - List Hyperlinks: List all hyperlinks in a range - Get Hyperlink: Get a specific hyperlink's target

Threaded Comments: - Add Threaded Comment: Add a top-level modern comment to one cell - List Threaded Comments: Read a cell's comment and replies - Add Threaded Comment Reply: Reply to an existing cell comment - Delete Threaded Comment: Delete a comment thread and its replies

Number Formatting (range): - Get Number Formats: Read number formats as a 2D array - Set Number Format: Apply one number format uniformly - Set Number Formats: Apply individual per-cell number formats

Visual Formatting (range_format): - Get Style: Read the applied cell style - Set Style: Apply a built-in Excel style - Format Range: Set font, color, borders, alignment, orientation - Format Ranges: Apply one shared formatting payload to multiple ranges

Data Validation (range_format): - Add Validation: Add dropdown, number/date/text validation rules - Get Validation: Read current validation info - Remove Validation: Remove validation rules

Merge Operations (range_format): - Merge Cells: Merge a range into one cell - Unmerge Cells: Undo a merge - Get Merge Info: Read current merge state

Cell Protection: - Set Lock Status: Lock/unlock cells (effective once the sheet is protected) - Get Lock Status: Read current cell lock status

Sizing & Auto-Fitting (range_format): - Auto-Fit Columns / Rows: Resize columns or rows to fit content - Set Column Width / Row Height: Set explicit column widths or row heights


📄 Worksheets (33 operations)

Add, rename, move, and manage worksheets — including tab colors, visibility, protection, legacy cell notes, inline images, shapes, and page setup.

Lifecycle: - List: List worksheets in the workbook - Create: Add a new worksheet - Rename: Rename a worksheet - Copy: Copy a worksheet within the workbook - Move: Move a worksheet within the workbook - Delete: Remove a worksheet

Cross-Workbook Operations: - Copy to File: Copy a worksheet to another workbook (atomic) - Move to File: Move a worksheet to another workbook (atomic)

Tab Colors: - Set Tab Color: Set a worksheet tab's RGB color - Get Tab Color: Read the current tab color - Clear Tab Color: Reset the tab to its default color

Visibility: - Show: Make a worksheet visible - Hide: Hide a worksheet (still shown in the Unhide dialog) - Very Hide: Hide a worksheet from the Excel UI entirely - Get Visibility: Read the current visibility status - Set Visibility: Set visibility status directly

Protection: - Set Protection: Protect or unprotect a worksheet - Get Protection: Read the current protection state

Cell Notes: - Set Comment: Create or update a legacy cell note through Excel's Comment COM API - Get Comment: Read the current legacy cell note text - Clear Comment: Remove a legacy cell note

Images: - Add Image: Insert an image from disk and anchor it to a cell - Get Image Count: Read how many images are currently on a worksheet

Shapes: - Add Shape: Insert a basic rectangle shape and anchor it to a cell - Get Shape Count: Read how many shapes are currently on a worksheet

Page Setup: - Set Page Setup: Configure orientation, fit-to-page settings, and centering - Get Page Setup: Read worksheet page setup values

Outlines: - Group / Ungroup: Group complete row or column ranges and remove one grouping level - Get Outline Info: Read outline level, hidden state, summary positions, and automatic styles - Set Outline Settings: Configure summary rows/columns and automatic styles - Show Outline Levels: Expand or collapse row and column groups to requested levels - Clear Outline: Remove all row and column groups


📘 Workbook (15 operations)

Manage workbook metadata, protection, document properties, file variants, exports, and external links.

Operations: - Set Protection: Protect or unprotect the current workbook, optionally with a password - Get Protection: Determine whether the current workbook is protected - Set View Options: Toggle workbook window gridlines and headings on or off - Get View Options: Read back workbook window gridlines and headings state - Get Info: Read workbook name, path, format, saved/read-only state, and protection metadata - List/Get/Set/Delete Document Properties: Manage built-in and custom workbook properties - Save As: Save as .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb, or .xls and move the active session to the new path - Save Copy As: Create a same-format copy without changing the active workbook - Export Fixed Format: Publish PDF or XPS with quality, page-range, and print-area controls - List/Update/Break External Links: Inspect, refresh, or permanently replace linked-workbook formulas

Printing and print preview are intentionally excluded because physical printer output and modal preview are unsafe for unattended automation.


🏷️ Named Ranges (Parameters) (6 operations)

Manage named ranges — ideal for driving workbook parameters that Power Query and formulas react to.

Operations: - List: List visible user-defined named ranges with references; hidden/internal Excel names (including Power Query ExternalData_* and AutoFilter names) are omitted before value inspection, and large ranges return metadata without materializing values - Read: Get value of a named range - Write: Set value of a named range (ideal for parameter automation) - Create: Create new named range - Update: Modify existing named range - Delete: Remove named range

Notes: - Use cases: Manage workbook parameters without touching worksheets. Ideal for automation — update a parameter and Power Query refreshes automatically.


Task guides