# Check workbook figures in a Word memo with Claude > Use Claude with an open Excel workbook and Word memo, then verify the figures, units and periods and review proposed changes. By BIG CHANGE Editorial Published: 2026-10-19T13:46:35.014Z Updated: 2026-10-19T13:46:35.014Z Canonical: https://bigchange.ai/blog/claude-excel-word-memo-figure-check ![Conceptual charcoal illustration of an open laptop showing a blank spreadsheet grid beside a memo made of text strokes, with small orange marks.](https://bigchange.ai/api/media/file/claude-workbook-memo-comparison-hero-v1.png) AI-generated conceptual illustration by BIG CHANGE; not a Claude, Excel or Word screenshot or a hands-on test result. Claude's Microsoft 365 add-ins can draft a Word memo from an open Excel workbook. The useful result is proposed text whose figures you can trace back to the workbook; Claude's transfer does not replace that check. ## The big change - **What changed:** Claude can carry context from an open Excel workbook into an open Word document in one conversation. The reader still chooses and opens the files. - **Why it matters:** A project-status memo can be drafted beside the workbook that supplies its figures. That removes a copy-and-paste step, but a plausible sentence can carry the wrong period, unit or number. The person sending the memo must check it. - **What to watch:** Word can show Claude's edits as tracked revisions, while the source workbook stays available for a cell-by-cell check. Those reviews determine whether the memo is usable. ## Before you start Use a permitted workbook and an existing Word memo or template. Keep a copy of the Word file before editing. Open both files. Claude works with **currently open files**; it cannot create, open, close or switch files, or search a closed OneDrive folder through this workflow. Save legacy `.doc` files as `.docx` first. [Anthropic's cross-app guide](https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/work-across-apps) and [Word guide](https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/word) set these boundaries. Check Word compatibility: Word on the web; Windows Microsoft 365 Version 2205, build 15202.10000 or later; or Mac version 16.61, build 22040100 or later. Word 2016/2019 perpetual editions, iPad and Android are excluded. Cross-app work requires direct sign-in to a paid Claude **Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise** account. Bedrock, Vertex AI, Azure AI Foundry and LLM-gateway sign-ins do not support it. Existing plan usage limits apply; the manuals quote no per-memo price. Install **Claude for Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook** from Microsoft AppSource, then open each app and activate its add-in once. In each add-in's **Settings**, turn on **“Let Claude work across files”** on this device. Pro and Max default to on; Team and Enterprise default to off. A Team or Enterprise owner must permit **“Let Claude work across apps”** under **Organization settings → Office agents**; Microsoft 365 admins can restrict add-in access too. ## Draft and check the memo 1. **Find the source yourself.** In Excel, identify the sheet, cells and reporting period for each needed figure. Note its unit, whether it is a total or rate, and any rounding. Leave the workbook and Word memo open with their add-ins active. 2. **Ask for a bounded draft in Word.** Enter tracked changes mode in Claude for Word before asking for the draft. Name the memo section, audience and source workbook. Ask Claude to preserve units and periods and flag gaps. For example: > Draft the project-status section of this open Word memo using figures from the open Excel workbook. Identify the reporting period and unit beside each figure. Do not infer a missing figure or explain a change without evidence. List any workbook values or definitions you could not resolve so I can check them. Expect proposed text in Word, not verified analysis or guaranteed source-cell references. Omit any untraceable figure from the final memo. 3. **Inspect every number against Excel.** Check each figure's source cell, value, unit, period, label and rounding. Confirm that a percentage is not described as a percentage-point change, a monthly value as a quarterly total, or a forecast as an actual. Check claims about increases, delays or causes against approved project records. Record source cells in your review notes if an audit trail is needed; Word section citations do not establish Excel-cell provenance. 4. **Review the wording in Word.** Claude's revisions made in tracked changes mode appear in Word's review pane. Accept or reject each one. Recheck changed numbers or qualifications, then save. Every retained figure, unit and period should match its source, with no unreviewed revision left. If Claude cannot see a file, check its add-in and cross-app setting. On Windows the add-in is under **Home → Add-ins**; on Mac, **Tools → Add-ins**. For a missing change, wait for the current action, then ask Claude to reread the open file. Use trusted files and follow your organization's data rules. Anthropic says add-in inputs and outputs are generally deleted from its backend within 30 days, subject to exceptions; the add-ins do **not** inherit custom organizational retention. Word chat history is stored locally in the browser. Add-in activity is absent from Enterprise audit logs, although enabled Compliance API coverage applies. Hidden instructions in documents can steer the add-in, so inspect confirmations for risky actions and review the final memo yourself. ## Sources & further reading - [Work across M365 apps](https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/work-across-apps), Anthropic. Documents the four-add-in setup, direct paid-account requirement, cross-app settings, open-file scope, examples, troubleshooting and data handling. It does not promise a successful draft or Excel-cell citations for this memo. - [Use Claude for Word](https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/word), Anthropic. Documents supported Word versions, tracked changes, account usage limits, retention and prompt-injection risks. Its clickable section citations concern the open Word document, not a verified source-cell trail through Excel. ## Sources - [Claude Office agents: work across apps](https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/work-across-apps) — Official primary manual, read 19 October 2026: paid direct account, four activated add-ins, cross-app settings, organization controls, open-file scope, troubleshooting and data handling. No published revision date shown. - [Claude in Word](https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/word) — Official primary manual, read 19 October 2026: supported Word builds, tracked changes, account usage limits, retention and prompt-injection risk. No published revision date shown; no account or run performed.