AI that can create Excel files: Claude and Gemini do it free, and the formats 7 assistants make

Which AI can create Excel, Word, PowerPoint and PDF files?

Claude, ChatGPT, Grok and Microsoft Copilot each document Excel, Word, PowerPoint and PDF output, and none of the four names CSV. Gemini is the mirror image: it lists CSV and makes no PowerPoint file. Every row below comes from the vendor's own help page, launch post or guide, read on 12 October 2026.

Claude and Gemini are the two you can use for free with a vendor page that says so. Anthropic's file creation article says the feature "is available to all Claude users (Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise)." Google's launch post of 29 April 2026 lists .pdf, .docx, .xlsx and .csv, plus LaTeX, TXT, RTF and Markdown, for "all Gemini app users globally." There's one limit. Google's Workspace post says Gemini makes one file per prompt.

ChatGPT goes the other way. OpenAI puts its file making inside Microsoft Office, so ChatGPT for Excel, for Word and for PowerPoint run as add-ins on every plan, Free included. ChatGPT Work, launched on 9 July 2026, creates documents, spreadsheets and presentations without Office. OpenAI's pricing page lists Work as "Limited (desktop app)" on Free and Go, and Plus at $20 a month adds the web and mobile.

Whizi, which publishes this page, answers a file request on whizi.io with a file card that builds the file in your browser. A sheet downloads as .xlsx with live formulas, or as CSV, PDF, Markdown or HTML. A document saves as .docx, PDF, Markdown, HTML or TXT. It works with whichever model you pick, Whizi AI on a free account included. It loses on decks: the .pptx has no images or charts, and the mobile app makes no decks at all. A free turn also stops at 5,000 output tokens, which caps how big a free sheet gets. How file cards work covers the rest.

Can ChatGPT create an Excel file?

Yes, and OpenAI's main route runs inside Excel itself. The ChatGPT for Excel and Google Sheets add-in builds, updates and explains spreadsheets, "large, multi-tab files" included, with formulas and references. OpenAI made it generally available "across all plans" on 5 May 2026. Free and Go get limited use, and OpenAI publishes no number for it.

You do need Excel for it, on the desktop or on the web. Without it, ChatGPT Work makes the spreadsheet for you, or a native Google Sheet if you connect Google Workspace. OpenAI's Work article tells you to "Name the output format and where ChatGPT should create the file." That's the habit that stops a chat from handing back a table you have to copy.

PDFs come out of a plain chat too. OpenAI Academy's guide to working with files mentions "downloading ChatGPT-generated outputs (like updated spreadsheets or PDFs)," though it doesn't say which plans can download them. CSV isn't named as an output on any OpenAI page we read.

The files you make there count against your storage. OpenAI's release notes of 14 May 2026 give Free 500 MB, Go 4 GB, Plus and Business 20 GB, and Pro 100 GB, and that covers "files created in ChatGPT, including documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and images." ChatGPT for Word joined the add-ins on 17 September 2026, and OpenAI says it's "available on all ChatGPT plans, including Free." ChatGPT Free vs paid has what else each plan gets.

Can Claude create files?

Yes. Claude creates Excel, Word, PowerPoint and PDF files on every plan, Free included, once you switch the feature on. On the web and in Claude Desktop, open Settings > Capabilities and turn on Code execution and file creation. On a Team or Enterprise plan, the owner flips it for everyone.

Each file can be up to 30 MB, for uploads and downloads alike, and it works on the web, the desktop app and mobile. Anthropic launched the feature on 9 September 2025 as a preview for Max, Team and Enterprise. Its launch post says Claude builds a spreadsheet "with working formulas and multiple sheets," and it can turn an uploaded PDF report into slides.

CSV is the one gap in it. Anthropic lists CSV as something you upload for analysis, not a format Claude hands back, so ask for an .xlsx and save it as CSV in Excel. Claude's file upload limits cover the input side.

Claude for Excel goes further, and it needs Pro or above. Anthropic's add-in page says it builds new models, keeps formula links intact when you change an assumption, and can sort, filter and edit pivot tables. It doesn't do macros, VBA or data tables, and it won't run on Excel for iPad or Android.

Which AI can make Word documents and PDF files?

Gemini makes Word documents and PDFs for every Gemini app user, free accounts included. Ask for the file, then download it or send it to Drive. Google's post says "For most formats, you can then directly download the file to your device or export to Drive."

Grok makes them through Skills. xAI's Skills post of 18 May 2026 says Grok "generates production-ready Word docs, PowerPoint slides, Excel files, and PDFs." It adds that "Every Grok account ships with built-in skills from xAI, with no setup required." The post ties Skills to Grok 4.3 on grok.com, iOS and Android, and it names no CSV.

Microsoft Copilot's file making is documented only for Windows Insiders. Microsoft's Insider post of 9 October 2025 says users "can generate Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, or PowerPoint presentations" from a Copilot chat, starting with app version 1.25095.161.0, as a gradual rollout to Insiders. Replies of 600 characters or more get an export button for Word, PowerPoint, Excel or PDF. We found no Microsoft support page, as of October 2026, that confirms the release reached everyone, so check your app for that button.

Perplexity makes files only in Labs. Its launch post says Labs can "craft everything from reports and spreadsheets to dashboards and simple web apps," and it came to Pro subscribers on 29 May 2025. All of the charts, images, CSV and code files it makes collect in an Assets tab under your question. For slides, our guide to whether ChatGPT can make a PowerPoint compares the deck routes.

How do you get an AI to make an Excel spreadsheet with formulas?

You name the format, the tabs and the formulas in one request, then check a total cell in Excel. A vague "put this in a spreadsheet" gets you typed numbers or a table in the chat.

1. Switch file creation on where it's a setting. Claude needs Settings > Capabilities > Code execution and file creation; Gemini and Grok don't.
2. Give it the data. Upload a CSV or .xlsx, or paste the rows.
3. Ask for a downloadable .xlsx by name, with the tabs and columns listed.
4. Ask for live formulas that point at the data, not typed totals.
5. Open the file, click a total and confirm the formula bar shows a formula.

Paste this prompt into Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT Work, Grok or Whizi. Fill the brackets.

Spreadsheet prompt: "Make a downloadable Excel file (.xlsx) named [name]. Tab 1, Data: columns [A, B, C], one row per [item] from the data I pasted. Tab 2, Summary: a total and an average per [category], using live SUMIF and AVERAGEIF formulas that point at the Data tab, not typed numbers. Format money columns as currency. Leave a cell empty where my data has no value. Don't guess."

Check the file yourself before anyone else sees it. Anthropic's own add-in page says Claude for Excel isn't recommended for "audit-critical calculations without verification," and a chatbot's workbook deserves the same care. If the data is messy to begin with, cleaning up a spreadsheet with AI comes first, and the best AI for data analysis picks a model for the numbers.