Which software company makes Excel?

The story behind the answer

Microsoft makes Excel. Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program developed and published by Microsoft, and it is offered as part of Microsoft 365 and the broader Microsoft Office family.

Excel began as a spreadsheet application for personal computers and has expanded into a general-purpose tool for organizing data, performing calculations, creating charts, building pivot tables, and automating tasks. Its formulas and functions range from simple arithmetic to statistical, financial, lookup, and data-analysis operations. It also supports macros written in Visual Basic for Applications, or VBA.

A common mix-up is confusing Excel with Microsoft Access. Both can manage information, but Excel is primarily a spreadsheet editor, while Access is a relational database application. Excel is also distinct from Google Sheets, which is made by Google and emphasizes browser-based collaboration. Modern Excel versions run across platforms including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and iPadOS.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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