Microsoft is testing a major change to how Excel stores data, allowing a single cell to hold multiple values without combining them into one block of text. The new capabilities include lists, arrays and nested arrays, giving users more ways to organise related information within a single spreadsheet cell.
The features are currently available as previews through the Excel Beta Channels for Windows and Mac. Microsoft has warned that the behaviour could change before the tools become generally available and advises users not to rely on them in important workbooks while they remain in testing.
Excel lists allow several values to stay separate
The first part of the update introduces Lists, which let users place several individual values inside one cell. Traditionally, someone needing to record multiple items in Excel would either use several cells or combine the information into a text string separated by commas or other characters.
With Lists, those values remain separate pieces of data, even though they appear in the same cell. This could be useful for spreadsheets where a single record needs to contain several related entries, such as a project with multiple owners, a survey response containing several appointment times or a task associated with more than one category.
Microsoft says users can create a list by selecting Insert > List or using the Ctrl+J shortcut. You can then enter or paste values into the cell, using commas or semicolons as separators depending on regional settings. You can then edit individual entries by double-clicking the cell or pressing F2.
The change also affects how Excel handles filtering. Rather than viewing the contents of a multi-value cell as one long piece of text, Excel can recognise and filter the individual values contained within the list. References to a list can also return its separate values, allowing them to spill into other cells when required.
This approach could make certain spreadsheets easier to maintain by keeping related information together without sacrificing the ability to work with individual entries. It also provides an alternative to creating increasingly wide spreadsheets simply because one record contains several values.
Arrays and nested arrays expand what cells can contain
Microsoft’s larger change involves arrays, which can now exist directly inside individual cells as values or as formula results. Unlike traditional spreadsheet cells, these arrays can contain multiple values and can vary in size and shape.
The update also introduces nested arrays, allowing one array to contain other arrays. Microsoft says this addresses situations where formulas previously produced incomplete results or returned a #CALC! error when dealing with array-of-array structures.
The company is adding four functions to help users work with these new data structures: FLATTEN, HAS, HASANY and HASALL. FLATTEN can remove nesting levels, while the HAS functions can determine whether particular values exist within an array.
These capabilities could be particularly relevant to advanced Excel users who build complex models or use formulas to process structured data. Microsoft demonstrated the functionality with a running tracker that stores different numbers of kilometre splits in the same row, while calculating related statistics alongside the data.
The ability to keep variable amounts of information within one cell could also reduce the need for workarounds in some spreadsheets. Instead of designing a fixed structure around the maximum number of values a record might contain, users could potentially keep those values together and let Excel handle their internal structure.
However, the new functionality does not yet work consistently across every Excel feature. Microsoft says conditional formatting, data validation, charts, PivotTables, Power Query, and Find & Replace do not currently fully support list and array values.
The features remain experimental for now
Microsoft is still treating the new capabilities as previews rather than finished Excel features. They are rolling out through specific Beta Channel builds for Windows and Mac, so users on other versions of Excel may not have access yet.
Microsoft is also applying additional requirements to some of the more advanced functionality. Nested-array calculations require Compatibility Version 3, which means users may need the appropriate version and configuration before they can work with the new structures.
The limitations around existing Excel tools are also important. Although a list or array can provide a convenient way to store information, users who depend on charts, PivotTables, Power Query or other established spreadsheet features may find that the new data types do not yet integrate fully with their existing workflows.
Microsoft’s decision to release the capabilities through the Beta Channels allows it to gather feedback and identify compatibility issues before a broader release. The company has indicated that the behaviour may change during the preview period, so users building important business or financial workbooks may want to wait until the features reach a more stable release.
If Microsoft can address those limitations, the changes could alter how some users structure spreadsheets. A cell that can hold a collection of distinct values rather than a single value or a text string gives Excel more flexibility for handling data that does not naturally fit into a traditional row-and-column structure.
For everyday users, the change may initially have little impact. For people who regularly build complex spreadsheets, however, lists and nested arrays could provide new ways to organise information while reducing the need for complicated workarounds.
