Claude Code and Word, Excel and PowerPoint: Microsoft 365 vs Artifacts

In Microsoft 365, an AI agent's work arrives as a file. Claude can create Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. Once a file in a modern format is in OneDrive or SharePoint, everyone with edit permission can co-author it.

Two Anthropic tools go further:

• The Microsoft 365 connector lets Claude search SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook and Teams, and upload or replace files in SharePoint libraries.
• Claude for PowerPoint works inside a deck.

Artifacts is a different model: a shared workspace where Claude Code, Codex and other MCP agents publish spreadsheets, documents and slides. The team edits and comments on them there, and the agent answers. The files still download as .xlsx, Word and PowerPoint.

Key takeaways

• Co-authoring in Microsoft 365 needs three things: the file in OneDrive or SharePoint, a modern format (.docx, .xlsx or .pptx), and edit permission for every co-author.
• Claude's Microsoft 365 connector reads SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook and Teams. Its file tools upload, replace, move, copy and delete files in SharePoint libraries. It needs a work account in a Microsoft Entra tenant and a Global Administrator's consent.
• Claude for PowerPoint edits decks from inside PowerPoint, and is available on the Claude Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans.
• Choose Microsoft 365 when the files must live in your tenant from the start. Choose Artifacts when several agents make the work and keep changing it with the team.

Disclosure: this blog is published by the Artifacts team. Facts about Microsoft 365 and Claude come from Microsoft's and Anthropic's own pages, linked under Sources and read on 31 October 2026.

At a glance

Getting an agent's files into Microsoft 365

Co-authoring: what a file needs

Microsoft's support page lists what co-authoring requires:

• Shared storage. OneDrive, OneDrive for work or school, SharePoint or SharePoint Server.
• Apps that support it. Word and PowerPoint newer than Office 2010, the Excel mobile apps, and the latest Excel for Microsoft 365.
• A modern file format. Co-authoring "is only supported on modern file formats including: .docx (Word), .pptx (PowerPoint), and .xlsx (Excel)."
• Edit permission. All co-authors must be able to access and edit the document.

Files in OneDrive must be shared explicitly; by default only the owner can view and edit them. In SharePoint, a document inherits its library's permissions. Microsoft also notes that it does not support co-authoring documents stored on Google Drive.

Claude makes the files

Claude can create Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx), PowerPoint presentations (.pptx), Word documents (.docx) and PDF files when code execution and file creation are on. You can download the files or save them to Google Drive. To co-author one in Microsoft 365, it then has to go into OneDrive or SharePoint.

Claude's Microsoft 365 connector

Anthropic's Microsoft 365 connector gives Claude access to Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams with the user's own permissions. According to Anthropic's security guide:

• Plans. It is available on all Claude plans: Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise.
• Accounts. It needs a Microsoft 365 account in a Microsoft Entra tenant; personal accounts such as @outlook.com can't be used. A Global Administrator must grant consent for the organization. On Team and Enterprise plans, a Claude owner must also enable the connector.
• Reading. It searches SharePoint documents and folders, email, calendars and Teams chats, and reads files by link.
• Files. Its write tools upload a new file to a library or folder, replace an existing file's content, and create, rename, move, copy or delete files and folders.
• Limits. Users can't bypass SharePoint sharing settings or folder permissions.

Claude inside PowerPoint and Excel

Claude for PowerPoint, an add-in from Anthropic, "reads your existing deck — layouts, fonts, colors, and slide masters — and makes edits that respect your formatting." It can build slides from a template, restructure a storyline and add native charts. It is available on the Claude Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. Anthropic also lists Claude for Excel in Microsoft Marketplace.

What it costs

Microsoft lists these plans, per user per month, paid yearly:

The Claude plan is separate.

What Artifacts does differently

Artifacts starts from the agent's side. Agents are members of a shared space, and the files live there while the work is still moving:

• Any MCP agent. Claude Code, Codex and other MCP clients connect with their own key and the name their owner gave them, with a role in each space: view, comment or edit.
• Many kinds of work. Spreadsheets, documents, slides, PDFs, dashboards, databases, forms, comparisons, maps, timelines, diagrams, designs, code and working pages, each with its own link.
• Comments that reach the agent. People comment on the exact cell, slide, sentence, picture or line of code. Agents read the thread and reply there.
• Requests by @mention. With the Artifacts helper running on the computer where the agent lives, an @mention in the chat runs your own Claude Code or Codex with that request.
• Files out. Sheets download as .xlsx or CSV, documents as Word or PDF, and decks as PowerPoint or PDF, so the finished files can go into OneDrive or SharePoint.
• Sharing. Share a whole space or one item by invite link, as view, comment or edit. A single shared item opens read-only from its link without an account.

Which to choose

A common pattern combines them: the agents and the team work on the draft in Artifacts, then download the final .xlsx, Word or PowerPoint file into SharePoint.

Frequently asked questions

Can Claude Code create Word, Excel and PowerPoint files?

Claude can create .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files when file creation is turned on. Anthropic's Microsoft 365 connector guide describes the connector for Claude; it does not mention Claude Code. Claude Code connects to outside tools over MCP; see What is an MCP server?

Can an AI-made file be co-authored right away?

Yes, if it is a .docx, .xlsx or .pptx file stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and every co-author has edit permission. Older formats don't support co-authoring.

Does Claude's Microsoft 365 connector work with a personal Microsoft account?

No. Anthropic's guide says personal accounts (@outlook.com, @hotmail.com) can't be used; the account must belong to a Microsoft Entra tenant.

How do I share the result with people outside the team?

In Microsoft 365, through OneDrive and SharePoint sharing. In Artifacts, by sending the item's invite link: people outside the team can view it read-only without an account, or sign in for the role you chose. You can also publish an item as a page with your own brand.