Microsoft Excel shown off supporting handwriting recognition at Surface event

9 essential apps if you own a Surface Pen (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

What you need to know

Microsoft showed off handwriting recognition inside Microsoft Excel at the October Surface event.
Handwriting recognition makes it easier to use a pen on devices like the Surface Pro 7.
Handwriting recognition is already supported on several Microsoft apps like Microsoft Word.

In addition to showing off several new pieces of hardware, Microsoft showed off a new handwriting recognition feature for Microsoft Excel at the October Surface event. During the Surface keynote, the presenter used an Ink Editor to hand write numbers and figures into an Excel spreadsheet.

Several Microsoft apps already support handwriting recognition, such as Word and OneNote, but Microsoft pointed out that many Excel users feel left out. With this new feature, Excel users will be able to edit spreadsheets with a pen.

The feature does not have a release date at this point.

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Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.