Excel Power Query in 2026: Transform, Clean, and Combine Data Without Writing a Single Formula

If you have ever spent hours manually cleaning spreadsheet data, copying and pasting between files, or wrestling with complex formulas just to reshape a table, Power Query is about to become your new best friend. Built directly into Microsoft Excel and available as part of Microsoft 365, Power Query is a powerful data transformation engine that lets you connect, clean, and combine data from virtually any source — all without writing a single formula.

In 2026, Power Query has matured into one of the most indispensable tools in the modern Excel toolkit. Whether you are a financial analyst, a project manager, a data professional, or simply someone who works with data regularly, mastering Power Query will save you hours every week and dramatically reduce errors caused by manual data manipulation.

What Is Power Query and Why Does It Matter?

Power Query (also known as Get & Transform Data in Excel) is a built-in ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tool. It allows you to pull data from a wide variety of sources, apply transformations to shape it exactly how you need it, and load it into your spreadsheet — and the best part is that every step you take is recorded and can be refreshed automatically the next time your source data updates.

Think of Power Query as a smart, replayable recording of all the data prep work you do. Once you set it up, refreshing your entire data pipeline takes a single click.

Getting Started: Opening the Power Query Editor

To open Power Query in Excel 2026, follow these steps:

Open Excel and navigate to the Data tab on the ribbon.

Click Get Data in the Get & Transform Data group.

Choose your data source — this could be From File (Excel, CSV, PDF, JSON), From Database, From Web, or many other options.

Once you select your source and connect, the Power Query Editor will open in a new window.

All your transformation steps appear in the Query Settings pane on the right under Applied Steps.

The Most Useful Power Query Transformations

1. Removing Duplicates and Blank Rows

One of the most common data cleaning tasks is removing duplicate or blank rows. In Power Query, this is a one-click operation. Select the column or table, go to the Home tab in the editor, and click Remove Rows > Remove Duplicates or Remove Blank Rows. Power Query adds the step automatically and it will apply every time the query is refreshed.

2. Splitting and Merging Columns

If you have a full name in one column and need first and last name separated, or a date and time combined in one field that needs splitting, Power Query handles this effortlessly. Right-click any column header and choose Split Column. You can split by delimiter (comma, space, dash), by number of characters, or by a custom pattern. Merging columns works the same way in reverse.

3. Pivoting and Unpivoting Data

One of the most powerful features in Power Query is the ability to pivot and unpivot data. If your data comes in a wide format with months as column headers but you need it in a tall format for analysis or PivotTables, simply select all the month columns, right-click, and choose Unpivot Columns. Power Query reshapes your entire dataset in seconds — something that would take complex formulas or VBA macros to replicate manually.

4. Merging Queries (Joining Tables)

Power Query can join two tables together, just like a VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH but far more powerful. Go to Home > Merge Queries, select the two queries, choose the matching columns, and pick the join type (Left, Right, Inner, Full Outer). The result is a combined table that updates automatically when either source changes.

5. Appending Multiple Files or Sheets

If you receive monthly reports as separate Excel files in a folder, Power Query can automatically combine them all into one table. Use Get Data > From Folder, point to your folder, and Power Query will import and stack all the files. When new monthly files arrive, simply refresh and the new data is added automatically.

Power Query in 2026: AI-Assisted Transformations with Copilot

In 2026, Microsoft has deepened the integration between Power Query and Copilot. You can now describe a transformation in plain language directly in the Power Query Editor and Copilot will generate the M code (the underlying Power Query formula language) for you. For example, typing "extract the year from the Order Date column" or "keep only rows where Status equals Completed" will create the appropriate transformation step automatically.

This makes Power Query accessible even to users who have never written an M formula in their lives. The barrier to entry for sophisticated data transformation has never been lower.

Best Practices for Power Query in 2026

Name your queries clearly so you can easily understand what each one does when you return to it later.

Disable automatic query refresh if your data source is large or slow — trigger it manually when needed.

Use the Applied Steps pane to audit and remove unnecessary steps that slow down your queries.

Load your queries as Connection Only if you just need them as intermediate steps in a larger workflow.

Document your queries with comments in the M code editor for team-shared workbooks.

Use the Data > Refresh All button to refresh all queries at once, keeping your dashboards current.

Conclusion: Work Smarter with Power Query

Power Query is one of those tools that, once you start using it, you will wonder how you ever managed without it. It turns tedious, error-prone manual data prep work into a clean, automated, repeatable process. Whether you are pulling data from a corporate database, a web API, a folder full of CSV files, or a colleague's spreadsheet, Power Query handles the heavy lifting.

Ready to get started? Open Excel, head to the Data tab, and click Get Data. Your first Power Query transformation is just a few clicks away. Share this article with a colleague who is still copying and pasting data by hand — they will thank you for it.