**OrcAI is an AI-assisted cell that lives right inside your Sheet grid, so you can turn plain-English intent ("clean this column", "derive a field", "help me write a formula") into real work without leaving the spreadsheet.**

![OrcAI in the grid](/images/orcai.gif)

## When to use OrcAI

Use OrcAI when you want to:

- **Run AI-assisted operations quickly**, without hunting through menus.
- **Turn an intent into an action**, so you can describe the outcome and skip the syntax.
- **Keep momentum while exploring data**, building Macros, or assembling analysis tabs.

## How to access OrcAI

OrcAI shows up as an **editable cell** in the **first non-empty column** of your Sheet.

1. **Open** your Sheet grid.
2. **Find** the first non-empty column.
3. **Click** the OrcAI cell.
4. **Type** what you want OrcAI to do in plain English, using the `=orcai()` formula style.
5. **Submit** to run it.

## Quick access via Global Search

OrcAI is also reachable from [Global Search](/docs/global-search):

1. **Press** `Cmd/Ctrl + K`.
2. **Type** `/orcai` followed by your instruction.
3. **Press** **Enter** to run.

![OrcAI via Global Search (Cmd/Ctrl + K)](/images/orcai_commandk.gif)

Examples:

- `/orcai derive a new column revenue = price * quantity`
- `/orcai create a Macro that buckets customers into cohorts`
- `/orcai explain why this Join is producing duplicates`

## What to type (prompt style)

OrcAI is prompt-driven. You describe the outcome you want, and OrcAI figures out how to get there.

Illustrative examples:

- "Help me derive a new column for revenue = price * quantity."
- "Suggest a Macro to bucket customers into cohorts."
- "Explain why this Join is producing duplicates."

## OrcAI and Macros

OrcAI is effectively a natural-language replacement for [Macros](/docs/using-macros). It can execute any formula you can write in plain English, including complex, multi-step transformations.

Macros are still supported for backwards compatibility, and are genuinely useful for simple formulas or for people who work in spreadsheets daily. For anything more complex, reach for OrcAI first.

## Notes

- OrcAI is an **in-product capability**, not an external API.
- If you cannot access OrcAI in your build, check your account status and deployment configuration in [Settings](/docs/settings).

## Related pages

- [Using Macros](/docs/using-macros)
- [AI Chat Interface](/docs/ai-chat-interface)
- [Global Search](/docs/global-search)
- [Recipes](/docs/recipes)