MAX function

Excel MAX Function allows you to find the largest number in a given range of values. It’s like picking the biggest number from a group of numbers.

Syntax

MAX(number1, [number2], [number3], …)

Arguments

number1The first number you want to compare to find the maximum.
[number2](Optional) Additional numbers you want to compare. You can have up to 255 of these. Just add a comma and the number.

How to use

Let’s say you have a list of numbers, and you want to find the largest one. You can use the MAX function like this:

This formula will return the largest number in cells A1 to A5.

You can also use the MAX function with multiple numbers. For example, if you have several numbers in different cells, you can find the largest among them like this:

This formula will return the largest number among the values in cells B2, C2, D2, and E2.

Additionally, you can use the MAX function to find the maximum value in a range that may include both numbers and empty cells without any issues. It will ignore the empty cells and give you the maximum from the available numbers.

Examples

Let’s see a few examples:

Example 1: Find the largest number in a range (A1 to A5):

Example 2: Find the largest number among individual values (B2, C2, D2, and E2):

Example 3: Ignore empty cells and find the maximum in a range with empty cells:

So, the MAX function helps you quickly find the biggest number in a list, making your data analysis tasks in Excel much easier.

Tomasz Decker is an Excel specialist, skilled in data analysis and financial modeling.