BeginnerTotals and maths
Syntax
=MAX(number1, [number2], ...)| Argument | What it means |
|---|---|
number1 | The numbers, cells or range to look through. |
Examples with results
Every result below is calculated by the practice engine on the sample data shown, not typed in by hand.
Class scores (fictional)
| Row | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student | Maths | Science | English |
| 2 | Layla | 78 | 85 | 91 |
| 3 | Omar | 62 | 70 | 58 |
| 4 | Priya | 95 | 88 | 92 |
| 5 | Quinn | 45 | 52 | 61 |
| 6 | Rosa | 88 | 79 | 84 |
=MAX(B2:B6)Highest Maths score
Team list (fictional)
| Row | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name | Department | Salary | Start date | Rating |
| 2 | Amira Hassan | Finance | 9200 | 2019-03-04 | 4 |
| 3 | Ben Carter | Sales | 7800 | 2021-07-19 | 3 |
| 4 | Chen Wei | Sales | 8100 | 2020-01-13 | 5 |
| 5 | Dina Ali | HR | 7200 | 2022-09-01 | 4 |
| 6 | Emil Novak | Operations | 6900 | 2018-11-26 | 2 |
| 7 | Farah Khan | Finance | 10400 | 2016-05-09 | 5 |
| 8 | Gabriel Silva | Operations | 6500 | 2023-02-14 | 3 |
=MAX(C2:C8)Highest salary
Try it yourself
Change the formula or switch to other sample data.
Press Calculate to see the result.
The practice box runs in your browser with BDK’s own calculator, which covers about 60 common functions. Cell references work as in Excel (B2, B2:B9). Your formulas are not saved or sent anywhere. For anything unusual, check the result in Excel itself.
How people use MAX at work
- Sales
Find the biggest single order quantity.
Data: Office supplies sales (fictional)=MAX(B2:B9) - Finance and accounting
Find the largest invoice.
Data: Customer invoices (fictional)=MAX(C2:C6)
Common mistakes and tips
- To find the largest value that meets a condition use MAXIFS, or MAX with a filter, not plain MAX.
Works in
All versions of Excel, and Google Sheets.
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