Creating Formulas Using the Min and Max Functions

The MIN (minimum) statistical function will give you the smallest value in a range of values. The MAX (maximum) statistical function will give you the largest value in a range of values. These functions look like this:

MIN function: =MIN(A3:A6)
MAX function: =MAX(A3:A6)

To use the MIN and MAX Functions:

  1. Select the cell in which you want to enter the function.
  2. Click the Insert Function button.
  3. Click MIN or MAX from the list of Most Recently Used or Statistical functions and click OK.
  4. If necessary, enter the range of cells.
  5. Click OK.


  • If the MIN or MAX functions are not in your list of most recently used functions, click the arrow next to the Or select a category: box, click Statistical, and select MIN or MAX from that list of functions.
  • When you click an argument box, a description of the argument appears below the description of the function. Also, as you enter arguments, the dialog box will display the results of your formula.
  • By default, Excel will enter a range of contiguous cells for you.

To enter an argument by dragging:

  1. Select the argument box in which you want to add the values.
  2. Click and drag on the worksheet to select the cells you want to add to the formula.
You can also enter the MIN or MAX function by:
  • Selecting Function... on the Insert menu.
    OR
  • Clicking the arrow next to the AutoSum toolbar button , and selecting Min or Max to automatically calculate the minimum or maximum value of the column or row.