How to Find the Max Value and the Corresponding Cell in Excel (4 Quick Ways)

Today I will be showing how you can find the max value and the corresponding cell from a set of data in Microsoft Excel.

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4 Quick Ways to Find the Max Value and the Corresponding Cell in Excel

Let us have a look at this data set. We have the employee record of a company named North Group.

We have Employee IDs, Employee Names, and their Salaries in columns B, C, and D respectively.

1. Find the Max Value and the Corresponding Cell Using VLOOKUP Function

First of all, let us try to extract the name of the employee with the maximum ID.

We can accomplish this by Excel’s VLOOKUP() function.

To know details about the VLOOKUP() function in Excel, visit this post.

The formula that we shall use is:

See, we have got Kane Simpson, the employee with the maximum ID.

But there are two aspects to look deep into.

First, the desired value Employee Name is in a column right to the lookup value Employee ID.

But if it is on the left, for example, if we want to find out the name of the employee with the maximum salary, VLOOKUP() will not work.

Second, if you want to know the cell reference of the employee with the maximum ID, rather than the name, VLOOKUP() is not the right choice for you.

The best choice for both these cases is the combination of INDEX() and MATCH() functions of Excel.

2. Find the Max Value and the Corresponding Cell Using INDEX-MATCH Functions

To know details about the INDEX() and the MATCH() functions of Excel, visit this link.

Let’s first try to find out the name of the Employee with the maximum salary.

Can you guess the formula?

Yes. You are right. The formula will be:

See, we have got the employee with the maximum salary. Jack Alfred.

But now if one asks you what the cell reference of the employee with the maximum salary is, then?

Can you extract that using a formula?

Yes. Actually, you can extract that using a combination of CELL() and INDEX-MATCH functions of Excel pretty conveniently.

To know details about the CELL function of Excel, visit this link.

The formula that we shall use here is:

See, we have got the cell reference of the employee with the maximum salary. It is Jack Alfred in C14.

Now can you guess the formula to determine the cell reference of the salary of the employee with the maximum ID?

Yes. You are right. The formula will be:

See, the salary of the employee with the maximum ID is $20000. It is in cell D18.

3. Find Multiple Max Value Using FILTER Function

If you notice the previous section carefully, you will see that there is still a problem.

When we got the employee with the maximum salary, we got Jack Alfred.

But there is another employee who gets the maximum salary, $35000. She is Alisha Stokes in cell C15.

But the INDEX-MATCH formula has provided us only the first one it has got.

So what is the solution to this problem?

You can use the FILTER() function of Excel to extract all the values together.

To know details about the FILTER() function, visit this link.

The formula that we shall use is:

See, we have got both the employees with the maximum salary, Jack Alfred and Alisha Stokes.

Note: FILTER() function is only available in office365.

4. Find the Max Value with Criteria Using MAX and IF Functions

Now the last problem. If someone asks you, what is the name of the employee with the maximum ID, but salary greater than $20000, what will you do?

Quite Simple. You can use the INDEX-MATCH() or FILTER() functions as mentioned above, with a combination of MAX() and IF() functions of Excel.

Follow the examples below.

Case 1: Single Criteria

To extract the name of the employee with the maximum ID with a single criteria, salary greater than $20000, the formula will be:

So, the employee with the maximum ID but salary greater than 20000 is Jack Alfred.

And obviously, if you want, you can extract the cell reference of the employee with the maximum ID but salary greater than $20000.

The formula will be:

See, the required cell reference is C14.

Now, If you wish, you can write the formula using the FILTER function too. It will come in handy when there is more than one employee who meets a similar criteria.

The formula will be:

See, now we have got both Jack Alfred and Gregory Mills, the employees with the maximum ID but salary greater than $20000.

Case 2: Multiple Criteria

I. AND Type Multiple Criteria

Now let’s do another interesting thing.

Try to find out which employee has the maximum salary, but has an ID between 100 to 500.

It is a problem of AND Type Multiple Criteria.

The formula will be:

So, it is again Jack Alfred.

And if you want, you can extract the cell reference using this formula:

We see the required cell reference is C14.

ii. OR Type Multiple Criteria

And to find out the employee with the maximum salary, but the ID of either less than 200 or greater than 400, the formula will be:

See, that is Steve Moor.

And to get the Cell Reference, use this formula:

See, the required cell reference is C11.

Conclusion

Using these methods, you can extract the maximum values and corresponding cell references from any set of data quite convincingly, satisfying any criteria. Do you know any other method? Let us know in the comment section.

Further Readings:

• Excel MIN and MAX in Same Formula
• How to Find Maximum Value in Excel with Condition