Excel MIN Function
Summary
The Excel MIN function returns the smallest numeric value in a range of values. The MIN function ignores empty cells, the logical values TRUE and FALSE, and text values.
Purpose
Get the smallest value.
Return value
The smallest value in the array.
Syntax
=MIN (number1, [number2], ...)
Arguments
- number1 - Number, reference to numeric value, or range that contains numeric values.
- number2 - [optional] Number, reference to numeric value, or range that contains numeric values.
Version
Usage notes
The MIN function can be used to return the smallest value from a set of data. For example, the fastest time in a race, the lowest temperature, or the smallest sales number. Arguments can be provided as constants, or as cell references or ranges, for example:
Notes:
- The MIN function ignores empty cells.
- The MIN function in current versions of Excel accepts up to 255 arguments. If arguments contain no numbers, MIN returns 0.
- Arguments can be provided as numbers, names, arrays, or references that contain numbers.
- The MIN function ignores TRUE and FALSE values, and numbers entered as text, unless they are typed directly into the list of arguments.
- To include logical values in a reference, see the MINA function.
MIN formula examples
The MIN function is fully automatic - it returns the smallest value in the numbers provided. In this case, we give MIN function two values:
=MIN(B5,C5)
and MIN returns the smaller value.
Elegant alternative to IF...
When given a single cell reference, the ROW function returns the row number for that reference. However, when given a range with multiple rows, the ROW function will return an array that contains all row numbers for...
This formula uses the MIN function as an alternative to the IF function.
Although MIN is frequently used to find the minimum value in a larger set of numbers, it also works fine with just two values.
Inside MIN, the...
When given a single cell reference, the COLUMN function returns the column number for that reference. However, when given a range that contains multiple columns, the COLUMN function will return an array that contains...
When given a single cell reference, the ROW function returns the row number for that reference. However, when given a range that contains multiple rows, the ROW function will return an array that contains all row...
This example uses the following named ranges: "color" = B6:B14, "item" = C6:C14, and "price" = E6:E14. In the example, we have pricing on items in various regions. The goal is to find the minimum price for a given...
Overview
The formula looks complex, but the mechanics are in fact quite simple.
As with most formulas that split or extract text, the key is to locate the position of the thing you are looking for. Once you have the...
The MIN function accepts one or more arguments, which can be a mix of constants, cell references, and ranges. The MIN function returns the maximum value in data provided. Text values and empty cells are ignored.
In...
The formulas shown in the example all use the AVERAGE function with a relative reference set up for each specific interval. The 3-day moving average in E7 is calculated by feeding AVERAGE a range that includes the...
The IF function is evaluated first with the following logical test:
names=F6
This generates an array of TRUE / FALSE values, where TRUE corresponds to rows where the name matches the value in F6:
{TRUE;FALSE;FALSE...
This formula uses the named range "list" which is the range B5:B11.
The core of this formula is the SMALL function, which simply returns the nth smallest value in a list of values that correspond to row numbers. The...
The MINIFS function returns the smallest numeric value that meets supplied criteria, and the MAXIFS function returns the largest numeric value that meets supplied criteria.
Like COUNTIFS and SUMIFS, these functions...
Note: this example assumes that fuel is added to capacity at each gas stop, in order to calculate miles per gallon (MPG) based on the miles driven and fuel used since the last stop. In addition, this example keeps all...
At a high level, this example is about finding a minimum value based on multiple criteria. To do that, we are using the MIN function together with two nested IF functions:
{=MIN(IF(day=I5,IF(tide="L",pred...
In order to understand this problem, make sure you understand how percentage number formatting works. In a nutshell, percentages are decimal values: 0.1 is 10%, 0.2 is 20%, and so on. The number 1, when formatted as a...
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