# Calculate the smallest or largest number in a range

Let's say you want to find out who has the the smallest error rate in a production run at a factory or the largest salary in your department. There are several ways to calculate the smallest or largest number in a range.

## If the cells are in a contiguous row or column

1. Select a cell below or to the right of the numbers for which you want to find the smallest number.

2. On the Home tab, in the Editing group, click the arrow next to AutoSum , click Min (calculates the smallest) or Max (calculates the largest), and then press ENTER.

## If the cells are not in a contiguous row or column

To do this task, use the MIN, MAX, SMALL, or LARGE functions.

### Example

Copy the following data to a blank worksheet.

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

A

Data

10

7

9

27

0

4

Formula

Description (Result)

=MIN(A2:A7)

Smallest number in the range (0)

=MAX(A2:A7)

Largest number in the range (27)

=SMALL(A2:A7, 2)

Second smallest number in the range (4)

=LARGE(A2:A7,3)

Third largest number in the range (9)

## Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community, get support in the Answers community, or suggest a new feature or improvement on Excel User Voice.
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