Larger of two values in Excel
This tutorial shows how to calculate Larger of two values in Excel using the example below;
Formula
=MAX(value1,value2)
Explanation
To get the larger, or greater, of two values, you can use the MAX function. In the example shown, the formula in D5 is:
=MAX(B5,C5)
How this formula works
The MAX function is fully automatic – it returns the largest value in the numbers provided. In this case, we give MAX function two values:
=MAX(B5,C5)
and MAX returns the larger value.
Elegant alternative to IF
The MAX function can be a compact and elegant replacement for the IF function. For example, the formula above can be written with IF like so:
=IF(B5>=C5,B5,C5)
However, the MAX version is 6 characters shorter (11 vs. 17), and contains no redundant references, so it is less prone to errors.