MAXIFS Function

Summary

MAXIFS returns the highest value from cells that meet one or more conditions. It is the filtered version of MAX, so instead of asking for the top value in the whole list, you ask for the top value in only the rows that match your rules.

This is useful when the overall maximum is not the answer you actually need. In many sheets, you want the highest sale for one region, the best score after a certain date, or the top value for one category and one status together. That is where MAXIFS fits.

MAXIFS is useful when the workbook needs the top value from a filtered subset rather than from the whole dataset. It combines criteria logic with a maximum search, which makes many business-style "highest matching value" questions much easier to answer directly.

Syntax

=MAXIFS(max_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2], ...)

The first argument is always the range that contains the values you want Excel to compare. After that, each condition is written as a pair: one criteria range and one criteria value.

Arguments

• max_range - [required] The cells that contain the values to check for the maximum.
• criteria_range1 - [required] The first range Excel evaluates.
• criteria1 - [required] The rule for the first criteria range.
• criteria_range2, criteria2, ... - [optional] Additional range and criteria pairs. Excel supports up to 126 pairs.

MAXIFS vs Other Functions

Using the MAXIFS Function

The most important thing to remember is that every condition has to match on the same row. If you ask for the highest value where the department is Sales and the region is North, Excel only looks at rows where both of those checks are true together. A row that matches just one of them is ignored.

Argument order also matters. MAXIFS starts with max_range, not the first criteria range. That is the part many people mix up when they move from simpler functions to the ...IFS family.

Microsoft also notes two practical details. First, max_range and every criteria range must have the same size and shape or the result is #VALUE!. Second, if no rows match the criteria, the result is 0. Microsoft also shows that if a criteria cell is blank, Excel treats that blank criteria as 0.

Example 1 - Find the highest Sales value in the North

This example shows the basic MAXIFS pattern. Excel first filters the rows so only Sales records from the North region are left in the working set.

After that, it looks only at the values from those matching rows and returns the highest one. That is useful when the overall maximum is less important than the top result inside one specific group.

=MAXIFS(C1:C10,A1:A10,"Sales",B1:B10,"North") // Returns the highest value for Sales in North.

Example 2 - Find the highest recent score above 80

Here one condition checks whether the record is recent enough, and the other checks whether the value clears a threshold. This makes the result more selective than a normal maximum because not every row gets considered.

The final answer is the highest value among rows that pass both rules together. That is a good pattern for recent performance checks, current-period dashboards, or filtered scoreboards.

=MAXIFS(B1:B10,A1:A10,">1/1/2026",B1:B10,">80") // Returns the highest value that meets both rules.

Example 3 - Combine a wildcard with status

This example is helpful when region names follow a pattern instead of one exact label. The wildcard lets Excel include different North labels, while the status rule keeps only the rows that are Active.

That way, the returned maximum comes from the exact subset you care about, not from the whole list. It is a strong example of filtering first, then finding the winner.

=MAXIFS(C1:C10,A1:A10,"North*",B1:B10,"Active") // Returns the top active North value.

Example 4 - Use cells for the criteria

In this version, the criteria are stored in cells instead of being typed inside the formula. That makes the search easier to control from a report or dashboard because users can change the filters without rewriting anything.

The formula logic stays the same, but the result updates based on the chosen criteria. This is a practical way to build interactive summary views.

=MAXIFS(C1:C10,A1:A10,D1,B1:B10,D2) // Uses D1 and D2 as the criteria.

Conclusion Recap

MAXIFS is for finding the highest value after you filter the data first. In this lesson, the filters changed by category, region, date, status, and even cell-based criteria, but the goal stayed the same.

You first decide which rows should count, then Excel returns the biggest value from only those rows. That makes MAXIFS useful when the highest value in the full sheet is not the answer you actually need.

• Main job: MAXIFS returns the highest value that matches all conditions.
• Starts with max_range: The first argument is always the range to compare.
• All conditions must match: The row is used only if every rule is true.
• Matching range sizes matter: If the ranges are not the same shape, Excel returns #VALUE!.
• No matches: If nothing meets the criteria, the result is 0.
• Best use: Choose MAXIFS when you need the top result from a filtered subset of the data.