SMALL
Quirk foundCategory: Statistical · Last tested 2026-08-06
Real, executed compatibility results for the SMALL function across Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc — verified by actually running it. Syntax and links to each vendor’s official documentation are below.
Support matrix
| Engine | Documented | Live-tested | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| Google Sheets | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| LibreOffice Calc | Yes | Yes (25.8.7.3, 2026-08-06) | Quirk found |
LibreOffice version history
We executed the same test cases under each LibreOffice release to show exactly when SMALL’s support changed — not documentation claims, real results.
| LibreOffice version | Verdict | Tested |
|---|---|---|
| 24.2.0.3 | Quirk found | 2026-07-19 |
| 24.8.7.2 | Quirk found | 2026-07-19 |
| 25.2.0.3 | Quirk found | 2026-07-24 |
| 25.8.7.3 | Quirk found | 2026-08-06 |
Why isn't SMALL working in LibreOffice?
SMALL exists in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3, but it is not a drop-in match for
Excel — our executed tests found real behavioral differences (detailed in the test results on this
page). If a formula that works in Excel or Google Sheets misbehaves in LibreOffice, compare your usage
against the failing cases above before assuming your data is wrong.
Discovered quirks
- =SMALL(A1:A5,6) on LibreOffice Calc returned #VALUE!, but the documented/expected result is #NUM!. Only 5 values exist; requesting the 6th-smallest is out of range; MISMATCH vs expected: expected '#NUM!', got '#VALUE!'
- =SMALL(A1:A3,0) on LibreOffice Calc returned #VALUE!, but the documented/expected result is #NUM!. MISMATCH vs expected: expected '#NUM!', got '#VALUE!'
Executed test cases
LibreOffice Calc 25.8.7.3 (tested 2026-08-06)
| Formula | Description | Result | Expected | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =SMALL(A1:A5,2) | 2nd smallest value in the range | 3 | 3 | Matched |
| =SMALL(A1:A5,1) | k=1 returns the same value as MIN | 1 | 1 | Matched |
| =SMALL(A1:A5,6) | k larger than the count of values -> #NUM! | #VALUE! | #NUM! Only 5 values exist; requesting the 6th-smallest is out of range |
Mismatch |
| =SMALL(A1:A3,0) | k=0 is also out of the valid 1..n range -> #NUM! | #VALUE! | #NUM! | Mismatch |
Docs & syntax
- Excel: official documentation
- Google Sheets: official documentation
- LibreOffice Calc: official documentation