How to find the position of the maximum value
✓ Verified in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3Which row (or item number) holds the largest value — the rank position of the peak.
The formula
| App | Formula | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Excel | =MATCH(MAX(A2:A6),A2:A6,0) | MAX finds the value; MATCH returns its position in the range (1-based). Use MIN for the smallest. |
| Google Sheets | =MATCH(MAX(A2:A6),A2:A6,0) | Identical. |
| LibreOffice Calc | =MATCH(MAX(A2:A6),A2:A6,0) | Identical. |
How it works
MAX(A2:A5) finds the biggest value (95) and MATCH returns its position within the range — 2, because 95 is the second item. This is the position WITHIN the range, not the sheet row; add the range's starting row minus one if you need the absolute row number. Feed the position into INDEX to pull a corresponding label (see find-the-value-corresponding-to-the-max). If several cells tie for the maximum, MATCH returns the first one's position. Swap MAX for MIN, or MAXIFS/MINIFS, for the smallest or a conditional peak.
Verified, not just documented
We ran =MATCH(MAX(A2:A5),A2:A5,0) in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3 (headless, with forced recalculation) and it returned 2 — exactly the expected result. Every formula here is confirmed by actually executing it.