DMAX Function in Excel: Largest Value With a Criteria Table

⏱ 1 min readUpdated 28 September 2026

DatabaseLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 2007+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. Related functions

DMAX returns the largest value in a column among matching rows. It worked in every Excel version long before MAXIFS existed.

Syntax

=DMAX(database, field, criteria)
Argument What it means
criteria A small criteria range: header row copied from the data, conditions in the rows below. Same row = AND, separate rows = OR.

Examples

Example 1

=DMAX(A1:F500, "Amount", H1:H2)

Biggest single order for the product typed in H2.

MAXIFS · DMIN

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