REDUCE Function in Excel: Boil an Array Down to One Result

REDUCE Function in Excel: Boil an Array Down to One Result featured illustration

πŸ“Ž This article includes 1 downloadable practice file ↓

⏱ 2 min readUpdated 19 October 2026

LogicalLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 365 / 2021+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. REDUCE in practice
  5. Where you will use it
  6. Worked example
  7. Mistakes people make
  8. Related functions
  9. Continue learning

REDUCE is SCAN that returns only the final result β€” useful for repeated clean-up steps.

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Syntax

=REDUCE(initial_value, array, LAMBDA(acc, value, calculation))
Argument What it means
array Values to process one by one.

Examples

Example 1

=REDUCE(A2, {"-","/"," "}, LAMBDA(t, c, SUBSTITUTE(t, c, "")))

Remove several characters from a code in one formula.

REDUCE in practice

Where you will use it

  • Running calculation that returns one value
  • Apply several replacements in turn
  • Custom totals

Worked example

CaseFormulaResult
1=CHOOSE(A2,REDUCE(0,{1,2,3,4},LAMBDA(a,v,a+v^2)),REDUCE(1,{1.1,1.2,0.9},LAMBDA(a,v,a*v)),REDUCE("Shimti Pune",{"Shimti","Pune"},LAMBDA(a,v,SUBSTITUTE(a,v,UPPER(v)))))30
2=CHOOSE(A3,REDUCE(0,{1,2,3,4},LAMBDA(a,v,a+v^2)),REDUCE(1,{1.1,1.2,0.9},LAMBDA(a,v,a*v)),REDUCE("Shimti Pune",{"Shimti","Pune"},LAMBDA(a,v,SUBSTITUTE(a,v,UPPER(v)))))1.188
3=CHOOSE(A4,REDUCE(0,{1,2,3,4},LAMBDA(a,v,a+v^2)),REDUCE(1,{1.1,1.2,0.9},LAMBDA(a,v,a*v)),REDUCE("Shimti Pune",{"Shimti","Pune"},LAMBDA(a,v,SUBSTITUTE(a,v,UPPER(v)))))SHIMTI PUNE

Results calculated in Excel.

Mistakes people make

MistakeWhat to do instead
Accumulator firstLAMBDA(acc, value, ...)
Need every stepUse SCAN

SCAN Β· LAMBDA Β· SUBSTITUTE

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πŸ“Ž Practice files for this article

  • πŸ“—
    Practice workbook: Logic, LET & LAMBDA17 tasks on realistic sales data β€” type your formula, the Check column turns green when it is right. Answers sheet included.
    ⬇ XLSX Β· 35 KB

Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text β€” import them with Alt+F11 β†’ File β†’ Import File, and always test on a copy.

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