Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 24, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
In column A Ron has a series of numeric values sorted in ascending order. (The values are the results of formulas.) He would like to use a different formula to return the address of the first cell in column A in which the value exceeds a threshold that is found in cell E3. The problem is, Ron has no idea on how to put together such a formula.
There are multiple formulaic approaches you can take to this issue, and the one you choose can depend on the nature of the data you are analyzing. If you want the address of the cell in which the threshold is first met or first exceeded, then these formulas will do fine:
=ADDRESS(ROW(XLOOKUP(E3,A:A,A:A,,1)),1) =ADDRESS(XMATCH(E3,A:A,1),1)
If, however, you want the address of the first cell in which the threshold is first truly exceeded (in other words, matches with the threshold are not counted), then the following formulas will work:
=ADDRESS(MATCH(E3,A:A,1)+1,1) =ADDRESS(ROW(XLOOKUP(E3+0.001,A:A,A:A,,1)),1) =ADDRESS(XMATCH(E3+0.001,A:A,1),1) =ADDRESS(MATCH(E3,A:A,1)+1,COLUMN(A:A)) ="A" & MATCH(E3,A:A,1)+1 =CELL("address",INDEX($A:$A,MATCH(E3,$A:$A,1)+1))
If nothing in column A exceeds the threshold in E3, then none of the above formulas work—they simply return the address of the cell in column A that is one row beyond the last value. That is similar to what happens with the following formulas:
=CELL("address",INDEX(A:A,MATCH(TRUE,INDEX(A:A>E3,0),))) =ADDRESS(MATCH(MIN(IF(A:A>E3,A:A)),A:A,0),1) =ADDRESS(MATCH(1,--(A:A>E3),0),COLUMN(A:A),4) =SUBSTITUTE(CELL("address",INDEX(A:A,MATCH(1,--(A:A>E3),0))),"$","")
The difference with these formulas is that they don't return an erroneous address when the threshold is not exceeded by any value, but instead returns an #N/A error. This means that any of them could be wrapped within an IFNA function that "catches" the error condition and allows you to indicate what should be done. Here's an example of one of the formulas thusly wrapped:
=IFNA(ADDRESS(MATCH(MIN(IF(A:A>E3,A:A)),A:A,0),1),"Threshold not Exceeded")
This wrapping obviously makes the formulas a bit longer, but it makes the results of the formula more understandable.
Finally, it should be noted that all of these formulas should work just fine in Excel 2019 or later versions. In earlier versions, most of the formulas need to be entered as array formulas using Ctrl+Shift+Enter. (You should be able to look at the results returned by the formula and tell if you should enter it as an array formula.)
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12999) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365.
Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!
Need to figure out how many rows in a worksheet meet two criteria that you specify? Here's how to get the info you desire.
Discover MoreIf you have a long numeric value in a cell, you may have a need to remove the last digit of that value. You can do so ...
Discover MoreExcel allows you to easily create names for different ranges in your workbook. If you ever want to clean up the list of ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2022-12-26 10:12:33
J. Woolley
According to Microsoft, XLOOKUP requires Excel 2016 or later, but XMATCH requires Excel 2021 or later.
Since none of these formulas return an array, do any of them need to be entered using Ctrl+Shift+Enter? (If you have Excel pre-2021, please reply.)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments