How to find the longest text in a column in Excel
Excel formula
=XLOOKUP(MAX(LEN(A2:A7)),LEN(A2:A7),A2:A7)Find the largest length and return the text that has it: =XLOOKUP(MAX(LEN(A2:A7)),LEN(A2:A7),A2:A7).
- Result on the example
- Noise-cancelling wireless headset in
C2 - Works in
- Excel 2021, 2024 and Microsoft 365
- Google Sheets
- Different formula, see below
See it work
The formula is already in C2. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
LEN(A2:A7) gives the length of every title at once, and MAX picks the largest, 33. XLOOKUP then finds that length in the same list and returns the title on that row.
=XLOOKUP(MAX(LEN(A2:A7)),LEN(A2:A7),A2:A7)Result"Noise-cancelling wireless headset"
A2:A76 rows × 1 col: "Desk lamp", "Ergonomic office chair", "Adjustable standing desk, walnut", "USB-C dock", …A range: 6 cells in one column.
LEN(A2:A7){6 rows × 1 col} 9, 22, 32, 10, …LEN: Number of characters.- text
A2:A76 rows × 1 col: "Desk lamp", "Ergonomic office chair", "Adjustable standing desk, walnut", "USB-C dock", …
- text
MAX(LEN(A2:A7))33MAX: Largest number.- number1
LEN(A2:A7){6 rows × 1 col} 9, 22, 32, 10, …
- number1
LEN(A2:A7){6 rows × 1 col} 9, 22, 32, 10, …LEN: Number of characters.- text
A2:A76 rows × 1 col: "Desk lamp", "Ergonomic office chair", "Adjustable standing desk, walnut", "USB-C dock", …
- text
XLOOKUP(MAX(LEN(A2:A7)),LEN(A2:A7),A2:A7)"Noise-cancelling wireless headset"XLOOKUP: Searches one range and returns the matching item from another.- lookup_value
MAX(LEN(A2:A7))33 - lookup_array
LEN(A2:A7){6 rows × 1 col} 9, 22, 32, 10, … - return_array
A2:A76 rows × 1 col: "Desk lamp", "Ergonomic office chair", "Adjustable standing desk, walnut", "USB-C dock", …
- lookup_value
In Google Sheets
Google Sheets needs a different formula: =ARRAYFORMULA(INDEX(A2:A7,MATCH(MAX(LEN(A2:A7)),LEN(A2:A7),0))). On the same data it gives the same result. Here it is running in Google Sheets mode.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =INDEX(A2:A7,MATCH(MAX(LEN(A2:A7)),LEN(A2:A7),0)) | Noise-cancelling wireless headset | Without XLOOKUP. In Excel 2019 and earlier, confirm with Ctrl+Shift+Enter. |
| =MAX(LEN(A2:A7)) | 33Different result | Just the length of the longest text. Returns 33, the number of characters. |
Common mistakes
- Ties return the first title with that length.
- Trailing spaces count toward the length. Use
LEN(TRIM(A2:A7))in both places for imported data.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Find the longest text in a column
C2, return the longest product title in A2:A7.Questions
How do I find the shortest text?
Use MIN: =XLOOKUP(MIN(LEN(A2:A7)),LEN(A2:A7),A2:A7). Blank cells count as length 0, so exclude them if the column has gaps.
How do I list every title over a length limit?
Filter by length: =FILTER(A2:A7,LEN(A2:A7)>30).
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.