How to find the second largest value in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=LARGE(B2:B7,2)Use LARGE with a rank of 2, =LARGE(B2:B7,2), and change the 2 for any nth largest.
- Result on the example
- 41.6 in
E1 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in E1. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
LARGE returns the value at a given rank, counting from the top: rank 1 is the maximum, rank 2 the next one down. Here that is Cara's 41.6 km. SMALL does the same from the bottom.
=LARGE(B2:B7,2)Result41.6
B2:B76 rows × 1 col: 42.2, 38.5, 41.6, 35, …A range: 6 cells in one column.
LARGE(B2:B7,2)41.6LARGE: k-th largest value.- array
B2:B76 rows × 1 col: 42.2, 38.5, 41.6, 35, … - k
2
- array
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =LARGE(B2:B7,2). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns 41.6.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =MAXIFS(B2:B7,B2:B7,"<"&MAX(B2:B7)) | 41.6 | The largest value below the maximum. Use it when a tie for first place should not count as second. |
Common mistakes
- Ties count as separate ranks: if two runners both ran 42.2, LARGE(…,2) is also 42.2. Use the MAXIFS version for the second-highest distinct value.
- If the rank is larger than the number of values, LARGE returns #NUM!.
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 second largest value
E1, find the second longest run in B2:B7.Questions
How do I find the second smallest value?
Use =SMALL(B2:B7,2).
How do I return the name of the second place?
Look it up: =XLOOKUP(LARGE(B2:B7,2),B2:B7,A2:A7).
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.