How to Use the REDUCE Function in Excel

Summary: Delve into the capabilities of the REDUCE function in Microsoft Excel—an innovative tool that enables you to apply an operation iteratively across a range of values to produce a single result. By mastering this function, you can efficiently aggregate and analyze data. The REDUCE function within Excel empowers you to iteratively apply an operation to a range of values, resulting in a single aggregated value. To effectively employ the REDUCE function, follow the comprehensive steps outlined below.

STEP 1. Open Excel: Launch Microsoft Excel on your computer.

STEP 2. Select a Range of Cells: Choose the range of cells containing the values you want to aggregate.

STEP 3. Input the Formula: Enter the following syntax into the selected cell:

=REDUCE(range, LAMBDA operation)

Replace "LAMDBA operation" with the LAMBDA operation you want to apply and "range" with the range of cells containing the values. You must first create a new LAMBDA function within the "Name Manager" in order to use the REDUCE function.

STEP 4. Execute the Formula: After inputting the REDUCE function syntax, press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to execute it as an array formula.

STEP 5. Example:

• To calculate the product of all values in a range (A1:A5), enter the following formula in another cell:

  =REDUCE(A1:A5, LAMBDA(a, b, a*b))

• This calculates the product of all values by using the LAMBADA function that was created within the "Name Manager".

Conclusion: By mastering the REDUCE function in Excel, you can efficiently aggregate and analyze data by iteratively applying operations to ranges of values. This tool empowers you to perform complex calculations that consolidate data into a single result. Should you have any questions or insights, feel free to reach out, fostering further exploration of this topic.

Note: The REDUCE function is available in certain versions of Microsoft Excel, including Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2021.