TAKE

TAKE returns the first or last N rows and/or columns from an array. Positive numbers take from the beginning; negative numbers take from the end. It is an Excel 365 and Google Sheets modern function that spills and is handy for extracting the top N records or the most recent entries from a dataset.

Excel

=TAKE(A1:C5,3)

Google Sheets

=TAKE(A1:C5,3)

Try it with your data

Edit the grid or formula, then run it through a real spreadsheet engine — no signup.

Sample data — click any cell to edit

Cell row 1 column 1	Cell row 1 column 2
Cell row 2 column 1	Cell row 2 column 2
Cell row 3 column 1	Cell row 3 column 2
Cell row 4 column 1	Cell row 4 column 2

Formula

Runs server-side · free · no signup

How it works

1A1:C5 is the source array you want to trim.
23 specifies to take the first 3 rows from the array.
3Use a negative number like -2 to take the last 2 rows instead.

Need a version for your data?

Try: “Get just the first 3 rows of my data table”

VLOOKUP XLOOKUP INDEX / MATCH

Written and reviewed by FormulaCraft Team. Each formula on this page is run through our verification engine before publishing.

Last reviewed: May 28, 2026

TAKE

Try it with your data

How it works

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