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How to highlight the lowest value in a range in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Conditional formattingExcel & Google Sheets
=A2=MIN($A$2:$A$6)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Score |
| 80 |
| 95 |
| 72 |
| 60 |
| 88 |
=A2=MIN($A$2:$A$6)→FALSE
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Step by step
- 1Select the range (e.g., A2:A6).
- 2Open Conditional Formatting with a custom formula rule.
- 3Enter =A2=MIN($A$2:$A$6) and choose a highlight color — all cells equal to the minimum value are highlighted.
Tips
- To highlight the bottom N values use SMALL: =A2<=SMALL($A$2:$A$6,3) highlights the three lowest values in the range.
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Frequently asked
What if there are zeros in my data that I don't want treated as the minimum?
Filter zeros out in the MIN: =A2=MINIFS($A$2:$A$6,$A$2:$A$6,">0") highlights the minimum of non-zero values (MINIFS available in Excel 2019+ and Google Sheets).
Can I highlight both the min and max in one pass?
Apply two separate Conditional Formatting rules — one for MIN and one for MAX — with different colors. Both rules coexist on the same range.
More on Conditional formatting
See all →How-to
How to highlight duplicate values
Highlight duplicate cells automatically with Conditional Formatting using a COUNTIF rule — no formulas to copy manually.
How-toHow to highlight cells greater than a value
Use Conditional Formatting with a simple greater-than rule to automatically color cells that exceed a threshold value.
How-toHow to highlight the highest value in a range
Color the maximum value in a range automatically using a Conditional Formatting rule based on the MAX function.
How-toHow to highlight blank cells
Use conditional formatting with ISBLANK to automatically highlight empty cells in your spreadsheet for easy visual identification.
How-toHow to highlight cells that contain specific text
Use conditional formatting with SEARCH or ISNUMBER(SEARCH()) to highlight any cell containing a specific word or phrase automatically.
How-toHow to shade every other row
Use conditional formatting with MOD and ROW to automatically apply alternating row colors for a banded, readable table layout.