In this tutorial, you will learn how to get the last value in a column in Google Sheets.
You might occasionally need to know the last value in a column in Google Sheets if you work with continuously growing data (where you constantly add more values to the column or the row).
It’s not the best solution, but you can always manually check by scrolling down the column.
Thankfully, this is doable with a little help from Google Sheets formula magic.
Once ready, we’ll get started by utilizing real-world examples to show you how to get the last value in a column in Google Sheets.
Get the Last Value in a Column
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Before we start, you will need to get ready a set of data for us to work on.
Step 1
First, make sure your data is clean and tidy to easily learn in this tutorial.
Step 2
We will then enter this formula to find out the last value in Column A, =INDEX(A:A,MATCH(100^100,A:A))
Step 3
Once you press enter, the formula will return the last value in Column A, which is ‘10’.
Be aware that the MATCH function with the first argument using numeric values (e.g. 100^100) is only applicable to find the last value in a column that is only filled with numbers and not text. MATCH will ignore all text strings in the column. So if the last value in a column is in text, the MATCH function will find the last numeric value in the column.
To find a text value instead, use a text value in the MATCH function (e.g. zzzzz).
How Does It Work?
You may be wondering, how is the MATCH function used to get the last value in a column in Google Sheets.
Usually, a range of cells is searched for a given value, and the position of that value inside the range is returned. There are also two search type, exact match or approximate.
By inputting a value that is not within the column, the MATCH function will return an approximate value which is the last position in the column as we did not specify on the third argument, which is the type of search we want to perform.
Once the position of the last value is returned, the INDEX function will help to return the value of the position.
Summary
That’s all there is to it. You are welcome to copy the example spreadsheet below to see how it is done. The most crucial lesson is to enjoy yourself while doing it.
Example Spreadsheet: Make a copy of the example spreadsheet
In this tutorial, I covered how to get the last value in column in Google Sheets. Want more?
Check out all the Google Sheets Tutorials.