How to Use TAKE Function in Excel + Tips

Hello everyone! Today i will show you how to use TAKE function in Microsoft Excel step by step.

1. What is TAKE Function in Excel?

The TAKE function is a dynamic array function in Excel 365 and Excel 2024. It allows you to extract a specific number of rows and/or columns from the beginning (top) or end (bottom) of a range.

Think of TAKE like slicing the first or last few items from a list. For example:

• Get the Top 5 best-selling products from a sales table.
• Get the Last 3 most recent transactions from a log.

📚 Related Tutorial: Want to remove rows from the start instead? Check out How to Use DROP Function in Excel!

2. 🛠️ Formula Syntax & Parameters

=TAKE(array, [rows], [columns])

• array: Required. The range or array of cells to extract from (e.g., A2:C10).
• [rows]: Optional. The number of rows to take:
  • Positive number (e.g., 3): Takes rows from the top (first rows).
  • Negative number (e.g., -3): Takes rows from the bottom (last rows).
• [columns]: Optional. The number of columns to take:
  • Positive number (e.g., 2): Takes columns from the left.
  • Negative number (e.g., -2): Takes columns from the right.

3. 📋 Practical Examples

Example 1: Get the Top 3 Rows from a Sales Table

Suppose range A2:C7 contains a product sales table:

=TAKE(A2:C7, 3)

👉 Result: Returns the first 3 rows — Phone, Laptop, and T-Shirt rows with all their columns!

Example 2: Get the Last 3 Rows (Most Recent)

Using a negative row number to take from the bottom:

=TAKE(A2:C7, -3)

👉 Result: Returns Headset, Jeans, and Tablet — the last 3 rows of the table!

Example 3: Take First 3 Rows and First 2 Columns Only

Combining both rows and columns to extract a subset of your table:

=TAKE(A2:C7, 3, 2)

👉 Result: Returns the top 3 rows with only Column A (Product) and Column B (Category) — excluding the Sales column!

Example 4: Combine TAKE with SORT to Get Top N Values

You can nest TAKE inside SORT to get the top 3 highest-selling products:

=TAKE(SORT(A2:C7, 3, -1), 3)

👉 Result: First sorts all rows by Sales descending (highest first), then TAKE extracts the top 3 results!

💡 Quick Tips for Using TAKE Function

1. Use Negative Numbers for Last N Rows: Instead of calculating ROWS(range) - N to find the last few rows, simply use -3 as the rows argument to get the last 3 rows directly.
2. Combine TAKE + SORT for Top N Reports: =TAKE(SORT(A2:C20, 3, -1), 5) gives you the Top 5 highest-selling products instantly without a helper column.
3. Use TAKE + VSTACK for Dynamic Headers: Add a header row above extracted data: =VSTACK({"Product","Category","Sales"}, TAKE(A2:C7, 3)).
4. Excel Version Requirement: TAKE requires Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, or Excel for the Web.

📚 Related Resources & Tutorials

• How to Use FILTER Function in Excel
• How to Use SORT Function in Excel
• How to Use UNIQUE Function in Excel
• How to Use VSTACK Function in Excel
• Top 15 Basic Excel Formulas for Beginners ↗