How to Create Custom Excel Function Without VBA in 3 Minutes

Written by Kasper Langmann

Excel, a powerful tool from Microsoft, is widely used for data analysis, financial modeling, and business strategy planning. It’s known for its robust built-in functions. However, there are times when these functions might not be enough to meet your specific needs. In such cases, creating a custom function can be a lifesaver. This guide will walk you through the process of creating a custom Excel function without using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications).

Understanding Excel Functions

Excel functions are pre-defined formulas that perform calculations using specific values, called arguments, in a particular order, or structure. Functions can be used to perform simple or complex calculations. The power of Excel lies in its ability to combine multiple functions into one formula to perform complicated tasks.

While Excel offers a wide array of built-in functions, there might be situations where you need a function that doesn’t exist. For example, you might need a function that calculates the median of the top 10 numbers in a range. Excel doesn’t have a built-in function for this, but you can create a custom function to do it.

Creating Custom Excel Functions Without VBA

While VBA is a powerful tool for creating custom functions, it requires a good understanding of programming. If you’re not comfortable with VBA, you can still create custom functions using Excel’s built-in features. Here’s how you can do it.

Step 1: Define the Function

Before you start creating the function, you need to define what it will do. This involves identifying the inputs (arguments) and the output (result). For example, if you’re creating a function to calculate the median of the top 10 numbers in a range, the input would be the range of numbers, and the output would be the median of the top 10 numbers.

Once you’ve defined the function, you can start creating it. This involves using Excel’s built-in functions and features to perform the calculations. You might need to use multiple functions and combine them into one formula.

Step 2: Create the Function

To create the function, you need to enter the formula in a cell. The formula should include the functions and calculations that will produce the desired result. For example, to calculate the median of the top 10 numbers in a range, you could use the following formula: =MEDIAN(LARGE(range,{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10})).

In this formula, the LARGE function is used to return the top 10 numbers in the range, and the MEDIAN function is used to calculate the median of these numbers. The curly brackets ({}) are used to create an array of numbers from 1 to 10, which are the k-th largest numbers that the LARGE function will return.

Step 3: Use the Function

Once you’ve created the function, you can use it just like any other Excel function. Simply enter the function in a cell, and replace “range” with the range of cells that you want to calculate the median for. For example, if you want to calculate the median of the top 10 numbers in cells A1 to A100, you would enter the following formula: =MEDIAN(LARGE(A1:A100,{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10})).

The function will calculate the median of the top 10 numbers in the specified range and display the result in the cell. You can use this function in other formulas, just like any other Excel function.

Benefits of Creating Custom Excel Functions

Creating custom Excel functions can save you time and effort, especially if you frequently perform complex calculations. Instead of entering a long, complicated formula every time you need to perform the calculation, you can simply use the custom function.

Custom functions also make your formulas easier to read and understand. Instead of a long, complicated formula, you have a simple function that clearly describes what it does. This can be especially helpful if other people need to understand or use your formulas.

Conclusion

Creating custom Excel functions without VBA is not as difficult as it might seem. With a good understanding of Excel’s built-in functions and a clear definition of what you want the function to do, you can create a custom function to meet your specific needs.

Remember, the key to creating a successful custom function is to clearly define the function and use Excel’s built-in functions and features to perform the calculations. With practice, you’ll be able to create custom functions that save you time and make your work in Excel more efficient and effective.