Excel’s SCAN function is useful when you need to see every intermediate result—not just the final answer. For example, it can turn a column of sales figures into a running total with one formula. The key is its accumulator: a value that SCAN updates as it moves through an array.
What SCAN does
Microsoft describes SCAN as a function that “scans an array by applying a LAMBDA to each value and returns an array that has each intermediate value.” In practice, you supply an array and a rule for updating an accumulator. SCAN applies that rule to each value in turn and returns the accumulator’s result at every step.
That makes SCAN a good fit when the progression matters—for example, when you want to inspect a running balance. If you only need a final accumulated result, returning all the intermediate values may not match your requirement.
How the arguments and accumulator work
The documented syntax is:
=SCAN([initial_value], array, lambda(accumulator, value, body))
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initial_valuesets the accumulator before SCAN processes the array.arrayis the range or array of values to process.- The LAMBDA names an
accumulatorand the currentvalue, then uses its body to calculate the next result.
On the first iteration, the LAMBDA receives the initial accumulator and the array’s first value. Its returned result becomes the accumulator for the next iteration. SCAN preserves each returned result in its output array.
Build a running total
For values in cells B2:B6, use:
=SCAN(0, B2:B6, LAMBDA(total, amount, total+amount))
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The starting accumulator is zero. Each call adds the current amount to the previous total, and SCAN returns the totals reached along the way. For example, if the range contains 10, 5, and 8, the corresponding first three accumulated results are 10, 15, and 23.
Microsoft’s Insider Blog shows the same pattern for a sales table column: =SCAN(0, MonthlySales[Sales], LAMBDA(accumulator, value, accumulator+value)). The descriptive names total and amount in the range example make the roles easier to read; the names are LAMBDA parameters, not special Excel keywords.
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Other useful accumulation patterns
Changing the starting value and the LAMBDA body changes what SCAN accumulates. Microsoft’s documentation includes these examples:
- Cumulative product:
=SCAN(1, A1:C2, LAMBDA(a,b,a*b)). Starting at 1 lets each step multiply the accumulated product by the next value. - Text concatenation:
=SCAN("",A1:C2,LAMBDA(a,b,a&b)). Starting with an empty string is appropriate for building up text as values are processed.
Check availability and troubleshoot errors
Microsoft lists SCAN for Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Excel for the web, Excel 2024, and Excel 2024 for Mac. If you use another edition, check whether the function is available in that version.
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If Excel returns #VALUE! with “Incorrect Parameters,” Microsoft advises checking that the LAMBDA is valid and has the expected number of parameters. In SCAN’s syntax, the LAMBDA takes the accumulator and current value, followed by the calculation body.
When to choose SCAN
- Use SCAN when you need the intermediate values, such as each step in a running total.
- Choose a final-only accumulation approach when only the end result matters.
For syntax, supported versions, examples, and the parameter-error note, see Microsoft’s SCAN function documentation. The running-total table example appears in Microsoft’s LAMBDA functions blog post.
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