MAP applies a LAMBDA calculation to each position in one or more arrays. It returns one output per position, without copying a formula down.
MAP function syntax
=MAP(array1, [array2, ...], LAMBDA)- Arrays: matching dimensions.
- LAMBDA: one named input per array and one result per position.
Set up the example data
Enter this small dataset starting in A1. The first row contains headers. Keep the formula output separate from the input cells.
| Value | Rate | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0.1 | aLEX GREEN |
| 20 | 0.2 | BLAIR LEE |
| 30 | 0.15 | casey reed |
Double every value
Enter this formula in A10. MAP passes each value to x and returns twice that number. Leave three output rows clear.
=MAP(A2:A4,LAMBDA(x,x*2))Result: 20; 40; 60.
Apply a custom expression
The LAMBDA expression squares each input and adds one. Replace that expression with the per-value calculation you need.
=MAP(A2:A4,LAMBDA(x,x^2+1))Result: 101; 401; 901.
Combine two parallel arrays
Each call receives the value and rate from the same position. The two parameter names correspond to the two input arrays in order.
=MAP(A2:A4,B2:B4,LAMBDA(p,r,p*r))Result: 1; 4; 4.5.
Change capitalization
PROPER capitalizes each word. It is a formatting rule, not a reliable correction for every person’s name.
=MAP(C2:C4,LAMBDA(n,PROPER(n)))Result: Alex Green; Blair Lee; Casey Reed.
Create conditional labels
The IF runs separately for each value. A blank input needs an explicit blank branch if it should not be treated as a score.
=MAP(A2:A4,LAMBDA(s,IF(s>=20,"Pass","Fail")))Result: Fail; Pass; Pass.
Keep each mapped calculation scalar
Google documents one value per mapped position and says nested arrays are unsupported. Our horizontal-array experiment nevertheless returned a two-column result; a vertical-array variation failed.
=MAP({1;2},LAMBDA(x,{x,x}))Result: 1, 1; 2, 2.
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