PlanMaker MINVERSE: Matrix Inverses, Array Entry and Linear Systems
MINVERSE inverts a square numeric matrix. Follow PlanMaker’s selected-range array entry, verify identity products and solve a complete two-equation example.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
MINVERSE inverts a square numeric matrix. Follow PlanMaker’s selected-range array entry, verify identity products and solve a complete two-equation example.
Availability and evidence
The PlanMaker 2026 reference, 2024 reference and 2021 reference document this function. Original introduction and last-working-version endpoints remain unverified; a manual family is not a test of every build or edition.
References were retrieved on October 15, 2026. No native PlanMaker execution was performed. Examples below are independently calculated expectations, not application screenshots or native results. FreeOffice/mobile edition coverage and file transfers are not certified. English formulas use commas; verify separators and names in your installation.
Exact syntax and invertibility
=MINVERSE(Array)
Array is a square numeric cell range or array constant. Its inverse A⁻¹ satisfies A×A⁻¹=I, where I is the identity matrix. The manual explicitly states that a singular matrix, whose determinant is zero, cannot be inverted and produces #NUM!.
The inverse is not obtained by taking the reciprocal of every cell. For a general 2×2 matrix with rows a,b and c,d, the inverse is 1/(ad−bc) times the matrix with rows d,−b and −c,a, when the determinant is nonzero.
Complete worksheet and array entry
Create InverseControls with these numeric values in A2:B3:
| Cell row | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | 2 | 6 |
Select the complete E2:F3 output range. Enter =MINVERSE(A2:B3) and finish with Ctrl+Shift+Enter, following the PlanMaker array-formula instructions. The expected output is:
| Cell row | E | F |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0.6 | -0.7 |
| 3 | -0.2 | 0.4 |
The 2026 function reference still requires an array formula. Do not assume MUNIT’s separately documented automatic spill behavior applies here. The general manual describes Insert array formula for Android/iOS instead of the desktop shortcut; mobile availability and execution were not independently verified.
The result has the same dimensions as the input. The array instructions warn that selecting too small an output clips undisplayed parts, while extra selected cells can show #N/A. To edit an existing array formula, select its entire output and complete the edit with Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
Check the inverse by multiplication
Select H2:I3 and enter =MMULT(A2:B3,E2:F3) as an array formula. The independent result is the 2×2 identity: rows 1,0 and 0,1. For the top-left element, 4×0.6+7×(−0.2)=1; for the top-right, 4×(−0.7)+7×0.4=0.
Inspect the underlying values rather than rounded displayed copies. Small floating-point residuals can occur in actual execution; an exactly printed zero is not proof of a universally exact algorithm.
Reproduce the official 3×3 example
On another sheet, put rows 9,8,8; 2,4,6; 1,2,1 in A1:C3. Select E1:G3 and enter =MINVERSE(A1:C3) using the array workflow. The manual’s expected inverse has rows 0.2,−0.2,−0.4; −0.1,−0.025,0.95; 0,0.25,−0.5.
Multiplying either way gives the 3×3 identity mathematically, and the original determinant is −40. These decimal inverse entries are exact rational values for this example, not arbitrary rounded approximations copied from a screenshot.
Advanced: solve a small linear system
Return to the original InverseControls matrix. Put right-hand-side values 11 and 8 in K2:K3. Select M2:M3 and enter =MMULT(E2:F3,K2:K3) as an array formula. Expected solution values are 1,1, satisfying 4x+7y=11 and 2x+6y=8.
In a copy change K2 to 12, leaving K3 at 8. The expected solution becomes 1.6,0.8. Substituting gives 4×1.6+7×0.8=12 and 2×1.6+6×0.8=8. This checks both equation order and the orientation of the right-hand-side column.
Explicit inversion is useful for understanding this small example, but it is not a claim that forming an inverse is always the best numerical method for large systems.
Advanced: changed matrix and singular control
In a separate copy change A2 from 4 to 5. The determinant becomes 16, and the expected inverse rows become 0.375,−0.4375 and −0.125,0.3125. Keep the original 2×2 control intact so the effect of this matrix edit is not confused with the right-hand-side edit above.
The matrix with rows 1,2 and 2,4 is singular; its determinant is zero and the documented MINVERSE expectation is #NUM!. A nearly dependent matrix can instead be invertible but sensitive to rounding. Do not equate “no error” with a well-conditioned solution.
Errors and troubleshooting
Only square numeric matrices are in the documented contract. Exact errors for text, blanks, non-square ranges and oversized matrices are not established here. First check source dimensions and the selected output range, then calculate a determinant and inspect a multiplication residual.
If only one result appears, review array entry before changing the mathematics. If a saved workbook is opened elsewhere, validate its array formula and dimensions there separately; neither native execution nor transfer behavior was tested for this guide.