In Excel, finding the maximum value of a column of data is a common operation. To find this maximum value quickly, you can do so with the help of the Max function. Here are the detailed steps:

First, open a new Excel document and enter the data you need to analyze into it to form a clear data table (see step 1). Make sure the data is neatly organized.

Next, move on to the data processing stage. On Excel's toolbar, find and click on the Start option, then in the drop-down menu on the ribbon, you'll see the AutoSum option. Click on it and select "Maximum (M)" from the drop-down list (as shown in step 2).

Select "Maximum", Excel will automatically highlight the entire column of data, marked with a blue dotted box, so you can see at a glance (Step 3). At this point, the edit box will appear around the "√" and "×" symbols, representing the application of this formula.

Confirm your choice at the "√" position, which indicates that you will use the Max function to calculate the maximum value. When you click on it, you'll see the calculated maximum value below the data group in a green box, for example 98 (step 4).

In this way, you have successfully found the maximum value for your desired column in Excel. This method is simple and intuitive and can quickly help you with data analysis tasks.