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VLOOKUP

Intermediate
12 min

What is VLOOKUP?

VLOOKUP searches for a value in the first column of a table and returns a corresponding value from another column.

Key Components:

  • Searches for a specific value in the first column
  • Returns a related value from a column to the right
  • Works with numbers, text, and dates
  • Essential for combining data from multiple sheets

Why it matters

Employee Lookups

Find employee names, salaries using ID number

Price Matching

Fill product prices from a price list

Data Consolidation

Combine information from two reports

Customer Details

Auto-fill customer addresses using ID

Key Concepts

Lookup Value

Value you're searching for

Example: Employee ID...

Table Array

Range where you're searching

Example: A1:B100...

Column Index

Which column to return

Example: 2 for second column...

Range Lookup

FALSE for exact match

Example: FALSE...

How to use

1

Click destination cell

Where you want the result

2

Type =VLOOKUP(

Start the formula

3

Enter lookup value

Select the cell with value to search

4

Select table range

Highlight the lookup table

5

Enter column number

Which column to return

6

Type FALSE and )

Close the formula and press Enter

Example

Goal: Find employee salary using ID
=VLOOKUP(A2, $B$2:$D$100, 3, FALSE)
Result: Returns the salary for that employee ID

Pro Tips

  • •Lock table with $: Use $B$2:$D$100 so range doesn't shift
  • •Use IFERROR: Hide #N/A errors
  • •Lookup column first: Put lookup column as first column

Practice

Use VLOOKUP to find product prices from a price list
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