VLOOKUP Function
VLOOKUP Function
Use VLOOKUP, one of the lookup and reference functions, when you need to find things in a table or a range
by row. For example, look up an employee's last name by her employee number, or find her phone number by
looking up her last name (just like a telephone book).
The secret to VLOOKUP is to organize your data so that the value you look up (employees last name) is to the
left of the return value you want to find (employees phone number).
Syntax
VLOOKUP (lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])
For example:
=VLOOKUP(105,A2:C7,2,TRUE)
=VLOOKUP("Fontana",B2:E7,2,FALSE)
Argument name
Description
lookup_value
The value you want to look up. The value you want to look up must be in the first column of
the range of cells you specify in table-array .
(required)
For example, if table-array spans cells B2:D7, then your lookup_value must be in column B.
See the graphic below. Lookup_value can be a value or a reference to a cell.
table_array
(required)
The range of cells in which the VLOOKUP will search for the lookup_value and the return
value.
The first column in the cell range must contain the lookup_value (for example, Last Name in
the picture below.) The cell range also needs to include the return value (for example, First
Name in the graphic below) you want to find.
Argument name
Description
col_index_num
(required)
The column number (starting with 1 for the left-most column of table-array) that contains the
return value.
range_lookup (optional)
A logical value that specifies whether you want VLOOKUP to find an exact match or an
approximate match:
TRUE assumes the first column in the table is sorted either numerically or
alphabetically, and will then search for the closest value. This is the default method if you don't
specify one.
FALSE searches for the exact value in the first column.
The following picture shows how you'd set up your worksheet with =VLOOKUP("Akers",B2:D5,2,FALSE) to
returnKim.
Examples
To use these examples in Excel, copy the data in the table below, and paste it in cell A1 of a new worksheet.
ID
Last name
First
name
Title
Birth
date
101
Davis
Sara
Sale
s
Rep.
12/8/196
8
102
Fontana
Olivier
V.P.
of
Sale
s
2/19/195
2
103
Leal
Karina
Sale
s
Rep.
8/30/196
3
104
Patten
Michae
l
Sale
s
Rep.
9/19/195
8
105
Burke
Brian
Sale
s
Mgr.
3/4/1955
106
Sousa
Luis
Sale
s
7/2/1963
Rep.
Formula
Description
=VLOOKUP("Fontana",B2:E7,2,FALSE)
=VLOOKUP(102,A2:C7,2,FALSE)
=IF(VLOOKUP(103,A1:E7,2,FALSE)="Sousa","Located","
Not found")
=INT(YEARFRAC(DATE(2014,6,30),
VLOOKUP(105,A2:E7,5, FALSE), 1))
=IF(ISNA(VLOOKUP(105,A2:E7,2,FALSE)) = TRUE,
"Employee not found", VLOOKUP(105,A2:E7,2,FALSE))
Common Problems
Problem
Wrong value
returned
If range_lookup is TRUE or left out, the first column needs to be sorted alphabetically or numerically. If the
first column isn't sorted, the return value might be something you don't expect. Either sort the first column,
or use FALSE for an exact match.
#N/A in cell
If range_lookup is TRUE, then if the value in the lookup_value is smaller than the smallest value in
Problem
the first column of the table_array, you'll get the #N/A error value.
If range_lookup is FALSE, the #N/A error value indicates that the exact number isn't found.
Learn more about errors in worksheets, like #N/A, #REF, and the rest.
#REF! in cell
If col_index_num is greater than the number of columns in table-array, you'll get the #REF! error value.
#VALUE! in
cell
If the table_array is less than 1, you'll get the #VALUE! error value.
#NAME? in
cell
The #NAME? error value usually means that the formula is missing quotes. To look up a person's name,
make sure you use quotes around the name in the formula. For example, enter the name as"Fontana" in
=VLOOKUP("Fontana",B2:E7,2,FALSE).
Best practices
Do this
Why
Use absolute
references
forrange_lookup
Using absolute references allows you to fill-down a formula so that it always looks at the same
exact lookup range.
Learn how to use absolute cell references.
When searching number or date values, be sure the data in the first column of table_array isn't
stored as text values. Otherwise, VLOOKUP might return an incorrect or unexpected value.
Do this
Why
Sort the first column of the table_array before using VLOOKUP when range_lookup is TRUE.
Use wildcard
characters
If range_lookup is FALSE and lookup_value is text, you can use the wildcard charactersthe
question mark (?) and asterisk (*)in lookup_value. A question mark matches any single
character. An asterisk matches any sequence of characters. If you want to find an actual question
mark or asterisk, type a tilde (~) in front of the character.
For example, =VLOOKUP("Fontan?",B2:E7,2,FALSE) will search for all instances
of Fontana with a last letter that could vary.
When searching text values in the first column, make sure the data in the first column doesn't have
leading spaces, trailing spaces, inconsistent use of straight ( ' or " ) and curly ( or ) quotation
marks, or nonprinting characters. In these cases, VLOOKUP might return an unexpected value.
To get accurate results, try using the CLEAN function or the TRIM function to remove trailing
spaces after table values in a cell.
Related
View Quick Reference Card: VLOOKUP refresher for a refresher on best ways to use VLOOKUP to
look up data in tables.
VLOOKUP is a member of the lookup and reference functions, which includes the HLOOKUP
function.
Use the CLEAN function or the TRIM function to remove leading spaces in table values.
Learn more about errors in worksheets, like #N/A, #REF, and the rest.
We'll add our formula to cell E2, but you can add it to any blank cell. As with
any formula, you'll start with an equals sign (=). Then type the formula
name. Our arguments will need to be in parentheses, so type an open
parenthesis. So far, it should look like this:
=VLOOKUP(
How it works
Let's take a look at how this formula works. It first searches
vertically down the first column (VLOOKUP is short forvertical lookup).
When it finds "Photo frame", it moves to the second column to find the
price.
If we want to find the price of a different item, we can just change the first
argument:
=VLOOKUP("T-shirt", A2:B16, 2, FALSE)
or:
=VLOOKUP("Gift basket", A2:B16, 2, FALSE)
Another example
Are you ready for a slightly more complicated example? Let's say we have
a third column that has the category for each item. This time, instead of
finding the price we'll find the category.
To find the category, we'll need to change the second and third
arguments in our formula. First, we'll change the range to A2:C16 so it
includes the third column. Next, we'll change the column index number
to 3 because our categories are in the third column:
=VLOOKUP("Gift basket", A2:C16, 3, FALSE)
When you press Enter, you'll see that the Gift basket is in
the Gifts category.
If you'd like more practice, see if you can find the following:
The price of the coffee mug
The category of the landscape painting
The price of the serving bowl