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Excel - VLOOKUP - User - Guide by D Varshney

VLOOKUP is an Excel function that searches for a value in the first column of a range and returns a corresponding value from another column. Its syntax includes parameters for the lookup value, table array, column index, and an optional range lookup for exact or approximate matches. Limitations include only searching to the right and performance issues with large datasets, with alternatives like XLOOKUP available in newer Excel versions.

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9 views2 pages

Excel - VLOOKUP - User - Guide by D Varshney

VLOOKUP is an Excel function that searches for a value in the first column of a range and returns a corresponding value from another column. Its syntax includes parameters for the lookup value, table array, column index, and an optional range lookup for exact or approximate matches. Limitations include only searching to the right and performance issues with large datasets, with alternatives like XLOOKUP available in newer Excel versions.

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What is VLOOKUP?

VLOOKUP (Vertical Lookup) is an Excel function that searches for a value in the first column of a
range/table and returns a value in the same row from another column.

VLOOKUP Syntax
=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

lookup_value: The value to search for in the first column. table_array: The range
of cells that contains the data. col_index_num: The column number in the table
from which to return the value. range_lookup: Optional – TRUE for approximate
match, FALSE for exact match.

Basic Example
A B

Code Product

101 Apple

102 Banana

103 Orange

Formula: =VLOOKUP(102, A2:B4, 2, FALSE) Result:


"Banana"

Step-by-Step Guide
1. Prepare Your Data: Make sure your lookup column is the first column of your table.
2. Use the VLOOKUP Formula:
- lookup_value: cell or value (e.g., 102 or A1)
- table_array: full range (e.g., A2:B100)
- col_index_num: the column to fetch from (e.g., 2)
- range_lookup: use FALSE for exact match

Common Scenarios
1. Lookup using a cell value: =VLOOKUP(A2, A2:C10, 3, FALSE)
2. Approximate match: =VLOOKUP(85, A2:B6, 2, TRUE) – First column must be sorted ascending.

Limitations & Workarounds


Limitation Workaround

Only searches to the right Use INDEX + MATCH

Slows on large data Use XLOOKUP (Excel 365/2021)

Not dynamic if column changes Use MATCH to find column index


Alternative: XLOOKUP (Excel 365/2021)
Syntax: =XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array, [if_not_found]) More
flexible and doesn’t require left-to-right lookup.

Practice Exercise
A B

ID Name

201 John

202 Sara

203 Ali

Task: Use VLOOKUP to find the name for ID 202.


Solution: =VLOOKUP(202, A2:B4, 2, FALSE)

Pro Tips
- Use named ranges to make formulas readable.
- Use IFERROR(VLOOKUP(...), "Not Found") to handle missing data.
- VLOOKUP only returns the first match if there are duplicates.

Summary Table
Feature Supported?

Exact Match Yes

Approx Match Yes

Leftward Lookup No

Case Sensitive No

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