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VLOOKUP

Lookup & referenceExcel 2007

Find a value in the first column of a table, return a value from a column to its right.

Syntax

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

Arguments

lookup_value
What to search for — matched against the first column of table_array.
table_array
The table range. The lookup column must be the leftmost.
col_index_num
Which column of the table to return, counting from 1 at the left.
range_lookupoptional
FALSE / 0 for an exact match (almost always what you want). TRUE needs the first column sorted ascending.

Examples

=VLOOKUP(A2, $E$2:$G$50, 3, FALSE)

→ 3rd column, exact match

=IFERROR(VLOOKUP(A2, tbl, 2, FALSE), "Not found")

→

Good to know

  • Can't look to the left of the lookup column — use INDEX/MATCH or XLOOKUP for that.
  • col_index_num breaks if columns are inserted. XLOOKUP and INDEX/MATCH don't have this problem.
  • Always pass FALSE unless you specifically want a sorted approximate match.

Related functions

XLOOKUPHLOOKUPINDEXMATCH

More Lookup & reference functions

ADDRESSAREASCHOOSECOLUMNCOLUMNSFORMULATEXTGETPIVOTDATAHLOOKUPHYPERLINKINDEXINDIRECTLOOKUP

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Syntax follows Microsoft’s documentation. Examples are written to be pasted into a cell and checked. Argument separators may be ; in your locale. The AI explainer runs on a free community model — verify anything important.