Excel VLOOKUP tutorial for beginners with formula examples

VLOOKUP syntax

The syntax for the VLOOKUP function is as follows:

Where:

• Lookup_value (required) - is the value to search for.
  This can be a value (number, date or text), cell reference (reference to a cell containing a lookup value), or the value returned by some other function. Unlike numbers and cell references, text values should always be in enclosed in "double quotes".
• Table_array (required) - is the range of cells where to search for the lookup value and from which to retrieve a match. The VLOOKUP function always searches in the first column of the table array, which may contain various text values, numbers, dates, and logical values.
• Col_index_num (required) - is the number of the column from which to return a value. The counting starts from the leftmost column in the table array, which is 1.
• Range_lookup (optional) - determines whether to search for approximate or exact match:
  • TRUE or omitted (default) - approximate match. If an exact match is not found, the formula searches for the largest value that is smaller than the lookup value. Requires sorting the lookup column in ascending order.
  • FALSE - exact match. The formula searches for a value exactly equal to the lookup value. If an exact match is not found, a #N/A value is returned.

Excel VLOOKUP - 5 things to remember!

1. The VLOOKUP function cannot look at its left. It always searches in the leftmost column of the table array and returns a value from a column to the right. If you need to pull values from left, use the INDEX MATCH (or INDEX XMATCH in Excel 365) combination that can does not care about the positioning of the lookup and return columns.
2. The VLOOKUP function is case-insensitive, meaning that uppercase and lowercase characters are treated as equivalent. To distinguish the letter case, use case sensitive VLOOKUP formulas.
3. Remember about the importance of the last parameter. Use TRUE for approximate match and FALSE for exact match. For full details, please see VLOOKUP TRUE vs. FALSE.
4. When searching for approximate match, make sure the data in the lookup column is sorted in ascending order.
5. If the lookup value is not found, a #N/A error is returned. For information about other errors, please see Why Excel VLOOKUP is not working.

How to Vlookup from another sheet in Excel

In practice, the Excel VLOOKUP function is rarely used with data in the same worksheet. Most often you will have to pull matching data from a different worksheet.

To Vlookup from a different Excel sheet, put the worksheet's name followed by an exclamation mark in the table_array argument before the range reference. For example, to search in the range A2:B10 on Sheet2, use this formula:

=VLOOKUP("Product1", Sheet2!A2:B10, 2)

Of course, you don't have to type the sheet's name manually. Simply, start typing the formula and when it comes to the table_array argument, switch to the lookup worksheet and select the range using the mouse.

For instance, this is how you can look up the A2 value in the range A2:A9 on the Prices worksheet and return a matching value from column C:

=VLOOKUP(A2, Prices!$A$2:$C$9, 3, FALSE)

How to Vlookup from another workbook in Excel

To Vlookup from a different Excel workbook, put the workbook's name enclosed in square brackets before the worksheet's name.

For example, here's the formula to look up the A2 value on the sheet named Prices in the Price_List.xlsx workbook:

=VLOOKUP(A2, [Price_List.xlsx]Prices!$A$2:$C$9, 3, FALSE)

If either a workbook name or worksheet name contains spaces or non-alphabetical characters, you should enclose them in single quotes like this:

=VLOOKUP(A2, '[Price List.xlsx]Prices'!$A$2:$C$9, 3, FALSE)

The easiest way to make a VLOOKUP formula that refers to a different workbook is this:

1. Open both files.
2. Start typing your formula, switch to the other workbook, and select the table array using the mouse.
3. Enter the remaining arguments and press the Enter key to complete your formula.

The result will look somewhat like the screenshot below:

Once you close the file with your lookup table, the VLOOKUP formula will continue working, but it will now display the full path for the closed workbook:

For more information, please see How to refer to another Excel sheet or workbook.

How to Vlookup from a named range in another sheet

In case you plan to use the same lookup range in many formulas, you can create a named range for it and type the name directly in the table_array argument.

To create a named range, simply select the cells and type the name you want in the Name box to the left of the Formula bar. For the detailed steps, please see How to name a range in Excel.

For this example, we gave the name Prices_2020 to the data cells (A2:C9) in the lookup sheet and get this compact formula:

=VLOOKUP(A2, Prices_2020, 3, FALSE)

Most names in Excel apply to the entire workbook, so you don't need to specify the worksheet's name when using named ranges.

If the named range is in another workbook, put the workbook's name before the range name, for example:

=VLOOKUP(A2, 'Price List.xlsx'!Prices_2020, 3, FALSE)

Such formulas are far more understandable, aren't they? Besides, using named ranges can be a good alternative to absolute references. Since a named range doesn't change, you can be sure that your table array will remain locked no matter where the formula is moved or copied.

If you have converted your lookup range into a fully-functional Excel table, then you can do a Vlookup based on the table name, e.g. Price_table in the below formula:

=VLOOKUP(A2, Price_table, 3, FALSE)

Table references, also called structured references, are resilient and immune to many data manipulations. For instance, you can remove or add new rows to your lookup table without worrying about updating the references.

Example 1. Look up text starting or ending with certain characters

Suppose you want to find a certain customer in the below database. You do not remember the surname, but you are confident that it starts with "ack".

To return the last name from column A, use the following Vlookup wildcard formula:

=VLOOKUP("ack*", $A$2:$B$10, 1, FALSE)

To retrieve the license key from column B, use this one (the difference is only in the column index number):

=VLOOKUP("ack*", $A$2:$B$10, 2, FALSE)

You can also enter the known part of the name in some cell, say E1, and combine the wildcard character with the cell reference:

=VLOOKUP(E1&"*", $A$2:$B$10, 1, FALSE)

The below screenshot shows the results:

Below are a few more VLOOKUP formulas with wildcards.

Find the last name ending with "son":

=VLOOKUP("*son", $A$2:$B$10, 1, FALSE)

Get the name that starts with "joh" and ends with "son":

=VLOOKUP("joh*son", $A$2:$B$10, 1, FALSE)

Pull a 5-character last name:

=VLOOKUP("?????", $A$2:$B$10, 1, FALSE)

Example 2. VLOOKUP wildcard based on cell value

From the previous example, you already know that it is possible to concatenate an ampersand (&) and a cell reference to make a lookup string. To find a value that contains a given character(s) in any position, put an ampersand before and after the cell reference.

Let's say, you wish to get a name corresponding to a certain license key, but you don't know the whole key, only a few characters. With the keys in column A, names in column B, and part of the target key in E1, you can do a wildcard Vlookup in this way:

Extract the key:

=VLOOKUP("*"&E1&"*", $A$2:$B$10, 1, FALSE)

Extract the name:

=VLOOKUP("*"&E1&"*", $A$2:$B$10, 2, FALSE)

Excel VLOOKUP exact match (FALSE)

If range_lookup is set to FALSE, a Vlookup formula searches for a value that is exactly equal to the lookup value. If two or more matches are found, the 1st one is returned. If an exact match is not found, the #N/A error occurs.

Excel VLOOKUP approximate match (TRUE)

If range_lookup is set to TRUE or omitted (default), the formula looks up the closest match. More precisely, it searches for an exact match first, and if an exact match is not found, looks for the next largest value that is less than the lookup value.

An approximate match Vlookup works with the following caveats:

• The lookup column must be sorted in ascending order, from smallest to largest, otherwise a correct value may not be found.
• If the lookup value is smaller than the smallest value in the lookup array, a #N/A error is returned.

The following examples will help you better understand the difference between an exact match and approximate match Vlookup and when each formula is best to be used.

Example 1. How to do an exact match Vlookup

To look up an exact match, just put FALSE in the last argument.

For this example, let's take the animal speed table, swap the columns, and try to find the animals that can run 80, 50 and 30 miles per hour. With the lookup values in D2, D3 and D4, enter the below formula in E2, and then copy it down to two more cells:

=VLOOKUP(D2, $A$2:$B$12, 2, FALSE)

As you can see, the formula returns "Lion" in E3 because they run exactly 50 per hour. For the other two lookup values an exact match is not found, and #N/A errors appear.

Example 2. How to Vlookup for approximate match

To look up an approximate match, there are two essential things you need to do:

• Sort the first column of table_array from smallest to largest.
• Use TRUE for the range_lookup argument or omit it.

Sorting the lookup column is very important because the VLOOKUP function stops searching as soon as it finds a close match smaller than the lookup value. If the data is not sorted properly, you may end up having really strange results or a bunch of #N/A errors.

For our sample data, an approximate match Vlookup formula goes as follows:

=VLOOKUP(D2, $A$2:$B$12, 2, TRUE)

And returns the following results:

• For a lookup value of "80", "Cheetah" is returned because its speed (70) is the closest match that is smaller than the lookup value.
• For a lookup value of "50", an exact match is returned (Lion).
• For a lookup value of "30", a #N/A error is returned because the lookup value is less than the smallest value in the lookup column.

VLOOKUP Wizard - easy way to write complex formulas

The interactive VLOOKUP Wizard will walk you through the configuration options to build a perfect formula for the criteria you specify. Depending on your data structure, it will use the standard VLOOKUP function or an INDEX MATCH formula that can pull values from left.

To get your custom-tailored formula, this is what you need to do:

1. Run the VLOOKUP Wizard.

1. Choose your main table and lookup table.
2. Specify the following columns (in many cases they are picked automatically):
   • Key column - the column in your main table containing the values to look up.
   • Lookup column - the column to look up against.
   • Return column - the column from which to retrieve values.
3. Click the Insert button.

The following examples show the wizard in action.

Merge Two Tables - formula-free alternative to Excel VLOOKUP

If your Excel files are enormously large and complex, the project's deadline is imminent, and you are looking for someone who can lend you a helping hand, try out the Merge Tables Wizard.

This tool is our visual and stress-free alternative to Excel's VLOOKUP function, which works this way:

1. Select your main table.
2. Select the lookup table.
3. Choose one or several common columns as the unique identifier(s).
4. Specify which columns to update.
5. Optionally, choose the columns to add.
6. Allow the Merge Tables Wizard a few seconds for processing… and enjoy the results :)