How to Use VLOOKUP in Excel?
How to Use VLOOKUP in Excel? – Microsoft Excel is a deceptively powerful tool for data management. It helps users to analyze and interpret data easily. Often not appreciated for the range of tasks a user can perform, Microsoft Excel is undoubtedly a powerful and very popular tool that is used by almost every organization today.
Excel provides a wide range of functions that make working with data easy. VLOOKUP is one such function in Excel. VLOOKUP works as a search function by vertically locating specific data in a table or spreadsheet.
What is VLOOKUP in Excel?
VLOOKUP stands for vertical lookup. As the name specifies, VLOOKUP is a built-in Excel function that helps you find specified values by searching vertically on a sheet. VLOOKUP in Excel may sound complicated, but once you give it a try, you will find that it is a very simple and useful tool. See the example below to understand VLOOKUP.
Excel provides a wide range of functions that make working with data easy. VLOOKUP is one such function in Excel. VLOOKUP works as a search function by vertically locating specific data in a table or spreadsheet.
VLOOKUP stands for vertical lookup. As the name specifies, VLOOKUP is a built-in Excel function that helps you find specified values by searching vertically on a sheet. VLOOKUP in Excel may sound complicated, but once you give it a try, you will find that it is a very simple and useful tool. See the example below to understand VLOOKUP.
VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_number,[range_lookup])
How to use VOOKUP() in MS Excel? Vlookup function searches for a value in the first column of a table array and returns a value in the same row from another column in the table array. The “V” in VLOOKUP stands for vertical. Use VLOOKUP instead of HLOOKUP when your comparison values are located in a column to the left of the data that you want to find.
Syntax
VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, range_lookup)
Lookup_value – The value to search in the first column of the table array. Lookup value can be a value or a reference. If lookup value is smaller than the smallest value in the first column of table array, VLOOKUP returns the #N/A error value.
Table_array – Two or more columns of data. Use a reference to a range or a range name. The values in the first column of table array are the values searched by lookup value. These values can be text, numbers, or logical values. Uppercase and lowercase text are equivalent.
Col_index_num – The column number in table array from which the matching value must be returned. A col index num of 1 returns the value in the first column in table array; a col index num of 2 returns the value in the second column in table array, and so on. If col index num is:
- Less than 1, VLOOKUP returns the #VALUE! error value.
- Greater than the number of columns in table array, VLOOKUP returns the #REF! error value.
Range_lookup – A logical value that specifies whether you want VLOOKUP to find an exact match or an approximate match:
- If TRUE or omitted, an exact or approximate match is returned. If an exact match is not found, the next largest value that is less than lookup value is returned. The values in the first column of table array must be placed in ascending sort order; otherwise, VLOOKUP may not give the correct value. For more information, see Sort data.
- If FALSE, VLOOKUP will only find an exact match. In this case, the values in the first column of table array do not need to be sorted. If there are two or more values in the first column of table array that match the lookup value, the first value found is used. If an exact match is not found, the error value #N/A is returned.
Remarks
When searching text values in the first column of table array, ensure that the data in the first column of table array does not have leading spaces, trailing spaces, inconsistent use of straight ( ‘ or ” ) and curly ( ‘ or “) quotation marks, or nonprinting characters. In these cases, VLOOKUP may give an incorrect or unexpected value. For more information, see CLEAN and TRIM.
When searching number or date values, ensure that the data in the first column of table array is not stored as text values. In this case, VLOOKUP may give an incorrect or unexpected value. For more information, see Convert numbers stored as text to numbers.
If range lookup is FALSE and lookup value is text, then you can use the wildcard characters, 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 (~) preceding the character.
Example
The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.
This example searches the Total Marks of a student by entering their name.
Common Errors in VLOOKUP Function
Incorrect data – #N/A error – The formula can’t find anything and returns the #N/A error? But you’re sure there’s got to be a match?
Incorrect function name – #NAME? error – If you see the #NAME? error, you either wrote the function name incorrectly (missed or misspelled a letter or two) or got mixed up with the syntax.
Incorrect column number – #VALUE! error – Sometimes the third argument of Sheets VLOOKUP is indicated incorrectly.
It cannot be less than 1 and more than the total number of columns in the search range. If the number is incorrect, VLOOKUP in Sheets will return the #VALUE! error.
Invalid reference to another table – #REF! error – The search range can be in another table or even another spreadsheet.
You’ll notice that something’s off if you see the #REF! error.
| Formulas | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| =VLOOKUP(B17,B2:J14,9,0) | In this formula B17 means Lookup value that we are searching for. | We can see the result in cell C17 in the above image. |
| =VLOOKUP(“Aman Gupta”,B2:J14,9,0) | In Vlookup formula we can also use the name directly in “ ” Quotes. | Result will be the same as above formula. |
In above image we can see TRUE and FALSE under range_lookup. Here TRUE means Approximate match and False means Exact Match. If you want to find approximated value then type TRUE or 1, else type FALSE or 0.
Conclusion
Excel is a really powerful spreadsheet application for data analysis and reporting. After reading this article, you would have learned the importance of VLOOKUP Function that will help you to perform your tasks better and faster.
Do you have any questions related to this article on Excel Formulas? If yes, then please let us know in the comments section of the article. We will help you solve your queries right away.
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