Excel functions / Lookup & Reference
Lookup & Reference function · Excel
VLOOKUP function
VLOOKUP searches the first column of a table and returns a value from a column to its right. It still runs in every version, so it is the safe choice for files shared with older Excel.
Syntax
=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])Arguments
| Argument | Required | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lookup_value | Yes | The value to find in the first column. |
| table_array | Yes | The table, with the lookup column first. |
| col_index_num | Yes | Which column of the table to return, counted from 1. |
| range_lookup | No | Use FALSE for an exact match. Omitting it requests an approximate match. |
Worked example
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SKU | Product | Price |
| 2 | A-101 | Keyboard | 45 |
| 3 | A-102 | Mouse | 22 |
| 4 | A-103 | Monitor | 180 |
| 5 | A-104 | Dock | 95 |
=VLOOKUP("A-102",A2:C5,3,FALSE)Result: 22
The formula finds A-102 in the first column and returns the third column of that row.
Try it
Edit the formula and run it against the table above. Results come from a browser spreadsheet engine.
Availability
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| Excel | All current desktop versions, Microsoft 365, Excel for the web. |
| Google Sheets | Available. |
Common mistakes
- Leaving out FALSE can return a wrong answer with no error.
- It cannot return a column to the left of the lookup column.
- Inserting a column inside the table can shift a hard-coded column number.
Do it with AI
Paste this prompt into Copilot, Gemini or another assistant. Check the result on a small sample first.
Convert this VLOOKUP to XLOOKUP and explain any behavior that changes: =VLOOKUP(F2,A2:C5,3,FALSE)