What does the hlookup function do in Excel?

Asked by: Steve Larson  |  Last update: April 7, 2026
Score: 4.4/5 (57 votes)

HLOOKUP stands for Horizontal Lookup. It is used to search for a value in the top row of a table or range and returns a value in the same column from a row you specify.

What is the Hlookup row function?

The HLOOKUP function is one of the lookup and reference functions. It is used to perform the horizontal search for a value in the top row of a table or an array and return the value in the same column based on a specified row index number.

What is difference between VLOOKUP and Hlookup?

The most commonly used LOOKUP functions in Excel are VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP. VLOOKUP allows you to search a data range that is set up vertically. HLOOKUP is the exact same function, but looks up data that has been formatted by rows instead of columns.

What is the difference between Xlookup and Hlookup in Excel?

HLOOKUP defaults to an approximate match and needs the lookup row to be sorted ascending. On the flip side, XLOOKUP defaults to an exact match, which is what you'd usually need in most situations. All the other differences we talked about between XLOOKUP and VLOOKUP also apply to HLOOKUP.

What is the Hlookup and match function in Excel?

VLOOKUP() and HLOOKUP() return the value in a cell directly; MATCH() uses a similar approach to finding the matching cell as the lookup functions but doesn't return the value, instead, it returns the position of the cell in the list of cells. As we will see, this is why MATCH() is often used with INDEX().

How to Use the HLOOKUP Function in Excel

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How do I use hlookup in Excel?

Select the cell where you want the HLOOKUP result to appear. Type =HLOOKUP( to begin the function. Enter the value you want to look up. This can be a direct entry (like "June") or a cell reference that contains the lookup value.

How to make validation in Excel?

Apply data validation to cells
  1. Select Data >Data Validation.
  2. On the Settings tab, under Allow, select an option: ...
  3. Under Data, select a condition.
  4. Set the other required values based on what you chose for Allow and Data.
  5. Select the Input Message tab and customize a message users will see when entering data.

What is the benefit of Hlookup in Excel?

Searches for a value in the top row of a table or an array of values, and then returns a value in the same column from a row you specify in the table or array. Use HLOOKUP when your comparison values are located in a row across the top of a table of data, and you want to look down a specified number of rows.

Why would you use Xlookup instead of VLOOKUP?

XLOOKUP improves on VLOOKUP by allowing lookups both to the left and right, offering more flexibility, reducing formula errors, and including advanced features like custom error handling and exact match as the default. For a more detailed XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP comparison read on.

What replaces Hlookup?

Tip: You can also use XLOOKUP to replace the HLOOKUP function. Note: The formula in cells D3:F3 is: =XLOOKUP(D2,$B6:$B17,XLOOKUP($C3,$C5:$G5,$C6:$G17)).

What is more powerful than VLOOKUP?

The superior alternative to VLOOKUP is INDEX MATCH. While VLOOKUP works fine in most cases, it tends to reveal flaws when you start using it in large and complex sheets.

Can I use VLOOKUP and hlookup together?

You can use the HLOOKUP and VLOOKUP functions in Excel to look up values both horizontally and vertically in a dataset and return the corresponding matching value.

What is the formula for sum in Excel?

Here's a formula that uses two cell ranges: =SUM(A2:A4,C2:C3) sums the numbers in ranges A2:A4 and C2:C3. You'd press Enter to get the total of 39787. To create the formula: Type =SUM in a cell, followed by an opening parenthesis (.

What are the 7 basic Excel formulas?

  • Overview of formulas in Excel.
  • XLOOKUP.
  • VLOOKUP.
  • SUM function.
  • COUNTIF function.
  • IF function.
  • IFS.
  • SUMIF.

What is the difference between VLOOKUP and Hlookup?

Unlike VLOOKUP, which searches vertically down a column, HLOOKUP searches horizontally across a specific row for a matching value. Once it finds the matching value, it retrieves data from a different row in the same column.

How to write an if condition in Excel?

Use the IF function, one of the logical functions, to return one value if a condition is true and another value if it's false. For example: =IF(A2>B2,"Over Budget","OK") =IF(A2=B2,B4-A4,"")

Is VLOOKUP obsolete?

VLOOKUP is an obsolete function inherited from Lotus-123. There is much better in Excel, more powerful and less limited, it is INDEX/MATCH. INDEX/MATCH replaces all lookups functions (VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP and LOOKUP).

How do hlookups work?

HLOOKUP stands for Horizontal Lookup and can be used to retrieve information from a table by searching a row for the matching data and outputting from the corresponding column. While VLOOKUP searches for the value in a column, HLOOKUP searches for the value in a row.

What is the downside to Xlookup?

Disadvantages of XLOOKUP

Just like VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP can only return the first match it finds. This can cause problems if you have records with the same data in the lookup array.

What are the disadvantages of Hlookup?

One limitation is that it can only perform a horizontal lookup. If your data is structured vertically, you will need to use the VLOOKUP function instead. Another limitation is that the HLOOKUP function can only return a value from a row to the right of the first row.

What is VLOOKUP in simple words?

VLOOKUP stands for 'Vertical Lookup'. It is a function that makes Excel search for a certain value in a column (the so-called 'table array'), in order to return a value from a different column in the same row.

What is countif in Excel?

Use COUNTIF, one of the statistical functions, to count the number of cells that meet a criterion; for example, to count the number of times a particular city appears in a customer list. In its simplest form, COUNTIF says: =COUNTIF(Where do you want to look?, What do you want to look for?)

How do I remove duplicates in Excel?

To remove duplicate values, select Data > Data Tools > Remove Duplicates.

What does concatenate mean in Excel?

The term CONCATENATE signifies the act of joining or merging. In Excel, the CONCATENATE function merges text from various cells into a single cell.

What is a pivot table used for in Excel?

A PivotTable is an interactive way to quickly summarize large amounts of data. You can use a PivotTable to analyze numerical data in detail, and answer unanticipated questions about your data. A PivotTable is especially designed for: Querying large amounts of data in many user-friendly ways.