The VLOOKUP function is a premade function in Excel, which allows searches across columns. Note: The column which holds the data used to lookup must always be to the left.
In its simplest form, the VLOOKUP function says: =VLOOKUP(What you want to look up, where you want to look for it, the column number in the range containing the value to return, return an Approximate or Exact match – indicated as 1/TRUE, or 0/FALSE).
The VLOOKUP function consists of three required arguments, in the following order: lookup value, table array, and column index number. The lookup value is the value for which you want to find matching data and must appear in the first column of the lookup table; it can be a value, a text string, or a cell reference.
For example, with the formula =VLOOKUP("Apple", A1:C10, 2, FALSE), Excel will check for "Apple" in column A and return the value in the second column, such as the price of apples from column B. If Excel cannot discover a match, it will return #N/A, indicating that the value is not accessible.
VLOOKUP is an extremely useful tool, and learning how to use it is easier than you think! Before you start, you should understand the basics of functions. Check out our Functions lesson from our Excel Formulas tutorial (or select a specific version of Excel).
For example, the formula CELL("width",INDEX(A1:B2,1,2)) is equivalent to CELL("width",B1). The CELL function uses the return value of INDEX as a cell reference. On the other hand, a formula such as 2*INDEX(A1:B2,1,2) translates the return value of INDEX into the number in cell B1.
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. The INDEX MATCH formula is actually two different functions; INDEX and MATCH.
Although the regular VLOOKUP function is just simpler to use on a day-to-day basis, keep in mind that if your spreadsheet starts taking time for calculations, you can make it much faster by using the Double-VLOOKUP trick. Just remember to sort your IDs before and your spreadsheet will calculate crazy fast again.
VLOOKUP isnt able to return multiple values in the way you are hoping. Perhaps you can get the desired results with QUERY function.
Select the cells you want to check for duplicates. Note: Excel can't highlight duplicates in the Values area of a PivotTable report. Select Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Duplicate Values.
=VLOOKUP(B2,C2:E7,3,TRUE)
In this example, B2 is the first argument—an element of data that the function needs to work. For VLOOKUP, this first argument is the value that you want to find. This argument can be a cell reference, or a fixed value such as "smith" or 21,000.
Spill means that a formula has resulted in multiple values, and those values have been placed in the neighboring cells.
VLOOKUP is a function that searches for the value you specify. The result returns a matching value from another column. To be more technical, you choose a range, and VLOOKUP looks up the value in the first column. The result it returns is a value from the same row of another column.
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.
VLOOKUP is a function to look up and retrieve data in a table. The "V" in VLOOKUP stands for vertical, which means the data in the table must be arranged vertically, with data in rows. (For horizontally structured data, see HLOOKUP).
XLOOKUP was released by Microsoft 365 in 2019 and is meant as the replacement for VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH functions. Like VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH, there are 3 mandatory arguments. The last 3, which are in square brackets, are optional arguments: lookup_value: this is the value you are searching for.
One constraint of VLOOKUP is that it can only look for values on the left-most column in the table array.