How VLOOKUP Searches a Table
Look up a value in the first column and return data from another column.
Meet VLOOKUP
VLOOKUP stands for Vertical Lookup. It searches down the first column of a table for a value you give it, then returns something from the same row in another column.
Think of a phone book: you find a name, then read across to get the number. VLOOKUP does exactly that for your spreadsheet.
The V reminds you it searches vertically (down a column). In the next scenes you will learn its four parts and use it on a real price table.
The Four Arguments
VLOOKUP takes four pieces of information, separated by commas:
- lookup_value - what you are searching for
- table_array - the range of cells that holds your data
- col_index_num - which column number to return from
- [range_lookup] - TRUE for approximate, FALSE for exact match
The square brackets mean the last argument is optional, but you should almost always set it. Here is the shape of the formula:
=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])All lessons in this course
- How VLOOKUP Searches a Table
- Exact vs Approximate Match
- Searching Across Rows With HLOOKUP
- Why VLOOKUP Sometimes Fails