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Excel VLOOKUP – Massive Guide with 8
Examples
VLOOKUP is one of the most useful and important functions in Microsoft Excel. It is
generally used to look up a particular value in huge data sheets where manual intervention
can be cumbersome. The alphabet ‘V’ in VLOOKUP stands for “Vertical” so this function is
sometimes also called vertical lookup.

The term “Vertical” signifies that it can be used to look up values vertically i.e. it can be used
to look up values inside a column.

You can also read my previous post: “How to alphabetize in Excel”, there I had used Excel
VLOOKUP to sort a list.

Note: This is a long post of over 2700+ words. If you don’t want to read the whole post, you
can use the below jump links to navigate to the desired section.

 Definition of VLOOKUP in Excel

 What are the uses of Vertical Lookup Function?
 Syntax of VLOOKUP Function
 Few Important points about Vertical Lookup function
 How to Use Excel VLOOKUP?
 5 Beginner level examples of VLOOKUP function
 Few Practical Examples of Vertical Lookup function
 How to Use VLOOKUP in VBA
 How to return multiple columns from a VLOOKUP
 Negative VLOOKUP
 Create a multiple criteria VLOOKUP

Definition of VLOOKUP in Excel:

According to Microsoft Excel VLOOKUP can be defined as a function, “that looks for a
value in the leftmost column of a table, and then returns a value in the same row from a
column you specify. By default the table must be sorted in an ascending order.”

What are the uses of Vertical Lookup Function?

This function is mostly used for following tasks:

1. To look up a single or a set of values from a data sheet.

2. To add a column to a datasheet from some other table, based on some unique
(attribute)s.
Syntax of VLOOKUP Function:

Its syntax is as follows:

=VLOOKUP( lookup_value, table_array, column_index, range_lookup )

Here, ‘lookup_value’ specifies the value to be searched inside the ‘table_array’. It can
either be a value or a reference.

‘table_array’ is the range with two or more columns. ‘table_array’ argument can receive
a range reference or a named range. The leftmost column of this range must contain the
‘lookup_value’.

‘column_index’ is the relative index of the column whose value needs to be returned by the
VLOOKUP function. A ‘column_index’ 1 would return values from the first column in the
‘table_array’. Similarly ‘column_index’ 2 would return values from the second column in
the ‘table_array’.

‘range_lookup’ is a Boolean value that specifies whether you want VLOOKUP to find an
exact match or an approximate match. If its value is ‘True’ then either an approximate or an
exact match will be returned. Here, if an exact match is not found, the next value that is less
than ‘lookup_value’ is returned. If its value is ‘False’ then only exact match will be
returned.

Few Important points about Vertical Lookup function:

 VLOOKUP function performs a case-insensitive lookup.

 Excel VLOOKUP returns a ‘#N/A’ if it is not able to find the ‘lookup_value’ inside
the ‘table_array’.
 It returns a ‘#VALUE!’ error if the value of ‘column_index’ is less than 1.
 It returns a ‘#REF!’ error if the value of ‘column_index’ is greater than the number
of columns in the ‘table_array’.
 The default value of ‘range_lookup’ is TRUE. So, it is better to omit this argument
in case you need to perform either an approximate or an exact match.
 Vertical Lookup allows you to use wildcard characters in the ‘lookup_value’
argument. We will discuss it later in this article.

How to Use Excel VLOOKUP?

Before we understand how to use a Vertical Lookup function, we must understand what its
objective is. Let’s try to understand this with a sample problem.

Suppose we have a table as shown below.

Objective: Our objective is to find the salary of any particular employee (say: Benjamin
Mutricy) based on his name.

Solution: Now, lets try to apply a VLOOKUP to find the solution.

lookup_value: This is the value based on which the lookup is to be performed. In our case
lookup_value is in the cell B4 i.e. “Benjamin Mutricy”.
table_array: This is the range of the table from which the values are to be fetched. Note that
this ‘table_array’ should always contain ‘lookup_value’ in its leftmost column.

col_index_num: This specifies the positional reference of the column that you want the
VLOOKUP to return.
range_lookup: This specifies that whether the match should be exact or approximate. FALSE
specifies exact match.

So, in this case the VLOOKUP function would be: =VLOOKUP(B4,B7:D14,3,FALSE)

5 Beginner level examples of VLOOKUP function:

Now let’s move to some examples:

Example 1: In this example we have a list of students with their scores. Now, here we need
to find the score of a student with the First Name ‘Vincent’.
To find the solution to our problem, we have used the vertical lookup as:

=VLOOKUP(E4,A3:C16,3,FALSE) and it gives the result 75.

Explanation:

 The first argument to the function i.e. ‘lookup_value’ = E4 (Reference of

“Vincent”).
 Second argument i.e. ‘table_array’ = A3:C16 (Range of student table).
 Third argument i.e. ‘column_index’ = 3 (the column number whose value the
VLOOKUP function should return).
 Fourth argument i.e. ‘range_lookup’ = FALSE (Signifies that we only want the exact
match).
Example 2: In the next example we have the same table, but now our task is to find the last
name of a student ‘Emmanuel’.

So, we will use the VLOOKUP as: =VLOOKUP(E4,A3:C16,2,FALSE) and it results into
“Schauly”.

Explanation:

 The first argument to the function i.e. ‘lookup_value’ = E4 (Reference of

“Emmanuel”).
 Second argument i.e. ‘table_array’ = A3:C16 (Range of student table).
 Third argument i.e. ‘column_index’ = 2 (the column number whose value the
VLOOKUP function should return).
 Fourth argument i.e. ‘range_lookup’ = FALSE (Signifies that we only want the exact
match).
Example 3: In this example we have an “Element Table” table. The table contains 3 columns
namely Atomic Mass, Density and Element Name.

Here we have to find the Density of an Element whose atomic mass is 15 or slightly less.

Now, here we can use the vertical lookup formula as: =VLOOKUP(15,A3:B14,2) which
results into 1.25.

Explanation:

 The first argument to the function i.e. ‘lookup_value’ = 15 (Atomic Mass to be

searched).
 Second argument i.e. ‘table_array’ = A3:B14 (Range of Element Table).
 Third argument i.e. ‘column_index’ = 2 (the column number whose value the vertical
lookup function should return).
 Fourth argument i.e. ‘range_lookup’ is omitted and hence its value is true. So, first it
searches 15 in the Atomic Mass column. And when it fails to find 15, it returns the
density of element slightly less than 15.

Example 4: In this example we have 2 tables as shown below. Our task is to apply a Vertical
Lookup based on ‘Element Names’ and fetch the melting points of the elements from the
second table.
This can be done by using the formula: =VLOOKUP(C3,$F$3:$G$14,2,FALSE)

After applying this formula for the first element we have to drag the formula below (using the
fill handle) for other elements.

Explanation:

 The first argument to the function i.e. ‘lookup_value’ = C3 (Reference for first
element).
 Second argument i.e. ‘table_array’ = $F$3:$G$14 (Range of Element Table 2) – If
you are wondering what are these ‘$’ signs along with the table reference, then you
should read this post.
 Third argument i.e. ‘column_index’ = 2 (the column number whose value the vertical
lookup function should return).
 Fourth argument i.e. ‘range_lookup’ = FALSE (Signifies that we only want the exact
match).

Note that the values that I have explained above are only for the first element. Dragging this
formula itself makes the necessary changes in the formula to make it correct for the below
elements as well.

Example 5: In this example we will use wildcard operators along with Vertical Lookup. Here
we have to find the score of the student whose first name starts with ‘A’.
For this we can use the formula: =VLOOKUP("A*",A3:C16,3,FALSE) which gives a result 66.

Explanation:

Generally, we can use following two wildcard operators with Excel VLOOKUP function.

Wildcard Description
‘?’ Denotes any single character.
‘*’ Denotes any number of characters

Note: Simply placing the tilde sign (~) before any wildcard character tells Excel that the
wildcard character (‘*’ or ‘?’) should be treated as a string and not as wildcard operator.

 The first argument to the function i.e. ‘lookup_value’ = “A*” (Any word starting
with ‘A’ alphabet).
 Second argument i.e. ‘table_array’ = A3:C16 (Range of Student Table).
 Third argument i.e. ‘column_index’ = 3 (the column number whose value the vertical
lookup function should return).
 Fourth argument i.e. ‘range_lookup’ = FALSE (Signifies that we only want the exact
match).

Few Practical Examples of Vertical Lookup function:

Now let’s see some practical examples of VLOOKUP Function:

Example 6: Let’s say we have a list named “Child List” and another list with the name
“Master list”. Now, using Vertical lookup we need to find if all the items in “Child List” are
also present in the “Master list”.

In such a case we will use the formula: =IF(ISNA(VLOOKUP(B2,$G$2:$G$17,1,0)),"Not

Exists", "Exists")

This formula uses If Statement, ISNA function and VLOOKUP.

Explanation:

Here, IF statement checks whether the output of VLOOKUP function is #NA Error or not. IF
the output is #NA error, then it means that current child list item is not present in the master
list. And hence the IF statement writes “Not Exists” in front of it. However if the item is
present in the master list then it writes “Exists”.

Example 7: Translating scores to grades using vertical lookup. Let’s say we have a table with
student scores and now we have to assign them a grade based on their scores.
For this we can use a VLOOKUP as: =VLOOKUP(C3,$F$4:$G$9,2,TRUE) and then drag this
formula to below cells.

Explanation:

 The first argument to the function i.e. ‘lookup_value’ = C3 (Reference for first
element).
 Second argument i.e. ‘table_array’ = $F$4:$G$9 (Range of scores and grades
table).
 Third argument i.e. ‘column_index’ = 2 (the column number whose value the
VLOOKUP function should return).
 Fourth argument i.e. ‘range_lookup’ = True (It matches both the exact values and
values slightly lesser).

Example 8: Applying Vertical lookup using a table on another sheet or another workbook. In
all the examples that we have discussed till now, we have applied VLOOKUP on tables that
are on same worksheet. Now let’s redo the task in previous example but this time with the
scores and grade table present on another worksheet sheet.
In this example the “Student Table” is on ‘Sheet1’ while the “Grade and Score table” is on
the ‘Sheet2’. So you can use a VLOOKUP as: =VLOOKUP(C3,Sheet2!$B$3:$C$8,2,TRUE)

Explanation:

 The first argument to the function i.e. ‘lookup_value’ = C3 (Reference for first
element).
 Second argument i.e. ‘table_array’ = Sheet2!$B$3:$C$8 (Range of scores and
grades table which is present on Sheet2).
 Third argument i.e. ‘column_index’ = 2 (the column number whose value the vertical
lookup function should return).
 Fourth argument i.e. ‘range_lookup’ = True (It matches both exact and values
slightly lesser).

Tip: While writing such VLOOKUP formulas you can simply navigate to the Sheet where
the table is present and then select the required table. This will automatically insert the
reference of that particular table in the formula.

See the below animation for more details:

How to Use VLOOKUP in VBA:

VLOOKUP function can also be used in VBA. Below is a sample code:

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1. Sub Vertical_lookup_test()
2. Dim Result As Variant
3. Dim myVal As String ' Can be Integer, long, double etc.
4. Dim Rng As Range
5. Dim Clm As Integer
6. Set Rng = ActiveSheet.Range("A:E") ' Set Range
7. myVal = "Florian" ' Value to be searched
8. Clm = 3 ' Column to be fetched
9. Result = Application.VLookup(myVal, Rng, Clm, False)
10. If IsError(Result) Then
11. Result = "Not found!"
12. End If
13. MsgBox Result
14. End Sub

Before using the above code make sure you change the following values:

1. Change Set Rng = ActiveSheet.Range("A:E") to the range that you wish to use.

2. Change myVal = "Florian" to the value that you want the vertical lookup to search. You
can also use the InputBox function to get this value from user during the runtime.

3. Change Clm = 3 to the column that you the VLOOKUP to fetch.

Recommended Reading : VLOOKUP In VBA – With Examples

How to return multiple columns from a VLOOKUP?

Till now we have seen VLOOKUP functions that only returns a single column. But there are
times when you need a VLOOKUP function to return multiple columns from the specified
row.

So, you have to make a VLOOKUP formula that can fetch multiple columns. The basic idea
behind this is, we will use VLOOKUP as an array function.

Follow the below steps to use this:

Suppose we need to fetch all the details of “Florian”. So we will proceed as:

1. Select the cells (cells equal to the number of columns that you wish to fetch) where you
wish to populate the VLOOKUP results.

2. Next, without clicking anywhere else type the formula:

VLOOKUP("Florian",A:D,{1,2,3,4},FALSE) in the Formula bar. The third argument i.e.
{1,2,3,4} specifies the columns that need to be fetched.

3. After this simply hit the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys. This will enclose the above formula in
curly brackets and the cells that you had selected will show the fetched columns.

Negative VLOOKUP:
In all the previous examples you must have seen that we have always used a ‘lookup_value’
that is present in the leftmost column of the range. So, the question arises, can we use a
‘lookup_value’ which is not in the leftmost column?

See what happens when your ‘lookup_value’ is not on the leftmost side, and you enter a
negative ‘column_index’ hoping to fetch the value to the left of ‘lookup_value’.

A simple way to do this is by building a user defined function (UDF). This function internally
doesn’t use VLOOKUP but it can give you desired results. Below is the UDF:

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1. Function NEGATIVE_VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array As Range, col_index_n

um As Integer, CloseMatch As Boolean)
2. Dim RowNbr As Long
3. RowNbr = Application.WorksheetFunction.Match(lookup_value, table_array.Resize(,
1), CloseMatch)
4. NEGATIVE_VLOOKUP = table_array(RowNbr, 1).Offset(0, col_index_num)
5. End Function

This UDF uses Match and Offset functions to accomplish the task.

How to use this Negative VLOOKUP UDF:

Let’s understand how to use this function. In our example we have a Student Table and we
have to find the first name of “Petit”.
So, we will use this formula as: =NEGATIVE_VLOOKUP("Petit",B:B,-1,FALSE)

Explanation:

 The first argument to this UDF is the ‘lookup_value’.

 Second argument is the range where this UDF should search for ‘lookup_value’.
 Third argument is the positional reference of the column which this UDF should
return.
 Last argument is the Boolean value specifying exact or approximate match.

Similarly, in the same table if we have to find the first name of the student with 98 Marks in
Science, then the formula would be:

=NEGATIVE_VLOOKUP(98,D:D,-3,FALSE)

Create a multiple criteria VLOOKUP:

While doing data analysis in excel sometimes you may run into situations where you need to
apply a VLOOKUP based on two keys (i.e. based on two ‘lookup_values’).

For example: We have a Student table as shown in the below image. Now, as you can see
that there are two students with First Name “Christophe” (at A4 and A6). So, applying a
VLOOKUP on first name can cause inconsistency. Hence we will apply a VLOOKUP based
on both First name as well as the Last name.

But as we know that Excel VLOOKUP can only have a single ‘lookup_value’. So we need
to create a helper column by appending first name and last name. We can do this by
writing. =A3&" "&B3
Now, we have combined two keys together and hence this new key column would contain
unique values.

Next, we can simply apply a Vertical lookup as: =VLOOKUP("Christophe

Pracht",C:D,2,FALSE)
So, this was all about Excel VLOOKUP. Do read this post if this long article has bored you
and don’t forget to share your ideas and thoughts with us in the comments section