
To perform a VLOOKUP in Excel, follow these steps:
- Prepare your data: Ensure you have a lookup value and a table array where you want to search for the value.
- Syntax of VLOOKUP:
=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])
lookup_value
: The value you want to search for.table_array
: The range of cells where the lookup will happen.col_index_num
: The column number in the table from which to retrieve the result.range_lookup
: Optional; TRUE for approximate match or FALSE for exact match.
- Example:
Suppose you have a list of products and prices:
A B
1 Product Price
2 Apple 1.00
3 Banana 0.50
4 Orange 0.75
To find the price of “Banana”:
=VLOOKUP("Banana", A2:B4, 2, FALSE)
This will return 0.50.
- Tips:
- Make sure the lookup value is in the first column of your table_array.
- Use FALSE for exact matches to avoid incorrect results.
- If VLOOKUP returns #N/A, it means the lookup value was not found.
Use this formula in your Excel sheet where you want the lookup result to appear.