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Excel's VLOOKUP function

The document explains how to use Excel's VLOOKUP function to search for specific information in a spreadsheet, such as finding the price of an item. It details the formula structure, including the necessary arguments: the item name, the data range, the column index number, and the match type. The example provided demonstrates how to find the price of a 'Photo frame' using the formula =VLOOKUP('Photo frame', A2:B16, 2, FALSE).

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akeem noel
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7 views

Excel's VLOOKUP function

The document explains how to use Excel's VLOOKUP function to search for specific information in a spreadsheet, such as finding the price of an item. It details the formula structure, including the necessary arguments: the item name, the data range, the column index number, and the match type. The example provided demonstrates how to find the price of a 'Photo frame' using the formula =VLOOKUP('Photo frame', A2:B16, 2, FALSE).

Uploaded by

akeem noel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to use Excel's VLOOKUP

function
What exactly is VLOOKUP?

Basically, VLOOKUP lets you search for specific information in your


spreadsheet. For example, if you have a list of products with prices, you
could search for the price of a specific item.

We're going to use VLOOKUP to find the price of the Photo frame. You
can probably already see that the price is $9.99, but that's because this
is a simple example. Once you learn how to use VLOOKUP, you'll be
able to use it with larger, more complex spreadsheets, and that's when it
will become truly useful.
We'll add our formula to cell F2, but you can add it to any blank cell. As
with any formula, you'll start with an equals sign (=). Then type the
formula name. Our arguments will need to be in parentheses, so type an
open parenthesis. So far, it should look like this:

=VLOOKUP(

Adding the arguments

Now, we'll add our arguments. The arguments will tell VLOOKUP what to
search for and where to search.

The first argument is the name of the item you're searching for, which in
this case is Photo frame. Because the argument is text, we'll need to
put it in double quotes:

=VLOOKUP("Photo frame"

The second argument is the cell range that contains the data. In this
example, our data is in A2:B16. As with any function, you'll need to use a
comma to separate each argument:

=VLOOKUP("Photo frame", A2:B16

It's important to know that VLOOKUP will always search the first
column in this range. In this example, it will search column A for "Photo
frame". The value that it returns (in this case, the price) will always need
to be to the right of that column.
The third argument is the column index number. It's simpler than it
sounds: The first column in the range is 1, the second column is 2, etc.
In this case, we are trying to find the price of the item, and the prices
are contained in the second column. This means our third argument will
be 2:

=VLOOKUP("Photo frame", A2:B16, 2

The fourth argument tells VLOOKUP whether to look for approximate


matches, and it can be either TRUE or FALSE. If it is TRUE, it will look
for approximate matches. Generally, this is only useful if the first column
has numerical values that have been sorted. Because we're only looking
for exact matches, the fourth argument should be FALSE. This is our
last argument, so go ahead and close the parentheses:

=VLOOKUP("Photo frame", A2:B16, 2, FALSE)

That's it! When you press Enter, it should give you the answer, which is
9.99.

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