What is VLOOKUP?
VLOOKUP is a spreadsheet function that looks for a value in the first column of a table and returns a value from another column in the same row. It is one of the most widely used spreadsheet functions.
VLOOKUP syntax
It takes three required arguments and one optional one:
VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])
col_index_num is the column of table_array to return, counting its first column as 1. range_lookup is TRUE for an approximate match and FALSE for an exact match.
A VLOOKUP example
With product codes in column A and prices in column D of A2:D500, this returns the price of B-204:
- =VLOOKUP("B-204", A2:D500, 4, FALSE)
The 4 means the fourth column of the table, and FALSE asks for an exact match.
VLOOKUP exact match vs approximate match
Leaving out the last argument means TRUE, an approximate match, which assumes the first column is sorted and returns the nearest smaller value. On unsorted data it silently returns wrong answers, so unless you are looking up ranges such as tax bands, always use FALSE. The VLOOKUP #N/A error means no exact match was found, often because of a trailing space or a number stored as text.
VLOOKUP limitations
- It can only return columns to the right of the lookup column.
- The column number breaks when someone inserts a column into the table.
- Approximate match is the default, which catches people out.
XLOOKUP fixes all three. Arkenso Docs supports both, among more than 60 spreadsheet functions.
Last reviewed 2026-11-01.