What is lookup in Excel with example?
Christopher Pierce
Updated on February 28, 2026
Use LOOKUP, one of the lookup and reference functions, when you need to look in a single row or column and find a value from the same position in a second row or column. For example, let’s say you know the part number for an auto part, but you don’t know the price.
What are Excel functions give examples of the lookup function?
For example, if your lookup value is “5”, the formula will search it first. If “5” is not found, it will search “4”. If “4” is not found, it will search “3”, and so on. If lookup_value is smaller than the smallest value in lookup_vector, Excel LOOKUP returns the #N/A error.
How do you use lookup function in Excel?
How to use VLOOKUP in Excel
- Click the cell where you want the VLOOKUP formula to be calculated.
- Click Formulas at the top of the screen.
- Click Lookup & Reference on the Ribbon.
- Click VLOOKUP at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
- Specify the cell in which you will enter the value whose data you’re looking for.
Why we use lookup in Excel?
Lookup functions in Excel are used for looking through a single column or row to find a particular value from the same place in a second column or row. This often takes place when there are multiple worksheets within a workbook or a large amount of data in a worksheet.
What is the best LOOKUP in Excel?
Excel works its way down the first column until it finds a value greater than the lookup value….Excel’s Best Lookup Method: INDEX-MATCH
- reference—a range of cells.
- row_num—the row in reference from which to return data.
- column_num—the column in reference from which to return data.
What is the difference between LOOKUP and VLOOKUP?
The main difference between VLOOKUP and LOOKUP functions is the VLOOKUP is limited to vertical lookups only and the LOOKUP function has cross functionality which means that it can perform both vertical lookups and horizontal lookups.
What are two kinds of lookup functions?
There are two forms of Lookup: Vector and Array. The vector form of the LOOKUP function will search one row or one column of data for a specified value and then get the data from the same position in another row or column.
How do you do a LOOKUP function on Excel?
Click the cell where you want the VLOOKUP formula to be calculated. Click “Formula” at the top of the screen. Click “Lookup & Reference” on the Ribbon. Click “VLOOKUP” at the bottom of the drop-down menu. Specify the cell in which you will enter the value whose data you’re looking for.
How do you look up data in Excel?
The most powerful and flexible way to look up data in Excel is the INDEX-MATCH method. It relies on two Excel functions: =INDEX(reference, row_num, column_num) reference—a range of cells. row_num—the row in reference from which to return data. column_num—the column in reference from which to return data.
What are common formulas in Excel?
Some common Excel formulas include SUM, which calculates the sum of values within a specified range of cells, COUNT, which counts the number of cells that have characters or numbers in them, and INT, which eliminates the fractional part of a number.
How to use VLOOKUP Excel function?
– In the Formula Bar, type =VLOOKUP (). – In the parentheses, enter your lookup value, followed by a comma. This can be an actual value, or a blank cell that will hold a value: (H2, – Enter your table array or lookup table, the range of data you want to search, and a comma: (H2,B3:F25, – Enter column index number. This is the column where you think the answers are, and it must be to the right of your lookup values: (H2,B3:F25,3, – Enter the range lookup value, either TRUE or FALSE. TRUE finds partial matches, FALSE finds exact matches. Your finished formula looks something like this: =VLOOKUP (H2,B3:F25,3,FALSE)
