Excel VLOOKUP Function

excel-vlookup

• Pick a product code and watch VLOOKUP find the value step by step. • Learn each argument (lookup value, range, column index, FALSE) by example.

① Product code to look up

Fast

	A	B	C	D
1	Code	Product	Price	Stock
2	A101	Wireless Mouse	25,000 KRW	120 pcs
3	A102	Mechanical Keyboard	89,000 KRW	45 pcs
4	A103	USB-C Hub	42,000 KRW	78 pcs
5	A104	27-inch Monitor	320,000 KRW	15 pcs
6	A105	Laptop Stand	38,000 KRW	60 pcs
7	A106	FHD Webcam	55,000 KRW	33 pcs
8	A107	Bluetooth Speaker	67,000 KRW	22 pcs

iPick a product code and press “Run lookup”.

Scanning (down column A)Match foundValue to return

=IFERROR(VLOOKUP($G$2, $A$2:$D$8, 2, FALSE), "Not found")

💡 Change just the yellow cell (G2) and all three results update at once. The downloaded Excel file behaves the same way.

Product—

Price—

Stock—

How to read VLOOKUP

“Take the lookup value, find it in the leftmost column of this table, and return the value from the Nth column of that row.”

$G$2Lookup value — The product code you entered. The search is based on this value.

$A$2:$D$8Search range — The whole data table. VLOOKUP always searches the leftmost column, A.

2Column index — Which column to return from the matched row. 2=product, 3=price, 4=stock.

FALSEExact match — Matches the code exactly. Almost always use FALSE.

Wrapped in IFERROR, a missing code shows “Not found” instead of an error (#N/A).

Where VLOOKUP usually trips people up

VLOOKUP is one of the most used functions in Excel, and the places people get stuck are fairly predictable. The first is the rule that the lookup value must sit in the leftmost column of the range. If the value you want back is to the left of the one you search on, VLOOKUP cannot do it — that is a job for INDEX/MATCH.

The second is locking the range. Dragging the formula down shifts the range with it, so the lower rows return wrong results. Writing the range as $B$2:$D$100 keeps it fixed no matter where you copy the formula.

The third is the last argument. Leave out the 0 (or FALSE) and Excel looks for an approximate match, which returns nonsense on an unsorted table. Always write the 0 when you want an exact match. The #N/A that appears when nothing is found can be wrapped in IFERROR to show a message of your choice.

Text

Image

Generate

Convert

Excel

Investing

Developer

Calculate

Excel VLOOKUP Function

How to read VLOOKUP

Where VLOOKUP usually trips people up

Related tools