Lookup & Referenceintermediate
Look up a value across a row with HLOOKUP
=HLOOKUP(B1,$B$1:$F$5,3,FALSE)
Lookup & Reference
Lookup & Reference formulas
Reference formulas for pulling values across tables, finding matches, and building reliable lookup patterns.
Lookup & Referenceadvanced
Two-way lookup with INDEX and MATCH
=INDEX(B2:E10,MATCH(H2,A2:A10,0),MATCH(H3,B1:E1,0))
Lookup & Referenceintermediate
VLOOKUP to match two columns
=VLOOKUP(A2,$F$2:$G$8,2,FALSE)
Lookup & Referenceintermediate
XLOOKUP for the last matching value
=XLOOKUP(A2,$F$2:$F$20,$G$2:$G$20,"Not found",0,-1)
Frequently asked questions
When should I use HLOOKUP instead of INDEX/MATCH?
HLOOKUP is simpler for straightforward horizontal lookups. INDEX/MATCH is more flexible when the header row position may change or when you need a two-way lookup.
Why use INDEX/MATCH instead of VLOOKUP for two-way lookups?
VLOOKUP can only look up by row, not by column. INDEX/MATCH is the standard solution for intersection lookups because both MATCH calls work independently.
Why use FALSE in VLOOKUP?
FALSE forces an exact match, which is almost always what you want for IDs, invoice numbers, and other lookup keys.
Why use -1 in XLOOKUP?
The search mode argument of -1 tells XLOOKUP to search from last to first, which returns the last matching row.