Goal: Find the Price for "Product B".
VLOOKUP scans the First Column vertically.
Ready...
💻 Formula Structure
=VLOOKUP(lookup_val, table, col_idx, [false])
- 1. Lookup Value: What you are searching for.
- 2. Table Array: Must START with the ID column.
- 3. Col Index: Column number to return (1, 2, 3...).
- 4. Range: Always use 0 (FALSE) for exact match.
-- Find Price for "Product B"
=VLOOKUP( "Product B", A2:C5, 2, FALSE )
⚠️ Common Pitfalls
🚫 Look Left Error
VLOOKUP cannot look to the LEFT. It only searches the first column of your selection.
✅ Fix: Use XLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH.
🚫 Missing "FALSE"
If you forget the last argument, Excel assumes Approximate Match (TRUE), which can give wrong results.
✅ Fix: Always type ", 0" at the end.