How to use VLOOKUP in Excel (Easy)

Arturo -

Need to learn how to use VLOOKUP in Excel? In this how-to tutorial I teach you in the easiest way possible how to implement the function VLOOKUP in Excel.

When to use VLOOKUP in Excel

You can use the VLOOKUP function when you need to find information in a large spreadsheet, or you are always looking for the same kind of information.

How VLOOKUP works in Excel

VLOOKUP works a lot like a phone book, where you start with the piece of data you know, like someone's name, in order to find out what you don't know, like their phone number.

This is my Oversimplified formula:

VLOOKUP =

  1. Where are you going to type your search?
  2. What information do I know?
  3. In what Column am I searching?
  4. From the area selected in step 2, in what column am I searching for?
  5. Do I want exact match? Enter FALSE. Do I want partial match? Enter TRUE

Important notes:

  1. The first part of the formula (information I know) has to be a column to the left from where you think the data is located.
  2. Since this is a Vlookup we are searching vertically

VLOOKUP Formula:

=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])