WorksheetFunction.VLookup Method
| Excel Developer Reference |
Searches for a value in the first column of a table array and returns a value in the same row from another column in the table array.
Syntax
expression.VLookup(Arg1, Arg2, Arg3, Arg4)
expression A variable that represents a WorksheetFunction object.
Parameters
| Name | Required/Optional | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arg1 | Required | Variant | Lookup_value - the value to search in the first column of the table array. Lookup_value can be a value or a reference. If lookup_value is smaller than the smallest value in the first column of table_array, VLOOKUP returns the #N/A error value. |
| Arg2 | Required | Variant | Table_array - two or more columns of data. Use a reference to a range or a range name. The values in the first column of table_array are the values searched by lookup_value. These values can be text, numbers, or logical values. Uppercase and lowercase text are equivalent. |
| Arg3 | Required | Variant | Col_index_num - the column number in table_array from which the matching value must be returned. A col_index_num of 1 returns the value in the first column in table_array; a col_index_num of 2 returns the value in the second column in table_array, and so on. |
| Arg4 | Optional | Variant | Range_lookup - a logical value that specifies whether you want VLOOKUP to find an exact match or an approximate match: |
Return Value
Variant
Remarks
The V in VLOOKUP stands for vertical. Use VLOOKUP instead of HLOOKUP when your comparison values are located in a column to the left of the data that you want to find.
- If Col_index_num is less than 1, VLOOKUP returns the #VALUE! error value.
- If Col_index_num is greater than the number of columns in table_array, VLOOKUP returns the #REF! error value.
If Range_lookup is TRUE or omitted, an exact or approximate match is returned. If an exact match is not found, the next largest value that is less than lookup_value is returned.
The values in the first column of table_array must be placed in ascending sort order; otherwise, VLOOKUP may not give the correct value. For more information, see Sort data.
If FALSE, VLOOKUP will only find an exact match. In this case, the values in the first column of table_array do not need to be sorted. If there are two or more values in the first column of table_array that match the lookup_value, the first value found is used. If an exact match is not found, the error value #N/A is returned.
- When searching text values in the first column of table_array, ensure that the data in the first column of table_array does not have leading spaces, trailing spaces, inconsistent use of straight ( ' or " ) and curly ( ‘ or “) quotation marks, or nonprinting characters. In these cases, VLOOKUP may give an incorrect or unexpected value. For more information, see CLEAN and TRIM.
- When searching number or date values, ensure that the data in the first column of table_array is not stored as text values. In this case, VLOOKUP may give an incorrect or unexpected value. For more information, see Convert numbers stored as text to numbers.
- If range_lookup is FALSE and lookup_value is text, then you can use the wildcard characters, question mark (?) and asterisk (*), in lookup_value. A question mark matches any single character; an asterisk matches any sequence of characters. If you want to find an actual question mark or asterisk, type a tilde (~) preceding the character.
See Also