How to Use VLOOKUP in Google Sheets: Simple Guide

Use the VLOOKUP function in Google Sheets to search for a value in the first column of a range and return a value from another column in the same row. The formula looks like =VLOOKUP(search_key, range, index, [is_sorted]), where you specify what to find, where to look, which column to return, and if the data is sorted.

Syntax

The VLOOKUP function has four parts:

• search_key: The value you want to find.
• range: The table or cells where you want to search.
• index: The column number in the range to get the result from (starting at 1).
• is_sorted (optional): TRUE for approximate match (default), FALSE for exact match.

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=VLOOKUP(search_key, range, index, [is_sorted])

Example

This example shows how to find a person's age by their name from a list.

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A1: Name    B1: Age
A2: Alice   B2: 30
A3: Bob     B3: 25
A4: Carol   B4: 27

In cell D2, enter:
=VLOOKUP("Bob", A1:B4, 2, FALSE)

Output

25

Name	Age
Alice	30
Bob	25
Carol	27

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes include:

• Not setting is_sorted to FALSE for exact matches, causing wrong results.
• Using a wrong index number that is outside the range columns.
• Searching for a value not in the first column of the range.

Example of a wrong formula and the fix:

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Wrong: =VLOOKUP("Bob", A1:B4, 2)  
(This uses approximate match by default and may give wrong results)

Right: =VLOOKUP("Bob", A1:B4, 2, FALSE)  
(This forces exact match and returns correct age)

Quick Reference

Parameter	Description	Example
search_key	Value to find	"Bob"
range	Cells to search in	A1:B4
index	Column number to return	2
is_sorted	TRUE for approximate, FALSE for exact	FALSE

Key Takeaways

Always set the last argument to FALSE for exact matches to avoid errors.

The search value must be in the first column of the range for VLOOKUP to work.

The index number must be within the range's column count.

VLOOKUP returns the first match it finds in the range.

Use VLOOKUP to quickly find related data in tables without manual searching.