VLOOKUP in Google Sheets
VLOOKUP searches the first column of a table for a value and returns something from the same row. =VLOOKUP(A2, Products!A:C, 3, FALSE) finds the product code from A2 in the Products table and returns its 3rd column, the price.
Always set the last argument to FALSE for an exact match. The default (TRUE) assumes the first column is sorted and can return a wrong value silently. If the value isn't found, VLOOKUP returns #N/A; wrap it in IFERROR to show a friendly message.
Syntax
=VLOOKUP(search_key, range, index, [is_sorted])
Example
=VLOOKUP(A2, $F$2:$H$20, 3, FALSE)
Returns the price for the product code in A2.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out FALSE and getting approximate, wrong matches.
- The lookup value isn't in the first column of the range (use INDEX/MATCH or XLOOKUP).
- Forgetting $ on the table range before filling down.
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