Excel lookup functions
Lookup functions in Excel, explained with live examples.
40 lookup functions in Excel — 4 documented in depth so far, the rest indexed below and landing every week.
Documented lookup functions
Syntax, examples, and the equivalent — ready now.
- FILTERFilters a range of data based on criteria you defineLookupGoogle Sheets
- SORTSorts the contents of a range or arrayLookupGoogle Sheets
- XLOOKUPSearches a range or an array, and returns an item corresponding to the first match it finds. If a match doesn't exist, then XLOOKUP can return the closest (approximate) match.LookupGoogle Sheets
- XMATCHReturns the relative position of an item in an array or range of cells.LookupGoogle Sheets
All Excel lookup functions
The full set — deep dives on the way.
- ADDRESS
- Returns a reference as text to a single cell in a worksheet
- AREAS
- Returns the number of areas in a reference
- CHOOSE
- Chooses a value from a list of values
- CHOOSECOLS
- Returns the specified columns from an array
- CHOOSEROWS
- Returns the specified rows from an array
- COLUMN
- Returns the column number of a reference
- COLUMNS
- Returns the number of columns in a reference
- DROP
- Excludes a specified number of rows or columns from the start or end of an array
- EXPAND
- Expands or pads an array to specified row and column dimensions
- FORMULATEXT
- Returns the formula at the given reference as text
- GETPIVOTDATA
- Returns data stored in a PivotTable report
- GROUPBY
- Helps a user group, aggregate, sort, and filter data based on the fields you specify
- HLOOKUP
- Looks in the top row of an array and returns the value of the indicated cell
- HSTACK
- Appends arrays horizontally and in sequence to return a larger array
- HYPERLINK
- Creates a shortcut or jump that opens a document stored on a network server, an intranet, or the Internet
- IMAGE
- Returns an image from a given source
- INDEX
- Uses an index to choose a value from a reference or array
- INDIRECT
- Returns a reference indicated by a text value
- LOOKUP
- Looks up values in a vector or array
- MATCH
- Looks up values in a reference or array
- OFFSET
- Returns a reference offset from a given reference
- PIVOTBY
- Helps a user group, aggregate, sort, and filter data based on the row and column fields that you specify
- ROW
- Returns the row number of a reference
- ROWS
- Returns the number of rows in a reference
- RTD
- Retrieves real-time data from a program that supports COM automation
- SORTBY
- Sorts the contents of a range or array based on the values in a corresponding range or array
- TAKE
- Returns a specified number of contiguous rows or columns from the start or end of an array
- TOCOL
- Returns the array in a single column
- TOROW
- Returns the array in a single row
- TRANSPOSE
- Returns the transpose of an array
- TRIMRANGE
- Scans in from the edges of a range or array until it finds a non-blank cell (or value), it then excludes those blank rows or columns
- UNIQUE
- Returns a list of unique values in a list or range
- VLOOKUP
- Looks in the first column of an array and moves across the row to return the value of a cell
- VSTACK
- Appends arrays vertically and in sequence to return a larger array
- WRAPCOLS
- Wraps the provided row or column of values by columns after a specified number of elements
- WRAPROWS
- Wraps the provided row or column of values by rows after a specified number of elements
More Excel function categories