How to Use Excel VLOOKUP for Beginners

Click the cell where you want the answer to land. Type an equals sign so Excel knows a formula is coming, then type VLOOKUP and an open parenthesis.

The moment you type that parenthesis, Excel shows a little hint underneath: lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup]. Those are the four things the function wants, in order. You will fill them in one at a time, separated by commas.

The first argument is the lookup value, meaning the thing you are searching for. Here that is the cookie name you need a price for.

Click that cell and Excel drops its reference straight into the formula. In the example it becomes D2, which holds Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie. Type a comma to move on to the next part.

Next comes the table array, the block of cells Excel should search through. Highlight the whole price table, both the names column and the prices column.

One rule matters here: the value you are looking up has to sit in the leftmost column of whatever you select. VLOOKUP always searches that first column, then returns a value from a column to its right. Type a comma when the table is selected.

The column index number is where beginners pause. It is simply the column, counting from the left of your selected table, that contains the answer you want back.

In this table the names are column 1 and the prices are column 2. You want the price, so type a 2. Then add a comma.

The last argument decides how picky Excel is. A dropdown appears with two choices: TRUE for an approximate match and FALSE for an exact match.

For names, prices, IDs, and almost anything you are matching by hand, pick FALSE. That tells Excel to return a price only when it finds that exact cookie name, which is what you almost always want.

Type a closing parenthesis and hit Enter. Excel searches the table and drops the matching price into your cell. The classic chocolate chip comes back at 2.50.

That is a complete VLOOKUP. Four arguments, one answer, no scrolling.

Now you want the same formula for every other cookie. If you just copy it down, some cells throw a #N/A error. That happens because the table reference shifts down along with the formula and slides off your data.

The fix is to lock the table. Click into the formula, put your cursor on the table reference, and press F4. Excel adds dollar signs so it reads something like $A$2:$B$16. That anchors the table in place. Now copy the formula down and every price fills in correctly.