Guides

Practical answers to spreadsheet questions. We answer the question you actually asked first — including when the answer is that the tool you're using can't do it.

• What is VLOOKUP? A plain explanation with examples
  VLOOKUP finds a value in a list and returns something else from the same row. What it does, what each part of the formula means, and the one rule that stops it going wrong.
• Why your VLOOKUP isn't working — the six usual causes
  VLOOKUP returning #N/A, #REF!, or a plausible wrong number? The six causes in the order they're usually the answer, how to tell them apart, and how to fix each.