The **VLOOKUP** function (short for Vertical Lookup) is one of the most commonly used lookup functions in Excel. It allows you to search for a value in the leftmost column of a table or range, and then retrieve a value in the same row from a specified column. Here's how the syntax of **VLOOKUP** looks:

<div style="display: flex; justify-content: center;">=VLOOKUP(lookup_value,&nbsp;table_array,&nbsp;col_index_num,&nbsp;[range_lookup])</div>

| | |
|-----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| lookup_value | The value to search for. |
| table_array | The table or range where data is looked up. |
| col_index_num | The column number in the table from which to retrieve the value. |
| [range_lookup] | (Optional). If **TRUE** or omitted, an approximate match is returned (default). If **FALSE**, an exact match is required. |

What does the VLOOKUP function do in Excel?

This course is designed for beginners who want to start exploring formulas in Excel. You'll begin with the basics and then discover some really useful formulas for daily use. You'll learn about array formulas and how they work, and you'll also dive into Lookup and Reference functions.

In this section you will learn how to input and use Excel formulas for various calculations, including basic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and power. Discover the importance of using functions for clearer and more efficient calculations. Explore statistical functions like AVERAGE, MEDIAN, MODE, MIN, and MAX to analyze data effectively.

In this section you will learn about array formulas in Excel and how they enable multiple calculations on sets of values simultaneously and how to use specific functions like UNIQUE, SORT, FILTER, and TRANSPOSE.

In this section, you will learn about lookup and reference formulas in Excel. These formulas enable you to search for and retrieve specific data from a table or range. You will explore essential functions such as VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, MATCH, INDEX, and XLOOKUP, which are invaluable for finding and referencing data efficiently.


lookup_value	The value to search for.
table_array	The table or range where data is looked up.
col_index_num	The column number in the table from which to retrieve the value.
[range_lookup]	(Optional). If TRUE or omitted, an approximate match is returned (default). If FALSE, an exact match is required.