Use LOOKUP, one of the lookup and reference functions, when you need to look in a single row or column and find a value from the same position in a second row or column. For example, let's say you know the part number for an auto part, but you don't know the price.
Here’s an overview of the functions and formulas for different types of lookups in Excel. What Is a Lookup in Excel? A lookup means searching for a specific value within a row or a column in Excel that meets specific criteria. You can look for single or multiple values within a range.
The Excel LOOKUP function performs an approximate match lookup in a one-column or one-row range, and returns the corresponding value from another one-column or one-row range. LOOKUP's default behavior makes it useful for solving certain problems in Excel.
This Excel tutorial explains how to use the Excel LOOKUP function with syntax and examples. The Microsoft Excel LOOKUP function returns a value from a range (one row or one column) or from an array. There are 2 different syntaxes for the LOOKUP function:
It's actually quite easy to do with a lookup function. The VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP functions, together with INDEX and MATCH, are some of the most useful functions in Excel.
Use the VLOOKUP function to look up a value in a table. The value you want to look up. The value you want to look up must be in the first column of the range of cells you specify in the table_array argument. Lookup_value can be a value or a reference to a cell.