LOOKUP Function

The LOOKUP function is one of the lookup and reference functions. It is used to return a value from a selected range (row or column containing the data in ascending order).

The LOOKUP function syntax is:

LOOKUP(lookup-value, lookup-vector, result-vector)

where

lookup-value is a value to search for.

lookup-vector is a single row or column containing data sorted in ascending order.

lookup-result is a single row or column of data that is the same size as the lookup-vector.

The function searches for the lookup-value in the lookup-vector and returns the value from the same position in the lookup-result.

If the lookup-value is smaller than all of the values in the lookup-vector, the function will return the #N/A error. If there is not a value that strictly matches the lookup-value, the function chooses the largest value in the lookup-vector that is less than or equal to the value.

How to use LOOKUP

To apply the LOOKUP function,

  1. select the cell where you wish to display the result,
  2. click the Insert function Insert function icon icon situated at the top toolbar,
    or right-click within a selected cell and select the Insert Function option from the menu,
    or click the Function icon icon situated at the formula bar,
  3. select the Lookup and Reference function group from the list,
  4. click the LOOKUP function,
  5. enter the required arguments separating them by comma,
  6. press the Enter button.

The result will be displayed in the selected cell.

lookup function gif