XLOOKUP Function in Excel: The Modern Lookup That Replaces VLOOKUP

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⏱ 2 min readUpdated 28 September 2026

LookupLevel: IntermediateAvailable in: Excel 365 / 2021+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. Example 2
  5. Example 3
  6. Example 4
  7. Power combo
  8. Common errors and fixes
  9. Related functions

XLOOKUP finds a value in one range and returns the matching item from another. It looks in any direction, defaults to exact match, and has a built-in “not found” result.

Syntax

=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array, [if_not_found], [match_mode], [search_mode])
Argument What it means
lookup_value What to find.
lookup_array Where to find it.
return_array What to return (can be several columns).
if_not_found Result when missing.
match_mode 0 exact (default), −1 next smaller, 1 next larger, 2 wildcard.
search_mode 1 first-to-last, −1 last-to-first.

Examples

Example 1

=XLOOKUP(F2, A:A, C:C, "Not found")

Simple exact lookup.

Example 2

=XLOOKUP(F2, C:C, A:A)

Looks to the left — impossible with VLOOKUP.

Example 3

=XLOOKUP(F2, A:A, B:D)

Returns three columns at once (spills).

Example 4

=XLOOKUP(F2, A:A, C:C, , 0, -1)

Last match — latest price for a product.

Power combo

=XLOOKUP(1, (A:A=F2)*(B:B=G2), C:C, "None")

Two-condition lookup without helper columns.

Common errors and fixes

You see Why, and the fix
#NAME? The file was opened in Excel 2019 or older, which has no XLOOKUP.
#VALUE! lookup_array and return_array have different heights.

VLOOKUP · INDEX · XMATCH · FILTER

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📎 Practice files for this article

  • 📗
    Lookup scenarios workbookVLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH and XLOOKUP side by side — vertical, horizontal, two-way — plus 6 real failure cases and their fixes, with PASS/FAIL checks.
    ⬇ XLSX · 10 KB

Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.

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