{"id":30419,"date":"2023-08-11T01:43:18","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T23:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/?p=30419"},"modified":"2024-05-18T22:53:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T20:53:33","slug":"xlookup-vs-vlookup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/blog\/xlookup-vs-vlookup\/","title":{"rendered":"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/50B1B888-59C3-4CD5-B8EF-FDCCA754FE72.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-30468\" title=\"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/50B1B888-59C3-4CD5-B8EF-FDCCA754FE72-1024x576.png\" alt=\"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/50B1B888-59C3-4CD5-B8EF-FDCCA754FE72-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/50B1B888-59C3-4CD5-B8EF-FDCCA754FE72-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/50B1B888-59C3-4CD5-B8EF-FDCCA754FE72-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/50B1B888-59C3-4CD5-B8EF-FDCCA754FE72.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/blog\/xlookup-in-excel\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>XLOOKUP<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/blog\/vlookup-function-introduction-excel\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>VLOOKUP<\/strong> <\/a>are Microsoft Excel functions used to <strong>search values in a list and return a related return<\/strong>. VLOOKUP has been a go-to option for many users but now <strong>XLOOKUP<\/strong> stands out as a<strong> highly versatile alternative to VLOOKUP<\/strong>. It allows you to quickly lookup values in a data set (just like VLOOKUP Excel) with <strong>additional flexibility and advantages<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we will cover XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP in detail &#8211;<\/p>\n<p>Download the Excel Workbook below to follow along and understand the comparison &#8211; XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP \u2013<br \/>\n<a class=\"IRPP_minimalist icon-download\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/VLOOKUP-vs-XLOOKUP-1.xlsx\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"ctaText px-3 text-capitalize\"><strong>download excel workbook<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"postTitle px-3\">VLOOKUP-vs-XLOOKUP-1.xlsx<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span id=\"1\" style=\"color: #ff0000\">#1 &#8211; Position of Lookup Value<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/blog\/vlookup-in-excel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">VLOOKUP requires the lookup<\/a> value to be on the <strong>leftmost column<\/strong> of the table whereas for <strong>XLOOKUP<\/strong> there are<strong> no such restrictions<\/strong>. XLOOKUP allows you to <strong>search for values in any column of the table range<\/strong>, making it much more flexible and adaptable to various data structures.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you want to find the person&#8217;s first name based on their date of joining.<\/p>\n<p><strong>=VLOOKUP(G2,B2:D32,3,0)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>=XLOOKUP(G6,D2:D32,B2:B32,0)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-1.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30423\" title=\"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-1.png\" alt=\"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions\" width=\"840\" height=\"572\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-1.png 840w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-1-300x204.png 300w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-1-768x523.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>VLOOKUP provides an error<\/strong> because it is trying to search the lookup value i.e. 4\/7\/2022 in Column A. As it is <strong>not the leftmost column<\/strong> of the table array provided. To <strong>get the correct result<\/strong>, you will have to <strong>rearrange<\/strong> the table such that the lookup array i.e. DOJ is to the left of the resultant column i.e. First Name.<\/p>\n<p>You can also use <strong>XLOOKUP<\/strong> to get the result because it<strong> does not require the lookup array to be on the left<\/strong>. Here, you need to<strong> individually provide the lookup array and return array<\/strong> in the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"formula\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/blog\/top-excel-formulas-function-examples-to-get-better-at-microsoft-excel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">formula<\/a>. So, the arrangement of these columns in the table is irrelevant.<\/p>\n<p>Let us understand how the XLOOKUP formula works here &#8211;<\/p>\n<p><strong>=XLOOKUP(G6,D2:D32,B2:B32,0)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>where,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>G6 &#8211; This is the <strong>value you want to search for<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>D2:D32 &#8211; This is the array <strong>where Excel will search<\/strong> for the value you specified (G6).<\/li>\n<li>B2:B32 &#8211; This is the array from which Excel will <strong>return a corresponding value<\/strong> if a match is found.<\/li>\n<li>0 &#8211; This is the last argument of the XLOOKUP function, which specifies the match mode. A value of 0 (zero) indicates an <strong>exact match<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, Excel will look for 4\/7\/2022 in the DOJ column and then provide the corresponding result from the First Name column i.e. Lena.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span id=\"2\" style=\"color: #ff0000\">#2 &#8211; Search Horizontally and Vertically<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>VLOOKUP is primarily designed for vertical searches<\/strong> i.e. it looks up for value in the leftmost column and returns a corresponding value from the specified column to its right. Whereas, <strong>XLOOKUP offers greater flexibility by allowing both vertical and horizontal<\/strong> searches.<\/p>\n<p>Suppose, you want to get the first name for the employee ID 1004.<\/p>\n<p><strong>=VLOOKUP(H2,A1:E4,3,0)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>=XLOOKUP(H6,A1:E1,A2:E2)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-2.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30425\" title=\"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-2.png\" alt=\"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions\" width=\"961\" height=\"308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-2.png 961w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-2-300x96.png 300w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-2-768x246.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 961px) 100vw, 961px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>VLOOKUP<\/strong> will <strong>not be able to provide a correct result<\/strong> in this case because it will search for 1004 in Column A and since &#8220;1004&#8221; is not found there, VLOOKUP would fail to return the appropriate first name.<\/p>\n<p>Let us understand how the XLOOKUP formula works here &#8211;<\/p>\n<p><strong>=XLOOKUP(H6,A1:E1,A2:E2)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>where,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>H6 &#8211; This is the <strong>value you want to search for<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>A1:E1 &#8211; This is the array <strong>where Excel will search<\/strong> for the value you specified (G6).<\/li>\n<li>A2:E3 &#8211; This is the array from which Excel will <strong>return a corresponding value<\/strong> if a match is found.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>XLOOKUP will find the value &#8220;1004&#8221; in the range of employee IDs (A1:E1) and retrieve the corresponding value &#8220;Josan&#8221; from the range of first names (A2:E2).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span id=\"3\" style=\"color: #ff0000\">#3 &#8211; Search from Bottom to Top<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One notable advantage of XLOOKUP over VLOOKUP is its ability to <strong>search from the bottom of the data range to the top<\/strong>. <strong>VLOOKUP<\/strong> <strong>only supports searching from top to bottom<\/strong>. This feature becomes handy when dealing with datasets organized in descending order.<\/p>\n<p>Suppose, you want to know the date of joining of the last employee on the list whose name is &#8220;Lena&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><strong>=VLOOKUP(G2,B2:D32,3,0)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>=XLOOKUP(G6,B2:B32,D2:D32,,,-1)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-3.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30426\" title=\"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-3.png\" alt=\"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions\" width=\"845\" height=\"574\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-3.png 845w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-3-300x204.png 300w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-3-768x522.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 845px) 100vw, 845px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>VLOOKUP will also provide the first match in the list and return the result.<\/p>\n<p>Whereas, <strong>X<a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/blog\/smart-lookup-in-excel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lookup<\/a><\/strong> offers an option to <strong>specify the search mode as &#8220;last to first<\/strong>.&#8221; When using this mode, Excel will begin searching for the lookup value from the bottom of the data range and<strong> return the last matching result it encounters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>=XLOOKUP(G6,B2:B32,D2:D32,,,-1)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>where,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>G6 &#8211; This is the <strong>value you want to search for<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>B2:B32 &#8211; This is the array <strong>where Excel will search<\/strong> for the value you specified (G6).<\/li>\n<li>D2:D32 &#8211; This is the array from which Excel will <strong>return a corresponding value<\/strong> if a match is found.<\/li>\n<li>Optional arguments [if_not_found] and [match_mode] are left empty.<\/li>\n<li>-1 &#8211; This argument specifies the search mode. -1 indicates that the search should be from last to first.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hence, XLOOKUP searches for the lookup value Lena from the last and provides the corresponding result as 4\/7\/2022. Unlike, VLOOKUP which returns the first match i.e. 3\/20\/2022.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span id=\"4\" style=\"color: #ff0000\">#4 &#8211; Match not found<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>VLOOKUP returns the #N\/A error when it fails to find a match in the lookup array. While this is informative, it might not be the most user-friendly way to handle missing data. On the other hand, XLOOKUP allows users to customize the text displayed when a match is not found.<\/p>\n<p>Suppose, you want to get the first name for the employee ID 1101.<\/p>\n<p><strong>=VLOOKUP(G2,A2:D32,2,0)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>=XLOOKUP(G6,A2:A32,B2:B32,&#8221;Not Found&#8221;)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-4.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30427\" title=\"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-4.png\" alt=\"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions\" width=\"840\" height=\"574\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-4.png 840w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-4-300x205.png 300w, https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/XLOOKUP-vs-VLOOKUP-4-768x525.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Since 1101 is not present in the table array, VLOOKUP will return an error. In XLOOKUP, you will get an option to add a text when a result is not found. Here, it will display &#8220;Not Found&#8221; as the result.<\/p>\n<p><strong>=XLOOKUP(G6,A2:A32,B2:B32,&#8221;Not Found&#8221;)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>where,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>G6 &#8211; This is the <strong>value you want to search for<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>A2:A32 &#8211; This is the array <strong>where Excel will search<\/strong> for the value you specified (G6).<\/li>\n<li>B2:B32 &#8211; This is the array from which Excel will <strong>return a corresponding value<\/strong> if a match is found.<\/li>\n<li>Not Found &#8211; This argument specifies the if_not_found value. If a match is not found, Excel will display the result as &#8220;Not Found&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span id=\"5\" style=\"color: #ff0000\">#5 &#8211; Compatibility Issues<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Even though<strong> XLOOKUP is a more versatile and useful<\/strong> function, users may encounter situations where it is vital to use VLOOKUP instead. <strong>XLOOKUP<\/strong> is accessible to users who have <strong>Microsoft 365 or Excel 2021<\/strong>. However, <strong>individuals using Excel 2019 or any earlier versions will not have access<\/strong> to the XLOOKUP function.<\/p>\n<p>When<strong> sharing a file that contains XLOOKUP<\/strong> with a user who has an <strong>older version of Excel<\/strong>, they will suffer from <strong>compatibility issues<\/strong>. While they can<strong> view the results<\/strong> generated by the XLOOKUP formula in your file but <strong>modifying<\/strong> the formula will lead to a<strong> #NAME error<\/strong>. Hence, it is advisable to use VLOOKUP as it is available to all users irrespective of the Excel version they are using.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">Conclusion<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>XLOOKUP and VLOOKUP are Excel functions used for searching values and returning related results. <strong>XLOOKUP offers more flexibility than VLOOKUP<\/strong>, allowing <strong>both vertical and horizontal searches<\/strong>, while VLOOKUP is limited to vertical searches only.<\/p>\n<p>XLOOKUP also supports <strong>searching from the bottom to the top<\/strong> of the data range and provides <strong>customized text for unmatched values<\/strong>, but it may <strong>not be accessible to users with older Excel versions<\/strong>, leading to compatibility issues. In such cases, VLOOKUP remains a reliable option for all users.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-au\/office\/xlookup-function-b7fd680e-6d10-43e6-84f9-88eae8bf5929\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Click here<\/strong><\/a> to know more about the XLOOKUP function in Excel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>XLOOKUP and VLOOKUP are Microsoft Excel functions used to search values in a list and return a related return. VLOOKUP has been a go-to option for many users but now XLOOKUP stands out as a highly versatile alternative to VLOOKUP. It allows you to quickly lookup values in a data set (just like VLOOKUP Excel) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cos_headline_score":0,"cos_seo_score":0,"cos_headline_text":"XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: Top 5 Comparison of Excel Lookup Functions","cos_headline_has_been_analyzed":false,"cos_last_analyzed_headline":[],"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[11,276,703],"tags":[1322,1323],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30419"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myexcelonline.com\/meo-staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}