Forum Discussion
sanneb1985
Jul 27, 2022Copper Contributor
vlookup column index number
when I use vlookup , and I want to fill in the column index, I no longer see numbers in the columns when I select the table array. It is difficult for me to count them, because sometimes it is column 58. Do you know a solution here?
- sivakumarrjBrass Contributor
sanneb1985 Vlookup may create performance issue when there is selection of more columns in huge database, so better use INDEX MATCH formula.
Excel Vlookup Index Match - Excel Tips - MrExcel Publishing
- sanneb1985Copper Contributori'll dive into that and will read the tips, thank you
Do you have Microsoft 365 or Office 2021? If so, you can use XLOOKUP instead of VLOOKUP:
=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, column_to_search, column_to_return, if_not_found)
For example
=XLOOKUP(A2, $C$2:$C$100, $BD$2:$BD$100, "")
If you have an older version, you can use INDEX/MATCH:
=IFERROR(INDEX($BD$2:$BD$100, MATCH(A2, $C$2:$C$100, 0)), "")
- sanneb1985Copper ContributorWe still have office Professional plus 2019 at work. We used to have 2016. Is it possible that Microsoft has made changes in the new version? My collegue still has the 2019 and the column numbers are visible (we use the same files for vlookup)
- Martin_WeissBronze Contributor
Hi sanneb1985
yes, if you use large tables, sometimes the column numbers disappear. As a workaround, you could add a row above your table and use the COLUMN function there. This gives the absolute column number:
Please note, if your table does not start in column A, you need to add the number of additional columns to the formula. For example, if it starts in column D, you need to subtract 3 to get the correct number for your index: