Forum Discussion

clar12345's avatar
clar12345
Copper Contributor
Sep 30, 2025

VLOOKUP ISSUE

Hi All, 

I have been having issues with excel which was very sudden.

The excel values are returning the wrong results as shown below.

Please advise how to fix this issue, not sure what is the exact problem.

 

 Before

Now

 

excel
Formulas and Functions
office 365

1 Reply

  • Kidd_Ip's avatar
    Kidd_Ip
    MVP
    Oct 02, 2025

    Would suggest looking into this first:

     

    1. Formula Overwrite or Reference Change

    If the description column was previously populated by a formula (e.g., =VLOOKUP(...) or =INDEX/MATCH) and that formula was overwritten or the lookup range changed, the output would differ.

    • Fix: Check if the cells now contain static text instead of formulas. If so, try restoring the original formula.
    1. Source Table Changed

    If your descriptions are pulled from a reference table, that table may have been updated or replaced.

    • Fix: Review the source data or lookup table to confirm it still contains the expected values.
    1. Hidden Conditional Logic

    There might be hidden logic (e.g., IF statements) that depends on other columns. If one of those inputs changed slightly, like a trailing space or punctuation, it could trigger a different result.

    • Fix: Inspect the formula closely for conditions that might be misfiring due to subtle changes.
    1. Data Type or Formatting Issues

    Sometimes Excel treats similar-looking values differently due to formatting (e.g., CTRL01 vs CTRL01.).

    • Fix: Use TRIM() and CLEAN() functions to sanitize inputs, or check for trailing characters.

Resources