Lookup
Cross-Sheet Reference Lookup
Perform lookups that pull data from a different sheet (tab) within the same workbook. Essential for organizing data across multiple sheets while keeping them connected.
Excel Formula
=VLOOKUP(A2, Sheet2!A:C, 3, FALSE)Step-by-Step Explanation
1
Same as regular VLOOKUP but references another sheet
2
Sheet2! prefix specifies which sheet to look in
3
A:C is the range on Sheet2 to search
4
3 means return value from the 3rd column
5
FALSE requires an exact match
Example
| Employee ID (A) [Sheet1] | Name (B) [from Sheet2] |
|---|---|
| EMP001 | John Smith |
| EMP002 | Sarah Jones |
| EMP003 | Mike Wilson |
Result: =VLOOKUP(A2,Sheet2!A:C,3,FALSE) — pulls name from Sheet2
Common Variations
INDEX MATCH cross-sheet
=INDEX(Sheet2!C:C,MATCH(A2,Sheet2!A:A,0))More flexible than VLOOKUP
IMPORTRANGE (Sheets)
=VLOOKUP(A2,IMPORTRANGE("spreadsheet_url","Sheet1!A:C"),3,FALSE)Look up from a different Google Spreadsheet
Dynamic sheet name
=INDIRECT("'"&D2&"'!A:C")Sheet name stored in a cell
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