VLOOKUP is one of Excel’s most popular functions, especially among accountants. However, it is also plagued with issues. Microsoft has finally created VLOOKUP’s replacement, XLOOKUP, which removes the limitations and adds extra functionality.
This new function is in the same update release as dynamic arrays. You need Microsoft 365 (until recently known as Office 365) subscription version to use XLOOKUP.
Just like VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP allows you to look up a code in a table and return entries on the same row as the code.
XLOOKUP features
- It can look up vertically (like VLOOKUP) or horizontally (like HLOOKUP)
- The code to look up can be in any column/row of the table
- You can specify an entry to return if no match is found
- It can search from the top down (or left to right) or the bottom up (or right to left)
- You can use wildcard characters such as * and ?
- It can return a reference to a cell
To view more information about how to use XLOOKUP, click here