Does VLOOKUP work with alphanumeric?

Excel’s VLOOKUP function searches cell arrays for data that you provide. For example, if you search an inventory sheet for an alphanumeric product code, VLOOKUP can find it even if you don’t know the full code.

Why does VLOOKUP not work with numbers?

If your lookup value is not in the first column of the array, you will see the #N/A error. In this case, Excel is looking for it in column A, not column B. Solution: You can try to fix this by adjusting your VLOOKUP to reference the correct column. If that’s not possible, then try moving your columns.

Does VLOOKUP not work with text?

Numeric values are formatted as Text. If numeric values are formatted as text in a table_array argument of VLOOKUP function, then it comes up with the #NA error. To fix this error, you must check and properly format the numeric values as “Number.”

Can we use VLOOKUP for multiple lookup values?

To set up a multiple criteria VLOOKUP, follow these 3 steps: Add a helper column and concatenate (join) values from columns you want to use for your criteria. For the lookup value, join the same values in the same order to match values in the helper column. Make sure VLOOKUP is set to perform an exact match.

Does VLOOKUP work with text?

Can VLOOKUP work with text as well as numbers? Yes. VLOOKUP can search for textual values just as well as it can search for numbers. The example above would search for the product names, which are text rather than numbers.

How do I change VLOOKUP to text?

Open VLOOKUP & TEXT function together in cell E3 and select the lookup value as cell D3. In order to convert the number value to text, mention the format text argument as zero (0). After applying the VLOOKUP Formula answer is shown below.

Why is my VLOOKUP showing as a formula?

Make sure that the cells with the formulas have not been formatted as Text. If you enter a formula in a cell formatted as Text, the formula will become the cell value.

Can VLOOKUP look up text?

Yes. VLOOKUP can search for textual values just as well as it can search for numbers. The example above would search for the product names, which are text rather than numbers.

Why is VLOOKUP showing na?

The most common cause of the #N/A error is with VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, LOOKUP, or MATCH functions if a formula can’t find a referenced value. For example, your lookup value doesn’t exist in the source data. In this case there is no “Banana” listed in the lookup table, so VLOOKUP returns a #N/A error.

When to use a mix of text and number in VLOOKUP?

Similarly, when your lookup value in column D are all text, you will fail to lookup the number in column A. The last case is that the Employee ID in column D are already a mix of number and text. In order to vlookup different format, the first step is to try to lookup the original value as you normally do.

Why do I get an error when I do VLOOKUP with numbers?

A common VLOOKUP error is a mismatch between numbers and text. Most typically, the lookup column in the table contains numeric values that look like numbers, but are in fact numbers stored as text. When a genuine number is passed into VLOOKUP as the first argument, the formula returns a #N/A error, even though there appears to be a match.

What to do if you have a VLOOKUP mismatch?

If there is no mismatch, the workaround is not necessary and you can use a normal VLOOKUP formula. A common VLOOKUP error is a mismatch between numbers and text. Most typically, the lookup column in the table contains numeric values that look like numbers, but are in fact numbers stored as text.

How does the formula for VLOOKUP work in Excel?

How this formula works. When you concatenate an empty string (“”) to a number, it converts the number to text. You could also do the same thing with a longer formula that utilizes the TEXT function to convert to text : =VLOOKUP(TEXT(id,”@”),planets,2,0)