XLOOKUP in Excel: The Most useful for job seekers (2025 Edition)

Xlookup in Excel is the most powerful function for any spreadsheet. It is a substitute for Microsoft Excel. That is a powerhouse. Now xlookup function in Excel helps users manage data, analyze numbers, and automate tasks.

I would like to tell you. One of the most important things Excel users often do is look up data from tables. For years, we’ve relied on functions like VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, and INDEX+MATCH. But now, there's a modern and powerful alternative as  XLOOKUP.

It was introduced in 2019 and is available in Microsoft 365 and Excel 2021+. XLOOKUP replaces all the old lookup formulas with a more intuitive, flexible, and powerful solution. I will make it a quick and understandable XLOOKUP formula with an example.

In this article, you'll learn:

• What  is XLOOKUP
  
  

• How it works
  
  

• Syntax breakdown
  
  

• Real-world examples
  
  

• Comparison with VLOOKUP & INDEX-MATCH
  
  

• Common errors and solutions
  
  

• Advanced uses
  
  

• Why it’s a game-changer

What is XLOOKUP in Excel?

XLOOKUP is a lookup function in Excel that lets you find things in a table or range — by row or column. It's designed to replace older lookup functions like:

• VLOOKUP (vertical)
  
  

• HLOOKUP (horizontal)
  
  

• LOOKUP
  
  

• INDEX + MATCH
  
  

🔥 Key Benefits:

• Works left-to-right AND right-to-left
  
  

• Returns exact matches by default (no need to set FALSE like in VLOOKUP)
  
  

• Can return multiple results
  
  

• Handles missing values with customizable messages
  
  

• Supports approximate match, wildcards, and reverse search
  
  

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XLOOKUP Syntax Explained

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XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array, [if_not_found], [match_mode], [search_mode])

Parameter	Description
lookup_value	The value you want to look for
lookup_array	The range/column where to search for the value
return_array	The range/column to return a result from
if_not_found (optional)	What to show if no match is found
match_mode (optional)	0 = exact match (default), -1 = next smaller, 1 = next larger, 2 = wildcard
search_mode (optional)	1 = first to last (default), -1 = last to first

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Basic Example

🧾 Scenario:

You have a table of employees and their departments.

Name	Department
John	Sales
Priya	Marketing
Ahmed	Finance
Sarah	HR

👉 Task:

Find which department Sarah belongs to.

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=XLOOKUP("Sarah", A2:A5, B2:B5)

✅ Output: HR

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XLOOKUP vs. VLOOKUP

Let’s compare the two:

Feature	VLOOKUP	XLOOKUP
Match direction	Only left-to-right	Both directions
Default match	Approximate	Exact
Column number needed?	Yes	No
Can return an array/multiple columns	No	Yes
Can handle errors without IFERROR	No	Yes
Supports wildcards	Yes	Yes
Available in	All versions	Excel 365 & Excel 2021+

🔁 Example Comparison

Using VLOOKUP:

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=VLOOKUP("Sarah", A2:B5, 2, FALSE)

Using XLOOKUP (cleaner):

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=XLOOKUP("Sarah", A2:A5, B2:B5)

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Advanced Use Cases of XLOOKUP

✅ 1. Custom Message if Not Found

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=XLOOKUP("Mike", A2:A5, B2:B5, "Not Found")

If "Mike" is not found, it returns "Not Found" instead of #N/A.

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✅ 2. Lookup with Wildcards

Example:

Find a department for a name that starts with "A"

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=XLOOKUP("A*", A2:A5, B2:B5, , 2)

Here, "A*" means names starting with "A", and 2 enables wildcard mode.

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✅ 3. Reverse Search (last match)

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=XLOOKUP("John", A2:A10, B2:B10, , 0, -1)

This searches from bottom to top (last to first).

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✅ 4. Return Multiple Values

Let’s say you want to return the department and the joining date for a person.

Name	Department	Joining Date
Priya	Marketing	2022-01-10

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=XLOOKUP("Priya", A2:A5, B2:C5)

This will return two values: Marketing and 2022-01-10.

Xlookup function in Excel

💼 1. Invoice System: Get Price by Product Name

Product	Price
Pen	10
Notebook	30
Mouse	500

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=XLOOKUP("Mouse", A2:A4, B2:B4)

➡ Output: 500

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🧑‍💼 2. Employee ID Lookup

Emp ID	Name
101	Rahul
102	Meera
103	Akash

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=XLOOKUP(102, A2:A4, B2:B4)

➡ Output: Meera

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Error Handling in XLOOKUP

Unlike VLOOKUP (where you'd need to wrap in IFERROR), XLOOKUP handles errors natively.

🛠 Example:

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=XLOOKUP("XYZ", A2:A10, B2:B10, "Not Available")

If "XYZ" isn't found, Excel will return "Not Available" instead of #N/A.

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Nested XLOOKUP

You can combine XLOOKUP with other functions like SUM, IF, etc.

🧮 Example: Dynamic Price Lookup + Quantity

Product	Price
Pen	5
Book	50

If someone ordered 3 pens:

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=XLOOKUP("Pen", A2:A3, B2:B3) * 3

➡ Output: 15

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Common XLOOKUP Mistakes

Mistake	Solution
Using incompatible arrays	Ensure lookup_array and return_array have the same size
Forgetting if_not_found	Always add a fallback for cleaner outputs
Wildcards not working	Set match_mode to 2
Not available in Excel	XLOOKUP only works in Excel 365/2021+

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Tips & Tricks

• Use dynamic ranges with Excel Tables (Ctrl + T) to auto-expand.
  
  

• Combine XLOOKUP with FILTER or SORT for advanced dashboards.
  
  

• Use LET + XLOOKUP to optimize complex formulas.
  
  

• In Google Sheets, XLOOKUP is now supported (as of 2023).
  
  

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When NOT to Use XLOOKUP

While XLOOKUP is powerful, in large datasets (100k+ rows), it may be slightly slower than INDEX+MATCH in older Excel versions.

Also, for backward compatibility with Excel 2016 or earlier, use INDEX+MATCH.

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Conclusion: Should You Use XLOOKUP?

Absolutely — if you're using Excel 365 or Excel 2021+, XLOOKUP is the future. It’s clean, powerful, and far more flexible than older lookup formulas.

Whether you’re a beginner learning Excel or a professional building dynamic dashboards, mastering XLOOKUP will save you hours of work and reduce errors.

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Bonus: XLOOKUP Cheatsheet

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=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array, [if_not_found], [match_mode], [search_mode])

Match Mode	Description
0	Exact (default)
-1	Exact or next smaller
1	Exact or next larger
2	Wildcard match

Search Mode	Description
1	Top to bottom (default)
-1	Bottom to top

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FAQs

❓Can I get a job after learn  XLOOKUP?

Yes! You can get a professional job after getting complete knowledge about Xlookup.

❓ Can I use XLOOKUP for multiple columns?

Yes! Just select multiple columns in the return_array.

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❓ Is XLOOKUP available in Google Sheets?

Yes, Google Sheets added support for XLOOKUP in late 2023.

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❓ Is XLOOKUP faster than VLOOKUP?

In general, yes — and it’s more powerful too. But for very large datasets, INDEX+MATCH may still be slightly