In Excel: use =INDEX(return_range, MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_range, 0)) — MATCH finds the row number of the lookup value and INDEX returns the value in that row from any column, left or right.
Syntax
Arguments
| Argument | Description | |
|---|---|---|
return_range | required | The column you want a value returned from. |
lookup_value | required | The value MATCH searches for. |
lookup_range | required | The column MATCH searches through for the lookup value. |
match_type | optional | 0 for an exact match (embedded as the third argument of MATCH); 1 or -1 for approximate. |
Related functions
Decide the return_range — the column you want the answer from — and start with =INDEX(that range,.
Inside INDEX, open MATCH( and click the cell holding the value to find.
Select the column to search through as the second MATCH argument.
Type 0 as the third MATCH argument to force an exact match, then close both brackets.
Press Enter and fill the formula down; lock ranges with $ if you will copy it.
What this does
INDEX/MATCH pairs two functions to do a lookup that VLOOKUP cannot: MATCH returns the position of the lookup value within a column, and INDEX returns the cell at that position in whatever column you choose. Because the search column and the return column are independent, it can look to the left and it survives inserted or moved columns that would break a VLOOKUP col_index_num. The same idea underpins a lot of everyday Excel work, so the few minutes spent getting it right here pay back across every sheet you build afterwards. Treat it as a pattern, not a one-off, and it stops being something you look up and starts being something you reach for. For “excel index match multiple criteria”, the reliable version is a short checking loop, not just the first command that appears to work. Run it on a deliberately small range first, watch how the affected cells change, and only then apply the same setup to the full sheet. When a formula is involved, keep the inputs labelled beside it, reference cells instead of typing values, and apply number formatting only after the result checks out. That is what makes a data step that keeps your analysis trustworthy useful in real work: repeatable, auditable, and not dependent on memory or luck.
A worked example
Names are in column C (C2:C100) and IDs in column A (A2:A100). To return the ID for the name in E2 — a value to the LEFT, which VLOOKUP cannot do: =INDEX(A2:A100, MATCH(E2, C2:C100, 0)). MATCH finds "Maria" in row 7 of the range and INDEX returns the ID in A8, for example 1042. INDEX/MATCH is the durable lookup professionals reach for when data is wide or volatile: it looks in any direction and does not break when columns shift. One habit worth forming early: name the cells that hold your inputs, so the formula reads in plain language instead of a string of cell addresses. A reviewer — or you in three months — can then follow the logic without decoding what B7 and D2 were supposed to mean, which is most of what makes a sheet maintainable.
In Google Sheets
Google Sheets handles this almost identically to Excel. The formula syntax above is the same, and the menu lives under a slightly different label rather than a ribbon tab. Use the platform toggle at the top of the page to switch every keyboard shortcut between Windows and Mac, and expect at most cosmetic differences in naming. The aim was to get you unstuck fast and leave you a little more capable than a copy-paste would. The answer is at the top, the tool proves it, and the detail above shows why it holds — so the next time a colleague asks, you can answer without reaching for search. The short version of “excel index match multiple criteria”: the answer is at the top of this page, the tool proves it on your own numbers, and the sections above explain why it holds so the next variation does not stump you. Excel rewards people who reference cells instead of typing values and who keep inputs separate from formulas, because that is what makes a result you can audit months later. Build it once, deliberately, with the live tool as a check, and you convert a one-off lookup into a reusable skill — which is the whole point of learning the why and not just the what.
Common mistakes
- Giving
INDEXandMATCHranges of different heights, so the row number fromMATCHpoints at the wrong cell. - Forgetting the 0 in
MATCH, which switches it to an approximate match and can return a wrong row. - Selecting the whole table for
INDEXinstead of a single return column, which forces a needless extra column-number argument.
Frequently asked questions
Why use INDEX/MATCH instead of VLOOKUP?
INDEX/MATCH can return columns to the left of the lookup column, and it keeps working when you insert or move columns because it references columns directly rather than by a counted index number.
What does the 0 in MATCH mean?
It requests an exact match. Without it, or with 1, MATCH does an approximate match that needs sorted data and can silently return the wrong position, so include 0 for normal lookups.
Is INDEX/MATCH faster than VLOOKUP?
On large sheets it can be, because it only scans the lookup column and the return column rather than the whole table array, though XLOOKUP is simpler still if your Excel version supports it.
Other ways people ask this
People reach this page typing “double index match”, “match index excel multiple criteria”, “index match horizontal” and “excel index match multiple results”, among other phrasings; whichever wording you used, the fix above is the one you want.
This guide also answers
- excel index and match multiple criteria
- index match two criteria
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “double index match”, “match index excel multiple criteria”, “index match horizontal” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.