In Excel: put the other sheet's name in front of the table range — =VLOOKUP(A2,Prices!$A$2:$C$100,3,FALSE) — and quote names that contain spaces, as in =VLOOKUP(A2,'Price List'!$A$2:$C$100,3,FALSE); a separate workbook also needs its file name in square brackets.
On this page7
Click the result cell on the sheet that needs the value and type =VLOOKUP( followed by the lookup cell and a comma.
Click the other sheet's tab and select the table, starting with the column that holds the lookup values.
Press F4 to make the range absolute, then type the column number and FALSE.
Press Enter — Excel returns to the first sheet and shows the result.
Fill the formula down and check one result against the other sheet.
What this does
VLOOKUP itself does not change when the table is on another sheet; only table_array does. A reference to another sheet is the sheet name, an exclamation mark and the range, and names with spaces or special characters are wrapped in single quotes. The reliable way to build it is to start the formula, click the other sheet's tab, select the range and press F4 so the range is locked with $ signs before you copy the formula down. A lookup in a separate workbook adds the file name in square brackets, for example '[Prices.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$2:$C$100, and becomes an external link that Excel shows with the full path while that file is closed. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. For “vlookup formula in excel between two sheets”, the reliable version is a short checking loop, not just the first command that appears to work. Run it on a deliberately small range first, watch how the affected formula change, and only then apply the same setup to the full sheet. When a formula is involved, keep the inputs labelled beside it, reference cells instead of typing values, and apply number formatting only after the result checks out. That is what makes a data step that keeps your analysis trustworthy useful in real work: repeatable, auditable, and not dependent on memory or luck.
A worked example
The Orders sheet has product code P-102 in A2. The Prices sheet lists P-101 Widget 4.50, P-102 Bolt 0.35 and P-103 Nut 0.20 in A2:C4. In Orders!B2, =VLOOKUP(A2,Prices!$A$2:$C$4,3,FALSE) returns 0.35 — the third column of the row whose first column is P-102. Filled down to B50, every row keeps looking in Prices!$A$2:$C$4 because the range is absolute. Reference tables such as prices, rates or staff lists usually live on their own sheet so the input sheets stay clean. The lookup only needs the sheet name in its range to reach them. Check the referenced cells, argument order and result type in your workbook. Start with the worked example before changing an input, then compare the changed result with the calculation you expected. An error value or a result of a different type is a reason to inspect the inputs and arguments.
In Google Sheets
References to another workbook do not carry over: Excel's [Workbook.xlsx]Sheet1!B4 syntax is not valid in Google Sheets, where data from another spreadsheet is pulled in with IMPORTRANGE. References to another tab in the same file (Sheet2!B4) work in both. Function availability: XLOOKUP: Excel 2021+. These are Microsoft's version markers; earlier perpetual releases do not include these functions. Check the actual product and update channel before using the formula. A marker does not establish an identical Web/Mac workflow or Google Sheets support. Nothing on this page is behind a login or a download: the exact answer is at the top, and the detail below it is there for when you need it. That is the whole promise here — the answer first, and just enough context to make it stick. For “vlookup formula in excel between two sheets”, keep the input cells and the result visible while you check the formula in Excel. Follow the worked example and change one input at a time. The steps explain the workbook calculation; this page does not run a live calculator for that task.
Common mistakes
- Typing the range by hand without the sheet name, so
VLOOKUPsearches the current sheet. - Leaving out the single quotes around a sheet name that contains spaces.
- Not locking the range with $, so it slides down the other sheet when the formula is copied.
- Counting col_index_num from column A of the sheet instead of from the first column of table_array.
Frequently asked questions
How do I look up a value in a different workbook?
Open both files, start the formula and select the range in the other workbook. Excel writes a reference such as '[Prices.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$2:$C$100; when that file is closed the formula shows its full path, and Excel may ask to update the link when the workbook opens.
How do I search several sheets in turn?
Nest the lookups in IFERROR so the next sheet is tried only when the previous one has no match: =IFERROR(VLOOKUP(A2,Jan!$A$2:$C$100,3,FALSE),VLOOKUP(A2,Feb!$A$2:$C$100,3,FALSE)).
Does XLOOKUP work across sheets the same way?
Yes — in Excel versions that have XLOOKUP, prefix both ranges with the sheet name: =XLOOKUP(A2,Prices!$A$2:$A$100,Prices!$C$2:$C$100).
Why does it return #N/A?
The value is not in the first column of the range, or it differs by a space or by a number stored as text; compare the lookup value with the entry on the other sheet.
Other ways people ask this
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Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “how to use vlookup in excel between two sheets”, “vlookup in excel between two sheets”, “vlookup between two excel files” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.