“Constant effort and frequent mistakes are the stepping stones to genius” – Elbert Hubbard
Contents
A Quick Guide to the VBA VLookup
| Parameters | Type |
|---|---|
| Lookup value | The value you are searching for |
| Table array | The range you are searching through |
| Column index | The column number of the value to return. |
| Range look up | Optional - set to False for exact match only. |
Introduction
The VLookup function can be a useful Excel function. Even though it is straightforward to use can often be confusing when used in VBA. In this post, I am going to show how anyone can easily use the VLookup function. I’ll also cover the pitfalls and how to avoid them. Of course, not post would be complete without a ton of examples that you can try for yourself.
If you are not familiar with VLookup in Excel then this page provides a great introduction.
Notes: I use the Underscore character(_) in the code examples. In VBA this allows you to split a line over multiple lines e.g.
' One line sResult = Application.VLookup("Apricot", Sheet1.Range("A10:B10000"), 1)
' Split up with underscore sResult = Application.VLookup( _ "Apricot", Sheet1.Range("A10:B10000"), 1)
A Simple VBA VLookup example
Note: The variable shData in the examples refers to the worksheet by the code name. You can replace this with the code name of the worksheet you are using.
Take a look at the following data
The code below will return the price for the Orange 1.45
Sub SimpleVLookup() Dim sRes As String sRes = Application.VLookup("Pear",shData.Range("A2:B7"),2) ' This will print 1.67 to the Immediate Window(Ctrl + G) Debug.Print sRes End Sub
The code looks for the text Pear in the range A2:B7. When it finds the text it returns a value from the same row as the text. The value in determined by the column number argument. We used 2 in this example.
Let’s look at some more examples and results
' Returns 1.45 sRes = Application.VLookup("Orange",shData.Range("A2:B7"),2) ' Returns 1.56 sRes = Application.VLookup("Apple",shData.Range("A2:B7"),2) ' Returns 1.22 sRes = Application.VLookup("Plum",shData.Range("A2:B7"),2) ' Returns Orange as column is 1 sRes = Application.VLookup("Orange",shData.Range("A2:B7"),1) ' Returns Apple as column is 1 sRes = Application.VLookup("Apple",shData.Range("A2:B7"),1) ' Returns Plum as column is 1 sRes = Application.VLookup("Plum",shData.Range("A2:B7"),1)
The Parameters
In this section we will look at the four parameters. These are
- lookup_value – The value to look up. It must be in the first column of the range.
- table_array – This is the range to search. This can also be a VBA array although it very slow using this.
- col_index_num – This contains the column number of the return value. Starts at column number one.
- range_lookup(optional) – Use True(default) to find closest match. Use False to find exact match. Using True assumes that the first columnis sorted alphabetically or numerically.
We will look at these parameters individually starting with the lookup_value parameter.
Parameter 1: lookup_value
This is the value that you are looking up. It must be in the first column of the Range. If you are using the range C4:X10 then the lookup value must be in column C. If you are using the range Z1:AB5 then the lookup value must be in column Z.
The type of value you search for will normally be a string as this example shows
Sub StringVLookup() Dim sFruit As String sFruit = "Plum" Dim sRes As Variant sRes = Application.VLookup( _ sFruit, shData.Range("A2:B7"), 2, False) End Sub
We can also search for a number but you have to be careful here:
- If the number is stored as text then the search value must be a string.
- If the number is stored as a number then the search value must be a number.
For example in this data we have the lookup column stored as numbers
In this case, the lookup value must be a Long or you will get an error message.
Sub NumberVLookup() Dim num As Long num = 7 Dim sRes As Variant sRes = Application.VLookup( _ num, shData.Range("F2:G7"), 2, True) Debug.Print sRes End Sub
You can also use the Double data type if you are looking up a decimal value. As in the case of an integer it must be stored as a number if you want to use Double.
Using VLookup on a Date Type
Using a Date type is a tricky business. VBA has a Date data type but the worksheet does not.
So the date type needs to be converted to a Long as the following examples show
theDate = CLng(#1/14/2017#) theDate = CLng(CDate("1/14/2017")) theDate = CLng(shData.Range("H10"))
You can then use it as normal in the VLookup function when the search column contains dates
Sub DateVLookup() Dim theDate As Long theDate = CLng(#1/14/2017#) Dim sRes As Variant sRes = Application.VLookup( _ theDate, shData.Range("I2:J7"), 2, False) Debug.Print sRes End Sub
Parameter 2: table_array
This parameter refers to the range of the data we are looking up. You will normally use a range for this as we have seen in the examples so far.
If you are using a worksheet table you can use the range of the table.
Sub SimpleVLookupTable() Dim sRes As Variant ' Get the table Dim table As ListObject Set table = shData.ListObjects("Table1") ' Use the table for the table_array parameter sRes = Application.VLookup( _ "Plum", table.Range, 2, False) Debug.Print sRes End Sub
You can also use a VBA array with VLookup but this tends to be very slow.
Parameter 3: col_index-num
This parameter refers to the column which contains the value you want to return. Column 1 is the leftmost column of the table_array.
If the column number is greater than the number of columns in the range you will get an error. See The VLookup Error Types section below.
© BigStockPhoto.com
Parameter 4: range_lookup
This is an optional parameter. If it is not used then it takes True as the default value.
False means that an exact match must be found.
True means that an approximate match will be returned. The first column must be ordered numerically or alphabetically for this to work correctly.
Let’s look at the sample data again
The following code shows some examples of how this parameter works
Sub SimpleVLookup() Dim rg As Range Set rg = shData.Range("A2:B7") Dim sRes As Variant ' Stops at Orange - the last item before a P item sRes = Application.VLookup("P", rg, 2, True) ' Stops at Orange - the last item before a Pea item sRes = Application.VLookup("Pea", rg, 2, True) ' Stops at Peach - the last item before a Pead item sRes = Application.VLookup("Pead", rg, 2, True) ' Error - no exact match found sRes = Application.VLookup("Pea", rg, 2, False) End Sub
Dealing with Errors
© BigStockPhoto.com
We can use VLookup in two ways in VBA. With Application or with WorksheetFunction
Application.WorksheetFunction.VLookup Application.VLookup
The difference between them is how we handle errors. Let’s look at each of these in turn.
Using WorksheetFunction
Using WorksheetFunction.VLookup requires us to use On Error to trap the error. We can then check the error number Err.Number to see if the value is valid.
Sub UseWorksheetFunction() Dim sRes As Variant ' Turn on error trapping On Error Resume Next Err.Clear sRes = Application.WorksheetFunction.VLookup _ ("Plum", shData.Range("A2:B7"), 2, False) ' Check if value found If Err.Number = 0 Then Debug.Print "Found item. The value is " & sRes Else Debug.Print "Could not find value: " & "Plum" End If End Sub
Using Application
Using Application.VLookup we can simply check the return value to see if there was an error
Sub UsingApplication() Dim sRes As Variant sRes = Application.VLookup _ ("Plum", shData.Range("A2:B7"), 2, False) ' Check if value found If IsError(sRes) = False Then Debug.Print "Found item. The value is " & sRes Else Debug.Print "Could not find value: " & "Plum" End If End Sub
VLookup Error Types
The following table shows a list of the Excel cell error numbers and what they mean. These are the error numbers we get when we use Application.VLookup. This is taken from this MSDN Page
| Constant | Error number | Cell error value |
|---|---|---|
| xlErrDiv0 | 2007 | #DIV/0 |
| xlErrNA | 2042 | #N/A |
| xlErrName | 2029 | #NAME? |
| xlErrNull | 2000 | #NULL! |
| xlErrNum | 2036 | #NUM! |
| xlErrRef | 2023 | #REF! |
| xlErrValue | 2015 | #VALUE! |
Errors and Causes
The following table shows some common errors you may encounter with VLookup. If you’re having trouble with a particular VLookup error then it is a good idea to try it in Excel first.
| Error | Cell | Possible causes |
|---|---|---|
| Error 2015 | #VALUE! | The column number is less than one. |
| Error 2015 | #VALUE! | You used a string instead of a range for the table_array parameter. |
| Error 2023 | #REF! | The column number is greater than the number of columns. |
| Error 2042 | #N/A | The value is not found. See possible causes below. |
If you cannot find the value then check the following:
- Ensure the Table/Range is correct.
- Ensure the Table/Range does not include the header(VBA will think list is unsorted).
- Ensure the Table/Range is using the correct worksheet.
- If searching for a number use a long or double data type in the lookup_value parameter. See lookup_value section above
- If searching for a number stored as text use a string data type in the lookup_value parameter.
- If searching for a date convert it to a long(see Date Type above) in the lookup_value parameter.
If you are getting the wrong value then check the following:
- If the range_lookup parameter is True or not used, then ensure the first column is sorted alphabetically or numerically (see range_lookup above)
VBA VLookup Speed
Sometimes you may need to perform a large number of lookups. In these cases, VLookup could be too slow. The VBA Dictionary is faster when dealing with a large number of lookups. The following code shows an example of using the Dictonary.
Sub UseDictionary() ' Get the range of values Dim rg As Range Set rg = shData.Range("M1:N20000") ' Create the dictionary Dim dict As Object Set dict = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary") ' Fill the dictionary Dim cell As Range For Each cell In rg dict(cell.Value) = cell.Offset(0, 1).Value Next ' Perform the Lookups For Each cell In rg Debug.Print dict(cell.Value) Next End Sub
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A masterpiece blog..
Thank you Paul, for writing this. What else to say!!
As you already know index match is much more efficient than vlookup which can further enhance the value of this topic. How about educating your audience in that area. In no way, I mean to under rate what you written for us.
Ravi.
Thanks Ravi.
Hi Paul,
first of all i like your explenations its great.
I had a question. how do i get de results on a field i want?
For example i want vba to return the results on sheet2 column b
kind regards
This depends on what exactly your results are. You write to a sheet using
sheet2.Range("B2") = Vlookup()If you have multiple results then you need some kind of loop
Hello Paul,
How can we give 2 lookup values and get the result in single cell. Kindly help me on this.
Thanks.
The best way is to create a column that combines the two values.
Little comment to the part about the vlookup speed, if anybody would consider what solution to use when dealing with lots of data:
I have some data I get from the MRP system once a week. It contains over 70 000 rows (each for the single stock unit). One of things I need to do is pasting additional data in a column corresponding to those stock units).
So I checked three ways of doing this, after opening another file, from which I obtain this additional numbers:
1) using .FormulaR1C1 property to insert worksheet VLookup / or Index with Match function into the cells and quickly transforming them into values
2) using Application.Vlookup
3) using the dictionary like here
I used the Timer to measure the full time of those operations and there is only one winner:
1st method lasted 5 minutes and 34 seconds
2nd method – 4 minutes and 45 seconds
3rd method – 33 seconds.
Hi Tomek,
Thanks for those comparisons. They are interesting to read.
It’s another illustration of how memory is much faster for dealing with large amounts of data.
I cannot find a definition for shData… i.e. the macros including this does not work
shData is the worksheet variable or code name of the worksheet.
e.g.
Dim shData As Worksheet
Set shData = Worksheets(“Sheet1”)
Hi Kelly…I want to achieve VLOOKUP using dictionary, in getting this resolved I need your assistance.
Your immediate response is appreciated.
Thanks,
Surendra K.
As always, your article is very clear, but I’m still not sure where I should use vlookup over other methods? Are there any hidden upsides?
Hi Colin,
You normally use if the data is already on a worksheet and the format is suitable.
If you are going to be doing lots of lookups then a Dictionary is much faster.
Paul
shouldn’t these examples DIM shData? I’m guessing Dim shData as Range.
Hi John,
shData refers to the Code Name
of the worksheet. You can refer to the worksheet directly using the code name from the same workbook.
I will update the post as it is not clear.
Regards
Paul
Hi Paul,
If there is a duplicate in column A (A6=Pears and A8=Pears), how do I get the result for the second entry?
I am using a user form with a text entry to look up data.
Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
On Error GoTo MyErrorHandler:
Dim name As String
name = TextBox1.Text
sal = Application.WorksheetFunction.VLookup(name, Sheet1.Range(“A2:D5”), 4, False)
MsgBox “Salary is ” & sal
MyErrorHandler:
If Err.Number = 1004 Then
MsgBox “Does Not Exist”
End If
End Sub
Hi Denis,
VLookup expects the lookup value to be unique. If you can make them unique e.g. using firstname and surname it is the best solution.
You can also use Find. This can be slow if there are a lot of items.
Paul
Hi Paul,
I am trying the vlookup with two textboxes how do I get the same instead of msg box..
I don’t understand your question.
I have two textbox in my userform, when I enter the name in first textbox I want to perform the vlookup function with value and get the lookup value in textbox 2.
Hi Paul Thanks for this lovely post, however I am facing little problem here, below code is working fine, if the data in the variable “mydata2” is less than or equal to 68 thousands if the data is above this like you 80000, it is give an error message “Type Mismatch” in the line “Range(“B2″).Resize(UBound(mydata3), 1).Value = Application.Transpose(mydata3)”
Sub UseDictionary()
‘ Get the range of values
Dim rg As Range
Dim mydata As Variant
Dim mydata2 As Variant
Dim mydata3() As Variant
Dim mytime As Date
mytime = Now
mydata = Sheet1.Range(“A2:B500001”).Value
mydata2 = Sheet2.Range(“A2:a80000”)
‘ Create the dictionary
Dim dict As Object
Set dict = CreateObject(“Scripting.Dictionary”)
For i = LBound(mydata, 1) To UBound(mydata, 1)
dict(mydata(i, 1)) = mydata(i, 2)
Next i
ReDim mydata3(1 To UBound(mydata2))
For i = LBound(mydata2, 1) To UBound(mydata2, 1)
mydata3(i) = dict(mydata2(i, 1))
Next i
Range(“B2”).Resize(UBound(mydata3), 1).Value = Application.Transpose(mydata3)
MsgBox Format(Now – mytime, “hh:mm:ss”)
End Sub
Please help me where I am doing wrong
It’s not possible to find the problem without seeing the data you are using.
Put a breakpoint on the line with the error. Place the different parts in the Watch window to find which part is causing the error.
dear Paul,
i want to do vlookup between two sheets. in second sheet i have two columns.
could you please guide me?
Hi Paul,
how to use dictionary method for Vlookup approximate match?
You can use the Like operator.
The VBA is throwing a run time error instead of continuing to loop through my range.
How to ignore it and continue / How to modify the code below to be using Application.Vlookup:
Sub Get_Price()
Dim LoopCount As Integer
Dim OutOffset As Integer
Dim POSHIPMENT As Workbook
LoopCount = 2
OutOffset = 2
Set POSHIPMENT = Workbooks.Open(“D:\Data\Desktop\po shipments.xlsx”, True, True)
While Worksheets(“FNDWRR”).Range(“B” & LoopCount).Value vbNullString
Worksheets(“FNDWRR”).Range(“I” & OutOffset).Value = Application.WorksheetFunction.VLookup(Worksheets(“FNDWRR”).Range(“B” & OutOffset) & “-” & Worksheets(“FNDWRR”).Range(“C” & OutOffset), POSHIPMENT.Worksheets(“PO Shpmnts”).Range(“A:H”), 8, “FALSE”) * Worksheets(“FNDWRR”).Range(“H” & OutOffset).Value
LoopCount = LoopCount + 1
OutOffset = OutOffset + 1
Wend
End Sub
Hi Zazy.
The following section shows how to use Application.VLookup and WorksheetFunction.VLookup when dealing with errors : Dealing with Errors in VLookup.
Hi Paul,
I have made a spreadsheet to calculate the landed cost of wines we import. What I am trying to do is to make a submit button once the calculation is done to take the landed cost and put it next to the corresponding wine on worksheet 2. I have got all of our wines (roughly 200) on the 2nd worksheet and a form on the 1st worksheet which can be filled in with up to 20 wines which can be selected using a Dropdown list. On the 1st sheet, I have used the Match function in column K to return which row the wine appears on in worksheet 2, so using some of your examples, I have been trying to adapt it to work for me. This is the code;
Private Sub CommandButton2_Click()
Dim i As Long
Dim x As Integer
For i = 2 To 21
If Range(“M” & i) > 1 Then
x = Worksheets(1).Range(“K”, i).Value
Worksheets(2).Cells(x, 12).Value = Worksheets(1).Range(“I” & i).Value
End If
Next
End Sub
It keeps returning a Run-time Error ’13’: and when i click Debug, it highlights the ‘x = Worksheets(1).Range(“K”, i).Value’
Your assistance would be greatly appreciated
Kind regards
Hi Stewart,
You are getting a Type Mismatch.
The variable x is an integer and I am guessing that the value of Worksheets(1).Range(“I” & i).Value is text.
Place the cursor over value and the actual value of the cell should appear.
Hi, I’m using the method you detailed to lookup a form input [TxtRef] and then perform the Vlookup upon changing that data. And the code runs, but does not output, if I allow errors, the lookup returns Error 2042 (#N/A). I’ve checked the vlookup in a cell on a blank sheet and I get the data back, but when I add some captions to debug, the variable [table] seems to be populated with “table1” rather than the range contents… So I wonder if this is why it fails. If you have any idea, it would be greatly appreciated. (WorkList) is both the sheetname and codename)
Private Sub TxtRef_AfterUpdate()
Dim LookupVal As Variant
Dim table As ListObject
Set table = WorkList.ListObjects(“Table1”)
LookupVal = Application.VLookup(TxtRef, table.Range, 13, False)
Me.Output1.Caption = TxtRef
Me.output2.Caption = table
Me.Stat.Caption = LookupVal
End Sub
Hi,
Without seeing the data I would only be guessing at the issue. Try using the VLookup as a formula in a cell and compare the parameter values with the code parameters.
This should get you closer to a resolution.
hello Paul,
What would be the best method if I wanted to send a message to be copied to a template Letter if 3 conditions come up? So, for example, I have 3 funds from a tab named FRED which has over 21,000 of data in it and when the commands come in to run in the template to create the letter, I need to search through this data in FRED to see if these 3 funds come up, and if they do come up, a separate letter needs to populate to the ‘Letter’ template. The spread sheet is using vLoopup throughout the program with only 2 macros running. I’ve been trying different techniques that I’ve been learning, but still a bit confused. Would you suggest running an Array through the data to search then inserting a if/then statement? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Paul
How to fill different target cell with vlookup ?
I work in one sheet
This is example
range1
B3 = Name C3=P1 D3=P2 E3=P3
B4 = Jack C4=empty D4=empty E4=empty
B5 = Oneil C5=10 D5=empty E5=empty
B6 = Harry C6=30 D6=15 E6=empty
range2
B8=Jack C8=17
B9=Oneil C9=20
B10=Harry C10=18
I want a macro to fill the empty cell (C4 for Jack, D5 for Oneil and E6 for Harry) with value in C8,C9,C10
For next month, the macro will fill cell (D4 for Jack, E5 for Oneil and F6 for Harry) and so on.
In a single click of command button.
Thanks.
Hi, how can i make the column index dynamic? Rather than hardcode a column index number how do I have my macro use the column number from a specificed cell in the worksheet instead? smk
You can use the Cells property of the worksheet.
Hi, i am using the following VLOOKUP comment which works great! and really could do with this working in Hlookup however it doesnt work, are there different parameters for Hlookup?
Any help would be greatly appreciated 🙂
What you mean by “doesn’t work”?
Create the Hlookup formula in excel first and when you are happy with it then add it to VBA.
The parameters are the same apart from taking row instead of col.
Hello Paul, Perhaps you can help me. I have a number of workbooks I must “combine” into one master worksheet every day. Currently it takes me about an hour to accomplish. The issue is in order to combine them I must run Vlookups on each “ID” from the master worksheet for each workbook and each cell I want to update, and I am updating 26 cells per ID. Is there a way to quickly do this? Below is the macro I am using, again this only updates one cell where I need one macro to update all cells. I hope that makes sense.
Sub GetNotes()
Worksheets(“Sheet1”).Select
Range(“Q2”).Value =
“=IFERROR(VLOOKUP([@[Segment_id]],’C:\temp\EXCELTEMP\excelwork\NICOLE.xlsx]NICOLE’!$A:$U,17,0),IFERROR(VLOOKUP([@[Segment_id]],’C:\temp\EXCELTEMP\excelwork\JUSTIN.xlsx]JUSTIN’!$A:$U,17,0),IFERROR(VLOOKUP([@[Segment_id]],’C:\temp\EXCELTEMP\excelwork\WENDY.xlsx]WENDY’!$A:$U,17,0),IFERROR(VLOOKUP([@[Segment_id]],’C:\temp\EXCELTEMP\excelwork\UNDERCARRIAGE.xlsx]UNDERCARRIAGE’!$A:$U,17,0),IFERROR(VLOOKUP([@[Segment_id]],’C:\temp\EXCELTEMP\excelwork\PARTS.xlsx]PARTS’!$A:$U,17,0),IFERROR(VLOOKUP([@[Segment_id]],’C:\temp\EXCELTEMP\excelwork\MELISSA.xlsx]MELISSA’!$A:$U,17,0),IFERROR(VLOOKUP([@[Segment_id]],’C:\temp\EXCELTEMP\excelwork\CASEY.xlsx]CASEY’!$A:$U,17,0),IFERROR(VLOOKUP([@[Segment_id]],’C:\temp\EXCELTEMP\excelwork\SIStandard.xlsx]SIStandard’!$A:$U,17,0),IFERROR(VLOOKUP([@[Segment_id]],’C:\temp\EXCELTEMP\excelwork\[IRVING.xlsx]IRVING’!$A:$U,17,0),0)))))))))”
Range(“Q2”).Select
Selection.AutoFill Destination:=Range(“Q2:Q” & Cells(Rows.Count, “A”).End(xlUp).Row)
End Sub
Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Irving,
There isn’t a quick way to do what you require.
You need to create a small VBA application to accomplish this.
Paul
Hi Paul,
Fun bug I just found: VLOOKUP does not work for exact match if “~” (Char(126)) is in the string. No idea why. I replaced ~ with chr(14) and now it works fine.
Hi Paul,
I would like to ask you, why doesn’t it work, if I use sRes as currency in your example where trying to trap the error with IsError(sRes), but it does work when trying to trap it with Err.Number = 0? In the first example it still gives me error, in the other, it works smoothly.
Thanks,
Hi Marko,
Application.VLookup returns a variant type. This means it decides the type at runtime. If there is an error it will return an error type. So if you use a currency type then it cannot be an error type.
Paul
I am trying to make a code that gives the user a simple template. The user will place a product name into cell b12 and the code will look on a file they selected for the product (note there are over several hundred products). How do I make it so that once they place the product name into the cell, the code will go to the other page and find the product?
Hi Jake,
You use the worksheet change event to detect when the value in a cell has changed. Add this code to any worksheet in the VB editor:
Paul
Great, great job sir! Each one of your articles has a lot of valuable information. Best I have found in the internet. BIG thanks!
Hi Paul,
instead of giving me the value of the found ”match,” i want it’s location, so where the match is found. how can i achieve this? many thanks! best regards, Erik
Hi Paul
Love your articles.
I often have a table where my first column (which contains the lookup value) contains both string and double values, so my code often returns Error 2042 if the variable type i was looking for was not a string.
It seems i have to first test what the value is then add either Cstr or Cdbl before my variable to get it working.
Do you know any other way around this?
What i would like to do is convert the values in the tables column to String and then search.
I tried to format that column as text and even through the numbers (doubles) all go to the left, a vartype check shows them to still be doubles.
If you mix data like this it will cause problems in the VLookup. You will to use some workaround to get past it.
Hello Paul,
I am using Lookup function in VBA. I have a scenario where I am trying to categorise the time into half hour slot. For example if 3:15pm then Lookup table should return 3pm _3:30pm. Could Lookup function do this as it isn’t an Exact match?