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Google Sheets VLOOKUP repair

Fix a Google Sheets VLOOKUP formula that is not returning the right value.

If VLOOKUP returns #N/A, pulls a plausible but wrong row, or breaks after you copy the formula down, paste the formula and add the lookup table headers. Get a focused repair path for exact match, sorted ranges, first-column lookup rules, return-column indexes, and text-number mismatches.

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Purpose-built inputs

A focused workflow for everyday spreadsheet work.

Structured formula builder

Task, table context, target range, and function hint keep the request specific.

Write / Explain / Fix modes

Generate a new formula, translate a pasted one, or diagnose common syntax issues.

Excel and Sheets toggle

Compatibility notes call out modern functions and platform-specific behavior.

Formula-bar output

The result is formatted for scanning and placed next to a copy button.

Common formulas

Pick the formula you came for.

Excel formula help

Get help writing, explaining, or fixing one Excel formula with range notes and checks before you paste.

AI Excel formula generator

Generate an Excel formula from plain English with range notes, an explanation, and checks before you paste.

Formula Bot alternative

Use a focused formula workbench when you need a formula, explanation, or fix instead of a full spreadsheet-analysis suite.

SheetSolver AI alternative

Compare a narrow formula helper for writing, explaining, and fixing formulas against broader spreadsheet AI suites.

Percentage formulas

Build percent of total, percent change, discount, markup, tax, tip, and completion-rate formulas.

Fix my Excel formula

Paste a broken formula and get a corrected version with checks for errors, text cells, ranges, and fallbacks.

Excel formulas not working

Fix formulas that stop calculating after imports, copied ranges, locale settings, or text-number mismatches.

Google Sheets #REF! error

Fix formulas broken by deleted tabs, invalid ranges, moved references, blocked array output, or IMPORTRANGE source issues.

Google Sheets #VALUE! error

Fix formulas blocked by imported text numbers, unparseable VALUE inputs, date text, range shapes, or wrong argument types.

Google Sheets #N/A error

Fix formulas with missing lookup matches, no-match FILTER results, text-number mismatches, hidden spaces, or fallback mistakes.

Google Sheets #DIV/0! error

Fix formulas blocked by zero or blank denominators, ratio logic, averages, percentages, and IFERROR tradeoffs.

Excel formula wrong result

Fix formulas that calculate the wrong value because of references, parentheses, stored types, or lookup settings.

Formula returns 0 or blank

Fix formulas that return 0, blank, or an empty string because of lookup return cells, IF logic, or hidden zero settings.

Excel SUMIFS not working

Fix SUMIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong totals because of criteria, ranges, dates, or argument order.

Excel COUNTIFS not working

Fix COUNTIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong counts because of criteria, range sizes, dates, or closed workbooks.

Excel #VALUE! error

Repair formulas blocked by text values, hidden spaces, wrong argument types, dates, or subtraction syntax.

Excel #NAME? error

Fix formulas with misspelled functions, undefined names, missing quotes, or unsupported functions.

Excel #DIV/0! error

Fix formulas blocked by zero or blank denominators, ratio logic, averages, and IFERROR tradeoffs.

Excel #SPILL! error

Fix dynamic array formulas blocked by spill ranges, tables, merged cells, whole-column references, or changing array sizes.

Excel #CALC! error

Fix dynamic array and FILTER formulas blocked by empty results, nested arrays, range references, or unsupported calculations.

Excel #NUM! error

Fix formulas blocked by invalid numeric values, formatted constants, non-converging IRR or RATE inputs, or numbers outside Excel limits.

Excel circular reference

Fix formulas that point back at their own result cell or need deliberate iterative-calculation checks.

Excel #REF! error

Repair formulas broken by deleted rows, moved cells, invalid references, or shifted lookup ranges.

Google Sheets circular dependency

Fix circular dependency errors caused by self-referencing cells, self-including ranges, helper-cell loops, or iterative-calculation settings.

Google Sheets SUMIFS not working

Fix SUMIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong totals because of range sizes, criteria, dates, text values, or argument order.

Google Sheets COUNTIFS not working

Fix COUNTIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, wrong counts, or miss rows because of range sizes, dates, stored text, hidden spaces, or separators.

Google Sheets SORT not working

Fix SORT formulas that return the wrong order, sort headers as data, separate rows, or misread dates and numbers stored as text.

Google Sheets IMPORTXML not working

Fix IMPORTXML formulas with #N/A, Imported content is empty, Could not fetch URL, XPath mistakes, oversized results, or blocked page content.

VLOOKUP #N/A error

Fix lookup formulas that return #N/A because of exact-match settings, text-number mismatches, or range setup.

XLOOKUP #N/A error

Fix XLOOKUP formulas with missing matches, mismatched stored types, lookup-array issues, or fallback decisions.

Date formulas

Create due dates, workday counts, month-end dates, date differences, and overdue checks.

FILTER formulas

Return matching rows for status, region, date, text, and threshold conditions.

Text formulas

Split, extract, join, trim, clean, and replace text from messy imported cells.

Data validation formulas

Block bad IDs, duplicate values, missing fields, and invalid entries with custom TRUE/FALSE rules.

XLOOKUP formulas

Return matching values with separate lookup and return ranges.

INDEX MATCH formulas

Build flexible lookup formulas for left lookups, two-way lookups, and older Excel files.

SUMIFS formulas

Total rows that match status, date, category, customer, or region rules.

Use case

Google Sheets VLOOKUP repair for spreadsheet work.

Help Google Sheets users repair one VLOOKUP formula where the visible problem is usually a missing exact match, an omitted is_sorted argument, an unsorted approximate-match range, a lookup table that does not start with the key column, a wrong return index, or stored text and numbers that look equal but do not match.

What this page gives you

  • A focused repair pass for one Google Sheets VLOOKUP formula.
  • Checks for exact-match mode, sorted approximate-match ranges, first-column lookup behavior, return-column indexes, and stored text-number mismatches.
  • A revised VLOOKUP path you can test against one known matching row and one missing-match case.

When to use it

Use this page when Google Sheets VLOOKUP returns #N/A, says it did not find a value, returns a wrong row, returns the wrong column, or starts failing after the formula is copied. It is strongest when you can paste the formula, the lookup table headers, and one value that should match.

Do not hide a lookup problem with IFERROR before checking the range, match mode, and stored value types. A #N/A result may be a real missing match, while an omitted fourth argument can make VLOOKUP use approximate matching when you expected exact match.

Worked example

A product table in A2:D500 has SKU in the first column and status in the fourth column. The formula should return the status for the SKU in E2.

=IFNA(VLOOKUP(E2,$A$2:$D$500,4,FALSE),"Not found")

The formula searches for E2 in the first column of A2:D500, returns the fourth column from the same row, and uses exact match. The fallback appears only after the lookup range, return index, and source values have been checked.

Check before you paste

  • Use FALSE or 0 for exact match unless approximate matching is intentional.
  • Sort the first column of the lookup range in ascending order before using TRUE approximate match.
  • Confirm the selected range starts with the column VLOOKUP should search.
  • Count the return index from the first column of the selected range, not from the sheet as a whole.
  • Check whether lookup IDs, dates, or numbers are stored as matching text or numeric values before adding a fallback.

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Keep going when the sheet gets complicated.

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