How to do VLOOKUP to the left in google sheets ( Easy Guide )

In this tutorial, we will learn How to do Vlookup to the left in google sheets .

To do to VLOOKUP to the left in google sheets,first, create a new temporary table and use the VLOOKUP function on the new table to execute a search on the fly

How to do VLOOKUP to the left in google sheets (Overview of Steps)

Open Google Sheet and prepare the data on which you need to perform VLOOKUP to the left.
Create a temporary table using an array literal formula
Perform a VLOOKUP on the new temporary table.
VLOOKUP to the left search output

Let’s go through the above steps in detail.

How to do VLOOKUP to the left in Google Sheets: Step by Step Guide

To do VLOOKUP to the left we will be creating a temporary table during runtime on which the VLOOKUP function can work.

Syntax for VLOOKUP

Syntax
=VLOOKUP(search_key, range, index, [is_sorted])

Enclosed are the steps to do VLOOKUP to the left in Google Sheets

In this example, we have data in Two columns A and B.Using the VLOOKUP function we will perform a search on Column B and return a value from Column A ( VLOOKUP to the left )

Step 1: Open Google Sheet and prepare the data on which you need to perform VLOOKUP to the left.

In this example data, we want to search for the Fruit Banana and return its price. We will type the fruit name under Search fruit and use the VLOOKUP function to return the value.

How to do VLOOKUP to the left in google sheets

Step 2: Create a temporary table using an array literal formula

Using the below formula create a new table

The curly brackets in the formula indicate that it consists of an array inside with two columns being exchanged.

={B2:B8,A2:A8}

=VLOOKUP(D2,{$B$2:$B$8,$A$2:$A$8},2,FALSE)

Step 3: Perform a VLOOKUP on the new temporary table.

Using the below formula VLOOKUP function will be executed on the new table during runtime.VLOOKUP function performs this action on the fly hence the temporary table will not be visible.

=VLOOKUP(D2,{$B$2:$B$8,$A$2:$A$8},2,FALSE)

Provide the Search term . For example Kiwi

Select the required cell as per your requirement. In our example E2 and type the above-provided function in the function area ( Adjust the function as per your requirement)