Excel INDEX-MATCH Combination

last modified April 4, 2025

The INDEX-MATCH combination is a powerful lookup technique in Excel. It overcomes limitations of VLOOKUP and provides more flexibility. This tutorial covers basic definitions, syntax, and five practical examples. You’ll learn how to use this combination for vertical, horizontal, and two-way lookups.

INDEX-MATCH Basics

INDEX returns a value from a specific position in a range. MATCH finds the position of a lookup value in a range. Together, they create a dynamic lookup formula.

Function
Description
Syntax


INDEX
Returns value at intersection of row/column
=INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])


MATCH
Returns position of lookup value
=MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type])

This table shows the basic components of INDEX-MATCH. INDEX needs position numbers which MATCH can provide dynamically. Together they create flexible lookup formulas.

Basic Vertical Lookup

This example demonstrates a simple vertical lookup using INDEX-MATCH as a VLOOKUP alternative.

A
B
C


ID
Name



101
John



102
Sarah



103
Mike





=INDEX(B2:B4, MATCH(102, A2:A4, 0))

The table shows employee data with ID and Name columns. The formula looks up the name for ID 102 using INDEX-MATCH combination.

Basic INDEX-MATCH formula

=INDEX(B2:B4, MATCH(102, A2:A4, 0))

This formula first finds the position of 102 in A2:A4 (position 2), then returns the corresponding value from B2:B4. The result will be “Sarah”.

Horizontal Lookup

INDEX-MATCH can perform horizontal lookups, which HLOOKUP does but with more flexibility. This example shows how.

A
B
C
D


Month
Jan
Feb
Mar


Sales
1500
1800
2100





=INDEX(B2:D2, MATCH("Feb", B1:D1, 0))

The table contains monthly sales data arranged horizontally. The formula looks up February sales using INDEX-MATCH combination.

Horizontal INDEX-MATCH

=INDEX(B2:D2, MATCH(“Feb”, B1:D1, 0))

MATCH finds “Feb” in B1:D1 (position 2), then INDEX returns the corresponding value from B2:D2. The result will be 1800. This shows horizontal lookup capability.

Two-Way Lookup

INDEX-MATCH can perform two-way lookups by combining row and column searches. This example demonstrates this powerful feature.

A
B
C
D



Math
Science
History


John
85
90
78


Sarah
92
88
95


Mike
78
85
82





=INDEX(B2:D4, MATCH("Sarah", A2:A4, 0), MATCH("Science", B1:D1, 0))

The table shows student grades across subjects. The formula finds Sarah’s Science grade using two MATCH functions for row and column positions.

Two-way INDEX-MATCH

=INDEX(B2:D4, MATCH(“Sarah”, A2:A4, 0), MATCH(“Science”, B1:D1, 0))

The first MATCH finds Sarah’s row (2), the second finds Science column (2). INDEX returns the value at intersection (B3). Result is 88. This demonstrates matrix-style lookups.

Left Lookup

Unlike VLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH can look left. This example shows how to retrieve values from columns to the left of the lookup column.

A
B
C


Name
ID



John
101



Sarah
102



Mike
103





=INDEX(A2:A4, MATCH(102, B2:B4, 0))

The table has Name and ID columns with ID as the lookup column. The formula finds the name for ID 102, looking left from the ID column.

Left lookup with INDEX-MATCH

=INDEX(A2:A4, MATCH(102, B2:B4, 0))

MATCH finds 102 in B2:B4 (position 2), INDEX returns corresponding name from A2:A4. Result is “Sarah”. This solves VLOOKUP’s left lookup limitation.

Approximate Match

INDEX-MATCH can perform approximate matches like VLOOKUP. This example shows how to find a value in a range using approximate matching.

A
B
C


Score
Grade



0
F



60
D



70
C



80
B



90
A





=INDEX(B2:B6, MATCH(85, A2:A6, 1))

The table shows grade thresholds. The formula finds the grade for score 85 using approximate match (1 as third argument in MATCH).

Approximate match with INDEX-MATCH

=INDEX(B2:B6, MATCH(85, A2:A6, 1))

MATCH finds the largest value less than or equal to 85 (80 at position 4). INDEX returns corresponding grade “B”. This works like VLOOKUP approximate match but more flexible.

The INDEX-MATCH combination is superior to VLOOKUP in many cases. It offers left lookups, dynamic column references, and better performance. The examples show vertical, horizontal, two-way, left, and approximate lookups. Mastering INDEX-MATCH will significantly improve your Excel lookup skills.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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