Can VLOOKUP read a table from another Google Sheets file?

Yes, by using IMPORTRANGE(url, "Sheet1!A:C") as the table argument. The first use asks you to allow access between the two files.

Google Sheets function

VLOOKUP in Google Sheets

In Google Sheets the table of VLOOKUP can come from another file: wrap the source in IMPORTRANGE with its URL and range as the second argument.

VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

Put VLOOKUP inside ARRAYFORMULA to look up a whole column of keys from one cell.

For a fuller explanation of the arguments and common errors, see the VLOOKUP Excel guide.

Formula: F2: =VLOOKUP(E2,A2:C5,3,FALSE)

Result: 18.5

Finds A103 in column A and returns the 3rd column of A2:C5. FALSE demands an exact match.

Formula: E2: =VLOOKUP(D2,A2:B4,2,TRUE)

Result: 0.04

27,500 is not in the list, so TRUE returns the last row whose start is not above it (10,000). The first column must be sorted ascending.

Formula: E2: =VLOOKUP("Mon*",B2:C4,2,FALSE)

The asterisk matches any text, so "Mon*" finds "Monitor stand". The table starts in column B because the key must be the first column.

A tiny spreadsheet with example data. Edit the formula or any number and see the result.

Formula in F2: =VLOOKUP(103,A2:D6,3,FALSE)

Result in F2: 25

Can VLOOKUP read a table from another Google Sheets file?: Yes, by using IMPORTRANGE(url, "Sheet1!A:C") as the table argument. The first use asks you to allow access between the two files.

Google Sheets is used here only as a descriptive product name. FormulaCamp is not affiliated with Google.