Summary

Using VLOOKUP from another sheet is very similar to using VLOOKUP on the same sheet. In the example shown, the formula in F5 is:

=VLOOKUP(B5,Sheet2!$B$5:$C$104,2,0)

VLOOKUP retrieves the correct building for each employee from Sheet2 into the table on Sheet1.

Generic formula

=VLOOKUP(lookup,sheet!range,column,match)

Explanation 

In this example, we have a table of employee locations like this on Sheet2:

We use VLOOKUP to lookup each person's building from Sheet2

On Sheet1, we retrieve the building location for each team member using this formula:

=VLOOKUP(B5,Sheet2!$B$5:$C$104,2,0)

The lookup value is the employee ID, from cell B5.

For the table array, we use the range $B$5:$C$104 qualified with a sheet name, and locked as an absolute reference, so that the range does not change as the formula is copied down:

Sheet2!$B$5:$C$104 // includes sheet name

This is the only difference from a normal VLOOKUP formula – the sheet name simply tells VLOOKUP where to find the lookup table range, B5:C104.

Finally, column number is 2, since the building names appear in the second column, and VLOOKUP is set to exact match mode by including zero (0) as the last argument. This ensures that we get the correct building for each team member and a #N/A error if for some reason the id is not found in the location table.

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Dave Bruns

Hi - I'm Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.