LOOKUP & REFERENCE · GOOGLE SHEETS

`HLOOKUP`
look across the top row and return a value below.

Use HLOOKUP to find a metric under a month heading. This guide shows the exact structure, a working example and the mistakes most likely to break it.

Verified by JosephineReviewed July 25, 2026✓

THE FORMULA=HLOOKUP(search_key, range, index, [is_sorted])

search_keyheading to find

rangehorizontal table

indexresult-row number

is_sortedexact or approximate

TRY IT YOURSELF

Change the sheet.
Watch the answer update.

Edit any highlighted cell below. The example recalculates immediately.

LIVE PLAYGROUND=HLOOKUP(B6,B1:G3,3,FALSE)

fx=HLOOKUP(B6,B1:G3,3,FALSE)

COLUMN

	A · JAN	B · FEB	C · MAR
2
3

RESULT#N/AUpdates live

Try changing a value above. This example runs entirely in your browser.

IN PLAIN ENGLISH

COMMON FIXES

WRONG RESULT

Check that every range starts and ends on the same rows, and that numbers are stored as numbers.

FORMULA PARSE ERROR

Check commas, quotation marks and closing parentheses. Your locale may use semicolons instead of commas.

UNEXPECTED BLANKS

Test the source cells for hidden spaces, empty strings and inconsistent data types.