Excel Lookup/Search Tip 6 - Vlookup with a Drop Down Menu and Data Validation

Learn how to use the VLOOKUP function in Excel in conjunction with a data validation drop down menu in order to create more logical and easy to use Excel spreadsheets. This allows you to use a drop down menu to supply the lookup value to the vlookup function in Excel instead of having to type the lookup value by hand. This reduces the amount of errors when searching a database and increases efficiency in Excel.

Have a great day!

[rockbaari]

I almost gave up hope. You explain it so easily! I was spending 4 hours yesterday to do that. You're awesome.

[MaybornePastimes]

You are an absolute legend! I had an assignment that I could not find the answer to. I spent HOURS searching on how to do it. You are an absolute blessing, dude. Hope you reach your dreams in life!

[kylehilow]

I have spent YEARS trying to figure this out, and you did it in 5 minutes. I cannot tel you how much I appreciate this video!?! You saved me on a job!

[edwinong]

Spent all night watching through websites and youtube could not get my spreadsheet done until I came your tutorial! Many thanks for the effort!!

[SeanPalmer]

Thank goodness I keep your video in my saved list, you helped me out many times over the years as I never remember how I made up the drop down list, thankyou

[ranjithkumarjayaprakash]

Damn....after a lot of search....I hit the right video ...didn't realise it would be this easy. Subscribed !!

[Plumfountain]

This was really helpful--thanks!  One thing I would add is that you have to make sure the formula calculation option is set to "automatic".  The additional cells (columns) won't change to correspond with the list if the calculation option is set on manual.

[joopzr]

First off thank you for all your advice and effort, its greatly appreciated. I've read through this section but have not quite found / understood what I need for my "issue".

I am trying to create a pay sheet for my staff. We have various staff on different pay grades. We have a separate excel sheet with all our staff names, numbers, paygrade, hourly overtime rate and various other details in rows. e.g. A2=name, B2=number, B3=rate, etc.

I would like to, using a drop down list, select the staff member by name and then in the subsequent columns have the required information (number, rate, overtime rate) inserted automatically in the subsequent columns in the pay sheet. e.g. in C11 we select the staff member by name. Once selected we require C11, C12, C13 and C14 in that sheet to be filled with the corresponding information of that staff member.

The rest of the paysheet is fine, it calculates the remuneration with no problems.

Could you also include the formula for getting the data from a separately saved workbook (we have the staff list stored in the cloud). Can you use a cloud link instead of a local path?

Thanks in advance!

[tyroneashby]

This was so very helpful thanks so much, since my stroke I have forgotten most of the excel stuff I used to use in the past. So thanks very much.

[Paladin]

Okay. I have been working for two days on this excel document, and I could not get it to work. I've watched so many tutorials. I even broke my data sets into separate tables. Finally your video gave me the missing link. Turns out I was referencing the wrong cell in the first VLOOKUP argument. Thank you so much for your vid!

[thevoiceofpaul]

Thank you so much! I had wasted precious 5 hours earlier but with your video, I fixed it under 10 minutes! Thanks a lot!

[faye_bulous]

2022 and it's still useful! Thank you ♥️

[udosmidt]

Thank you very much for this tutorial, very helpful indeed!

[davidaelago]

You're God sent. Ive been trying to figure how this work at my job. Thanks!

[andreausa]

I am going to through my old worksheet away immediately, thank you Sir !

[CharlesMartel]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! You made me look like a rock star at work!

[DefectiveDetective]

I had been trying to figure this out for two weeks for a personal project. This is awesome!

[ichangelives]

Is there a video that would show how to do a dropdown to select a category in first column, then another dropdown to select an item in that category in column two, then finally return a value in the third column? Thanks

[ianparsons]

Let’s assume we need to add a new product or two.
Would the drop down update itself to then show the newly added products or not ?
If not what can we do so the drop down automatically updates itself should new products be added.
Thanks.

[NirajMittal]

Hey can you teach me how to do vlookup from 2 drop down menus ? for reference, I want to create a drop down menu on product as well as on stock.

The help I want is to connect both. If i select from product drop down menu it gives me value of stock, and when i select from stock drop down it gives me value of product. Both in same worksheet and same table. I want to link stock names and their ticker codes. for eg. Microsoft with MS. if i select Microsoft it shows MS in other box. and viceversa