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4. Lookup Functions

4.8 XMATCH

Microsoft 365 / Excel 2021+. =XMATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_mode], [search_mode]) – like MATCH, but exact match by default and with the same modes as XLOOKUP.

Formula Result
=XMATCH("Oct", CityMonth!$B$1:$E$1) 3
=XMATCH("Nagpur", CityMonth!$A$2:$A$5) 3
=INDEX(CityMonth!$B$2:$E$5, XMATCH(H1,CityMonth!$A$2:$A$5), XMATCH(H2,CityMonth!$B$1:$E$1)) Two-way lookup
=XMATCH(MAX(G2:G11), G2:G11) Row position of the biggest order

About this data: Teaching sample for a fictional shop “GreenField Dairy”. Figures and names (e.g. Neha Shah) are made up for this lesson on xmatch.

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

When moving from MATCH to XMATCH, many students write 0 at the end out of old habit – in XMATCH, 0 already means exact, so it works. But if you forget the 0 in MATCH, it becomes approximate; in XMATCH it doesn't. If your office has mixed Excel versions, use MATCH(…,0) – it works everywhere.

Practice task

Use XMATCH to find the position of "Kolhapur" and "Nov" in the CityMonth table, then combine with INDEX.

Loading practice tasks...

  1. Position of a month (Easy): Find the position of "Oct" in B1:E1.
  2. Position of a city (Easy): Find the position of "Nagpur" in A2:A5.
  3. Café: column of Q3 (Easy): Find the position of "Q3 ($)" in USStore!B1:D1.
  4. Café: row of Muffins (Easy): Find the position of "Muffins" in USStore!A2:A5.
  5. Top city in Aug (Medium): Find the position of the biggest number in B2:B5.
  6. Café: best in Q2 (Medium): Find the position of the biggest number in USStore!C2:C5.
  7. Name of the top city (Hard): Find the name of the city with the biggest Aug sales.
  8. Two-way with XMATCH (Hard): Find sales for the city in H1 and month in H2.
  9. Café: best product in Q3 (Hard): Find the name of the product with the biggest Q3 sales.
  10. Café: Juice in Q2 (Hard): Find the sales of "Juice" in "Q2 ($)".

Worked example — xmatch

Why

Vikram Rao in Pune and Carlos Rivera abroad both need a clear, repeatable way to use xmatch on a NovaCraft Tools sheet without breaking totals.

What

Xmatch is the Excel idea this page teaches. We will walk one tiny example end to end.

How

  1. Open a blank sheet. In A1 type a short label for xmatch.
  2. Enter a small made-up value for Vikram Rao using $ where money appears.
  3. Add a second value for Carlos Rivera using € so you see mixed currencies stay numeric.
  4. Apply the method from this lesson step by step (menu or formula as shown above).
  5. Check the result still works inside SUM or a simple check cell.

Formula / action

Follow the formula or ribbon steps shown in this lesson (keep values numeric).
Result: The demo cell shows the expected result for NovaCraft Tools's sample row.
Meaning: Once xmatch is correct on one row, copy the same pattern down the column.

Quick revision cards

Three standalone cards. Each one explains the idea with its own example. Scan the QR to open this lesson.

Revision card 1: What is Xmatch?
Card 1: What is Xmatch? · Download PNG
Revision card 2: Tiny example — Xmatch
Card 2: Tiny example — Xmatch · Download PNG
Revision card 3: Checklist — Xmatch
Card 3: Checklist — Xmatch · Download PNG