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How to look up and return multiple values in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Lookups (any direction)Heads up: Excel and Google Sheets do this differently.
Excel
=IFERROR(INDEX(B2:B6,SMALL(IF(A2:A6="Alpha",ROW(A2:A6)-ROW(A2)+1),ROW()-ROW(C2)+1)),"")Google Sheets
=FILTER(B2:B6,A2:A6="Alpha")✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Category | Item |
| Alpha | Apple |
| Beta | Banana |
| Alpha | Avocado |
| Gamma | Grape |
| Alpha | Apricot |
=IFERROR(INDEX(B2:B6,SMALL(IF(A2:A6="Alpha",ROW(A2:A6)-ROW(A2)+1),ROW()-ROW(C2)+1)),"")→
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Step by step
- 1In Google Sheets, enter =FILTER(B2:B6,A2:A6="Alpha") in an empty cell; results spill downward automatically.
- 2In Excel 365 use =FILTER(B2:B6,A2:A6="Alpha") — it works identically and also spills.
- 3In older Excel, enter the array formula =IFERROR(INDEX(B2:B6,SMALL(IF(A2:A6="Alpha",ROW(A2:A6)-ROW(A2)+1),ROW()-ROW(C2)+1)),"") with Ctrl+Shift+Enter, then copy it down as many rows as you expect matches.
- 4Replace "Alpha" with a cell reference (e.g. E2) to make the lookup value dynamic.
Tips
- In Excel 365 / Google Sheets, chain FILTER with SORT to return matches in a specific order: =SORT(FILTER(B2:B6,A2:A6="Alpha")).
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Frequently asked
What happens when there are no matches?
Wrap FILTER in IFERROR to display a custom message: =IFERROR(FILTER(B2:B6,A2:A6="X"),"No results").
Can I return matches from multiple columns?
Yes — expand the return range to include all desired columns, e.g. =FILTER(A2:B6,A2:A6="Alpha").
More on Lookups (any direction)
See all →Reference
HLOOKUP
Look up a value in the top row of a table and return a value from a row below it — the horizontal cousin of VLOOKUP.
How-toHow to look up the last matching value
Use LOOKUP with a search trick or XLOOKUP with search mode -1 to find the last occurrence of a value in a list.
How-toHow to do a lookup with wildcards
Use VLOOKUP or MATCH with wildcard characters (* and ?) to perform partial-match lookups on text values.
How-toHow to do a case-sensitive lookup
Use INDEX with MATCH and the EXACT function to perform a lookup that distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase text.
How-toHow to look up a value and sum the matches
Use SUMIF or SUMIFS to sum all values that match a lookup criterion, returning the total of all matching rows rather than a single result.
How-toHow to find the closest matching value
Use INDEX and MATCH with ABS and MIN to find the value in a list that is numerically closest to a target number.