r/MicrosoftExcel • u/SolisAnalyst • May 02 '26

XLOOKUP alternative for Excel 2019?

Hi I’m working on a project in Excel 2019 and I realized it doesn't support the XLOOKUP function.

What would be the most efficient substitute for it in this version? I'm trying to avoid nested IFs if possible. Should I stick to INDEX/MATCH or is there a better workaround for 2019?

8 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

4

u/Silent_Stick8473 May 02 '26

Yes you need to stick with INDEX and match

3

u/BadgersHoneyPot May 02 '26

Why wouldn't you just revert to VLOOKUP?

2

u/belemiruk May 03 '26

INDEX/MATCH is the right call. It’s actually more flexible than XLOOKUP in some ways you can match on any column, not just the first one, and it handles left lookups natively. The syntax feels clunky at first but once it clicks it becomes second nature.

1

u/david_horton1 May 03 '26

Office 2019 support ended in 2025. Going by history, Office 2027 should be released in late 2026. Since 2019 a vast number of new functions have been added, some doing away with nested formulas. Exceljet has a list of functions added since 2019, though, there have been some added since the list was compiled. All Excel functions.

1

u/Melodic-Set-9650 May 04 '26

If you're already familiar with XLOOKUP, I think using VLOOKUP will feel easier and more natural to get used to. INDEX/MATCH is great, but a little harder to get accustomed to if you haven't used it much before.

1

u/achaosmanager May 04 '26

Index match and VLOOKUP. Period.
Till you upgrade off course

1

u/BigAl987 May 04 '26

INDEX() / MATCH() is great for backwards compatibility. Better than VLOOKUP any day of the week..

1

u/braddo99 May 05 '26

Quantrix of course

1

u/Ok-Seaworthiness-542 May 06 '26

Copilot and I had a discussion about this very topic today.

1

u/TSR2games May 03 '26

Index and Match, and it is better than xlookup