The #VALUE! error when filtering across workbooks is almost always a structural mismatch, not a failure of the function itself. The user *LogicPrevail* is doing something that should work in theory, pointing FILTER at an array in another workbook and using a separate column in that same workbook as the criteria range, but the error tells us the two ranges don't align. This is a common frustration, and the fix is straightforward once you know what to look for.
The practical issue here is that FILTER requires the array and the criteria range to have the same number of rows. If workbook2 has 500 names in column A but only 480 adjacent entries in column B (because of blanks, merged cells, or accidental differences in how the data was structured), FILTER will throw #VALUE! because it cannot pair each row in the array with a corresponding row in the criteria. The same error appears if one range is defined as a table column and the other is a manual selection, Excel sees different dimensions. The solution is to explicitly match the row counts. Use the same range reference for both the array and the criteria, for example `FILTER(Workbook2.xlsx!Sheet1!$A$2:$A$500, Workbook2.xlsx!Sheet1!$B$2:$B$500="Criteria")`. If the data grows, wrap both ranges in a structured table reference so they expand together.
This is where modern spreadsheet tools can help, but only if you adopt their logic. Traditional spreadsheets treat each workbook as a separate island, and cross-workbook formulas rely on brittle references that break the moment someone adds a row or renames a sheet. An AI-native approach would let you query that external data as a unified set, handling row alignment and updates automatically. You would not need to audit range sizes or worry about broken links. The tool would understand the relationship between the names and the filter criteria, then return only what you need, no error messages, no manual range checking.
For now, the immediate fix is to verify that your array and criteria ranges are identical in size and that neither contains hidden blank rows. Open both workbooks side by side, check the row counts, and replace any indirect references with direct cell ranges. If the data lives in a table on workbook2, use the table column references (like `Table1[Names]` and `Table1[Criteria]`) so the formula adjusts as the table grows. Once you align the ranges, FILTER will work as intended, and you can move on to the next task instead of wrestling with a single error.