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Vlookup not updating until filter is cleared

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When using VLOOKUP in Excel, you may encounter an issue where the formula does not update until the filter is cleared. This behavior occurs when the filter applies to the range containing the VLOOKUP formula, causing it to return results from deleted rows or arbitrary numbers, rather than displaying an N/A result for non-existent entries. Understanding this quirk can enhance your spreadsheet experience and highlight the limitations of VLOOKUP, making a case for exploring more robust alternatives like XLOOKUP for improved reliability and accuracy.

Vlookup not updating until filter is cleared. The filter is being applied to the range with the cell containing the vlookup formula.

The vlookup was returning from a row which was deleted, which should then render a N/A result. However, the N/A would not appear until the filter was cleared. In fact I entered several arbitrary numbers for the vlookup to find, some which were not in the dataset, and it still returned any number.

I can provide more info if needed. Excel version is the current 365.

I know using xlookups probably solves this. However I'm just more curious about what's going on under the hood to lead to the unexpected behavior of the vlookup.

submitted by /u/zygomatic6
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