If One Cell Equals Another Then Return Another Cell in Excel

MS Excel provides various options and methods to make our tasks easier. In this article, I will show some ways to check if one cell equals another and then return another cell in Excel.

How to Check If One Cell Equals Another & Then Return Another Cell in Excel: 5 Ways

Here, we will show you 5 different ways to check if one cell equals another and then return another cell in Excel using different functions.

1. Use IF Function to Check If One Cell Equals Another & Returns

The IF function is one of the simplest functions that is used to do a logical comparison between two values. In this method, we will see how to use the IF function to compare one cell with another and return another cell value. Before going to the example let’s know more about this function. The syntax of the function is like this:

In the first portion of the parameter, we need to pass our condition based on which we are going to compare. Then the second and third part defines what will be if the values after comparison get True or False.

1.1 Returning Exact Value of Cell

Assuming, we have a dataset of some Fruits with two columns. Every row has a specific Value. Now we will find the rows where Fruits 1 and Fruits 2 are matched and display their values in the Matched Values column.

To do that, go through the steps given below.

Steps:

• Firstly, enter the below formula in cell D4.

• Now, press Enter.
• Then, drag down the Fill Handle tool to AutoFill the formula for the rest of the cells.

• Thus, you can return a specific cell value if one cell equals another cell.

1.2 Updating Resultant Value

In this method, we will use the same IF function, and depending on the condition we will use a formula and show them in another cell. Let’s think about the same dataset used in the previous method but here I will update the new Price if the Flag value is not “X” and our new price will be 2 times the current price.

Steps:

• In the beginning, enter the following formula in cell E5.

• After that, press Enter and copy down the formula up to cell E9.

• Finally, you will get all the required resultant values updated.

2. Return Another Cell Value Using VLOOKUP Function

In terms of searching for something in Excel, the LOOKUP function will be the proper choice for that. This function allows us to search vertically or horizontally within a condition in a certain range. For those specific purposes, there are VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP functions in Excel. Let’s see the fundamentals of the VLOOKUP function. The syntax of the function is like this:

Firstly, the value -> carries the value to look for in the first column of a table.

table -> Here will be the table name.

col_index -> It is the column index value of the table from where we will collect a value.

[range_lookup] -> This last section is for denoting the optional range.

For example, consider a dataset of some Fruits like before. But here we will have 3 columns which are Fruits, ID, and Price. Now we will search Fruits’ prices from this table using VLOOKUP.

Steps:

• Firstly, enter the following formula in cell G4.

• Next, press Enter.
• Thus, you can find any other Fruit’s price by entering the Name on Cell G4.

3. Apply Excel HLOOKUP Function to Scan Matching Value

Now we will see the uses of HLOOKUP functions if our data is horizontally designed. The syntax of the HLOOKUP functions is:

It is almost like the VLOOKUP function. The only difference is instead of having a column index here is the row index in the 3rd part of the parameter.

Steps:

• In the beginning, select cell C9 and insert the following formula.

• Then, press Enter.
• Finally, we can see the result.

4. Check If One Cell Equals Another with INDEX & MATCH Functions

In this section, we will do the same thing done by the LOOKUP function, but the only difference is here we will not use the LOOKUP function. INDEX and MATCH functions will do the same thing as LOOKUP. Also, the dataset will be the same as well. Before going to the example let’s see the details about these two functions.

This function can take a maximum of four arguments and a minimum of two arguments. In the first section of its parameter, it takes the range of cells from where we will check the index value. Then comes the row number of reference or matching value. The last two arguments are optional with them we can define or specify the column number from where the matched data will be retrieved and the area range number.

Another mostly used function is the MATCH function. The first argument takes the lookup value or the value we are going to match. The second one is the array or range where we will search our desired data. And the last one is the match type. Depending on different match type values we can control matching.

1 -> By declaring 1 it will match or find the largest value less than or equal to the lookup value.

0 -> If we put 0 as a match type it will match the value which is exactly as the lookup value.

-1 -> This will match the smallest value greater than or equal to the lookup value.

Follow the steps given below to use these two functions.

Steps:

• Firstly, enter the formula in cell G5.

• Secondly, press Enter.
• In the end, we can see the final result.

5. Return Items from Another Worksheet with Matching Value in Excel

Let’s have two worksheets, one is Weekly Meals, and another is Ingredients. Now I will show how to compare meals and show the ingredients in the first worksheet. The Week Meals Planning worksheet will be like this:

The meals ingredients worksheet will be like this:

Now, I will show how to find the food ingredients from the ingredient worksheet to the Meal worksheet by entering the name of the food in cell B14.

Steps:

• To start with, enter the formula in cell C14.

• After that, press Enter.
• Then, copy the formula to the right side.

• Finally, all the ingredients of the selected Food will be displayed.

You can check by typing any food name in cell B14 and pressing Enter. Same way if just type any food item under Food Name, it will show all the ingredients of that selected item from another worksheet.

Practice Section

In the article, you will find an Excel workbook like the image given below to practice on your own.

Download Practice Workbook

You can download the workbook to practice yourself.

Conclusion

These are the ways to check if one cell equals another and then return another cell in Excel. I have shown all the methods with their respective examples. Also, I have discussed the fundamentals of this function and the most used format codes of this function. If you have any other method of achieving this, then please feel free to share it with us.

<< Go Back to | Excel Match | Learn Excel