How to VLOOKUP from another sheet
✓ Verified in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3Pull a value from a lookup table that lives on a different tab.
The formula
| App | Formula | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Excel | =VLOOKUP(A2,Prices!A:B,2,FALSE) | SheetName!Range. Quote names with spaces: ='Price List'!A:B. |
| Google Sheets | =VLOOKUP(A2,Prices!A:B,2,FALSE) | Identical syntax. |
| LibreOffice Calc | =VLOOKUP(A2,Prices.A:B,2,FALSE) | LibreOffice uses a DOT between sheet and cell (Prices.A:B) instead of the ! — the one real cross-app difference here. |
How it works
Prefix the lookup range with the other tab's name: VLOOKUP finds "banana" in the Prices sheet and returns 20 — everything else works exactly as a same-sheet VLOOKUP. Excel and Google Sheets separate the sheet name from the range with an exclamation mark (Prices!A:B); LibreOffice Calc uses a dot (Prices.A:B), which is the gotcha when a file moves between them. Wrap sheet names containing spaces in single quotes. This recipe was verified by actually placing the table on a second tab and executing the cross-sheet formula.
Verified, not just documented
We ran =VLOOKUP(A2,Prices!A1:B3,2,FALSE) in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3 (headless, with forced recalculation) and it returned 20 — exactly the expected result. Every formula here is confirmed by actually executing it.