MATCH function

The MATCH function is one of the lookup and reference functions. It is used to return a relative position of a specified item in a range of cells.

Syntax

MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type])

The MATCH function has the following arguments:

Argument	Description
lookup_value	A value in the lookup_array to search for. It can be a numeric, logical or text value, or a cell reference.
lookup_array	A single row or column you need to analyze.
match_type	A type of match. It's an optional argument. The possible values are listed in the table below.

The match_type argument can be one of the following:

Numeric value	Meaning
1 or omitted	The values must be sorted in ascending order. If the exact match is not found, the function will return the largest value that is less than lookup_value.
0	The values can be sorted in any order. If the exact match is not found, the function will return the #N/A error.
-1	The values must be sorted in descending order. If the exact match is not found, the function will return the smallest value that is greater than lookup_value.

Notes

How to apply the MATCH function.

Examples

The figure below displays the result returned by the MATCH function.