What is column index number in vlookup?

Column index number in VLOOKUP is the number of the column from which values are to be retrieved from the lookup table. This number indicates the relative position of the column in the lookup table, starting from the leftmost column. For example, if the lookup table has three columns (A, B, C), and the value to retrieve is in column C, the column index number would be 3.

In VLOOKUP function, the column index number argument is specified as the number of columns to the right of the leftmost column in the lookup table. It is usually entered as a number or as a reference to a cell containing a number. The value must be greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to the number of columns in the lookup table.

It is important to note that the column index number should always correspond to the data value’s position in the lookup table. Otherwise, VLOOKUP will not be able to accurately retrieve the intended value.