fx =INDIRECT("A"&B1)ABCSKU-4821Widget A$24.99SKU-7293Gadget B$89.50SKU-1056Tool C$12.75
🔍 Lookup

INDIRECT Formula for Lookup

Reference a cell using a text string. Copy-paste ready for Excel, Google Sheets, and Airtable.

=INDIRECT("A"&B1)
When you need this: When a column number is stored in B1 (e.g., 3 = column C) and you need to reference column C dynamically.

How it works

  1. 1INDIRECT converts a text string into a cell reference.
  2. 2Build the reference dynamically: "A"&B1 creates "A5" if B1=5.
  3. 3The formula then reads the value from that cell.

Variations

Dynamic sheet reference
=INDIRECT(B1&"!A1")
Build range reference dynamically
=INDIRECT("A"&B1&":C"&C1)

Related Formulas

VLOOKUP — Look up a value in a table by matching the first columnLookupINDEX/MATCH — Flexible lookup - more powerful than VLOOKUPLookupXLOOKUP — Modern replacement for VLOOKUP (Excel 365)LookupFILTER — Return rows matching criteria (dynamic filter)Lookup

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