Lesson 19 · Lookups

INDEX Function

Practice the INDEX function in Google Sheets: return a value by its row and column position in a range.

Task 1 of 2

Use INDEX to return the song in 4th place from the list in B2:B11. Answer in D2.

Tip: while typing a formula, click a cell or drag across cells to insert references. Press Enter to check, and Tab to accept a function suggestion.

Grabbing a cell by position with INDEX

=INDEX(reference, [row], [column])

INDEX returns the value at a given row and column inside a range. Positions are relative to the range, not the sheet: row 1 is the first row of the range, wherever it sits.

=INDEX(B2:B11, 4) returns the 4th item in a single column.
=INDEX(B2:E7, 3, 2) returns row 3, column 2 of a table.

On its own INDEX looks a bit pointless (why not just type B5?). It becomes powerful when the position is calculated, usually by MATCH. That's the classic INDEX MATCH combo.