How to Return Multiple Columns at Once with XLOOKUP | Excel Example

XLOOKUP is most often used to find a single value. For example, returning a name or a sales amount by customer ID.

But in real work you often need not one, but several data fields at once.

For example:

• the customer’s name
• the city
• the category

In such situations there is no need to create several separate XLOOKUP formulas.

If you are just learning the basic XLOOKUP logic, you can first read the article:how to merge Excel tables by ID using XLOOKUP.

1. Why returning multiple columns is useful

Suppose you have a customer table where each ID has several additional fields.

If you want to return all three fields, the traditional way would be to use three separate formulas.

This works, but:

• the formulas become longer
• the chance of errors increases
• the table is harder to maintain

XLOOKUP lets you do this with a single formula.

2. How returning multiple columns works

If you specify several columns in the return array, XLOOKUP automatically spills the result into the neighboring cells.

This formula:

• finds the ID
• returns the name
• returns the city
• returns the category

The results automatically fill several columns.

A single XLOOKUP formula can return several fields at once if you select multiple columns in the return array.

3. Practical example

Suppose you have an orders table and a customers table.

The orders table contains only the customer ID, while the customers table stores additional information about the customer.

Excel will automatically fill several columns:

A single formula is enough for three results. This is especially convenient when you need to join several related fields in a table.

4. When this is useful

Returning multiple columns is especially useful when you:

• merge customer tables
• merge product information
• work with larger volumes of data
• want to reduce the number of formulas

This lets you build tidier and more maintainable Excel tables.

If the data is stored in a different document, read:how to merge Excel tables from different files with XLOOKUP.

5. Common mistakes

When working with multiple-column returns, the most common problems are:

• there are not enough empty columns for the result to spill into
• an old version of Excel is used
• the return range is selected incorrectly

If XLOOKUP returns an error or does not find a value, it is worth reviewing:XLOOKUP not working? 3 most common causes and how to fix them.

Why this matters

Returning multiple columns lets you:

• use fewer formulas
• merge tables faster
• reduce the chance of errors
• maintain files more easily

This is one of the features that makes XLOOKUP considerably more convenient than VLOOKUP.

If you would like a comparison, you can read:XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: how they differ and which function to use.

Video tutorial

Below you can watch a short YouTube video showing how XLOOKUP returns several columns at once in practice.

Mini course on merging Excel tables with XLOOKUP

We have prepared a short mini course that clearly shows:

• how to merge tables with XLOOKUP
• how to avoid the most common mistakes
• how to work with real data