Coding⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-19

How to Fix: Vlookup formula works with some months, gets #value error with others

Vlookup formula error with specific months, resolving issue.

Quick Answer: Check if the month values in $D$2 are not being recognized as exact matches due to formatting issues or typos.

The VLOOKUP formula is not working as expected, causing an error when trying to retrieve data from a table. The issue affects users who have entered specific month values in cell D2, resulting in a #VALUE error.

This frustrating error can be resolved by identifying the root cause and implementing the correct fix. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to resolve the VLOOKUP formula issue.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • The primary reason for this error is that the month values entered in cell D2 are not being recognized correctly by the VLOOKUP formula. This can occur when the month value is not formatted as a text string or if the table array is not properly set up.
  • An alternative reason for this issue could be due to the fact that some months have fewer days than others, causing the VLOOKUP formula to return an error. However, this would typically result in a #NUM errors rather than #VALUE errors.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Format Month Values as Text Strings

  1. Step 1: To resolve this issue, go to the cell that contains the month value and format it as a text string by selecting the cell and pressing Ctrl+Shift+F. Then, select 'Text' from the formatting options and ensure that the 'Date' option is selected.
  2. Step 2: Alternatively, you can use the `TEXT` function in combination with the `MONTH` and `YEAR` functions to format the month value as a text string. For example: `=TEXT(MONTH(D2),

Alternative Advanced Fix

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