How to Take a Value in a Cell by (Column and Row) and Copy it to an Open Cell?

Are you tired of manually searching for values in your spreadsheets and then copying them to another cell? Well, you’re in luck because today we’re going to explore the simplest way to take a value in a cell by its column and row and copy it to an open cell. This technique is a game-changer for anyone who works with large datasets, and it’s easier than you think!

Understanding the Basics

Before we dive into the solution, let’s quickly review the basics of referencing cells in a spreadsheet.

In a spreadsheet, each cell has a unique address that consists of a column letter and a row number. For example, the cell in the top-left corner is A1, where “A” is the column letter and “1” is the row number.

You can reference cells using absolute references (e.g., A1) or relative references (e.g., A1+A1). In this article, we’ll focus on absolute references, which allow us to pinpoint a specific cell using its column and row.

The Solution: Using the INDEX-MATCH Function

The INDEX-MATCH function is a powerful combination that allows you to look up a value in a table and return a value from another column. In this case, we’ll use it to take a value in a cell by its column and row and copy it to an open cell.

The syntax for the INDEX-MATCH function is as follows:

INDEX(range, MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type]))

Here’s a breakdown of each argument:

• range: The range of cells that you want to return a value from.
• lookup_value: The value that you want to look up in the lookup_array.
• lookup_array: The range of cells that contains the value you want to look up.
• match_type: The type of match you want to perform. In this case, we’ll use an exact match, which is represented by 0.

Let’s say we have a table with the following structure:

Column A	Column B	Column C
1	Apple	10
2	Banana	20
3	Cherry	30

We want to take the value in cell B2 (which is “Banana”) and copy it to an open cell, say E1. Here’s the formula we can use:

=INDEX(B:B, MATCH(2, A:A, 0))

Here’s how the formula works:

1. The MATCH function looks up the value 2 in column A and returns its relative position, which is 2.
2. The INDEX function returns the value in column B at the same relative position, which is “Banana”.

When you enter the formula, you’ll get the value “Banana” in cell E1!

Using the INDEX-MATCH Function with Dynamic References

In the previous example, we used a static reference to column A and column B. However, what if you want to use dynamic references instead?

Let’s say you have a table with dynamic headers, and you want to take the value in a cell by its column and row and copy it to an open cell. Here’s the solution:

=INDEX(INDEX(range, 0, MATCH(column_header, headers, 0)), row_num)

Here’s a breakdown of each argument:

• range: The range of cells that you want to return a value from.
• column_header: The header of the column that you want to take the value from.
• headers: The range of cells that contains the column headers.
• row_num: The row number of the value you want to take.

Let’s say you have a table with the following structure:

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
1	Apple	10
2	Banana	20
3	Cherry	30

We want to take the value in cell B2 (which is “Banana”) and copy it to an open cell, say E1. Here’s the formula we can use:

=INDEX(INDEX(A:C, 0, MATCH("Column 2", A1:C1, 0)), 2)

Here’s how the formula works:

1. The MATCH function looks up the column header “Column 2” in the range A1:C1 and returns its relative position, which is 2.
2. The inner INDEX function returns the entire column at the relative position, which is column B.
3. The outer INDEX function returns the value in column B at row 2, which is “Banana”.

When you enter the formula, you’ll get the value “Banana” in cell E1!

Using the INDEX-MATCH Function with Multiple Criteria

What if you need to take a value in a cell by its column and row, but you have multiple criteria to match?

Let’s say you have a table with the following structure:

Region	Product	Sales
North	Apple	100
North	Banana	200
South	Cherry	300

We want to take the value in cell C2 (which is 200) and copy it to an open cell, say E1. Here’s the formula we can use:

=INDEX(INDEX(C:C, MATCH(1, (A:A="North")*(B:B="Banana"), 0)), 0)

Here’s how the formula works:

1. The MATCH function looks up the multiple criteria in column A and column B and returns the relative position of the first match, which is 2.
2. The inner INDEX function returns the entire column C at the relative position, which is column C.
3. The outer INDEX function returns the value in column C at row 2, which is 200.

When you enter the formula, you’ll get the value 200 in cell E1!

Conclusion

In this article, we explored how to take a value in a cell by its column and row and copy it to an open cell using the INDEX-MATCH function. We also saw how to use dynamic references, multiple criteria, and evenabsolute references to make our formulas more flexible and powerful.

The INDEX-MATCH function is a game-changer for anyone who works with large datasets, and it’s easier to learn than you think! With practice, you’ll become a master of looking up values in no time.

So, go ahead and give it a try! Take a value in a cell by its column and row and copy it to an open cell. You got this!

Frequently Asked Questions

Get ready to master the art of copying values from one cell to another like a pro! Here are the answers to your most pressing questions: