Return the value at a given row and column position within a range.
This function works the same in Google Sheets as it does in Excel — same syntax and arguments.
INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])INDEX returns the value at a numeric position in a range. On its own it's simple, but paired with MATCH it becomes the most flexible lookup in Excel — able to look up in any direction and survive column inserts. INDEX/MATCH is the classic alternative to VLOOKUP in versions without XLOOKUP.
=INDEX(C2:C100, 5)Result: $420
Returns the 5th value in the price column.
=INDEX(A2:D100, MATCH("A102", A2:A100, 0), 3)Result: $1,250
INDEX/MATCH: finds the row for A102, returns column 3.
INDEX/MATCH can return values to the left of the key, doesn't break when columns are inserted, and is faster on large sheets.