Excel INDEX Function

INDEX returns the value at a specific row and column position inside a range or array.

Use it when a formula already knows the row or column number to pull from, or when another function calculates that position dynamically.

Choose an array The range holding the result

Provide a row & column number Positions start at 1

Return the intersection Excel pulls the value at that position

INDEX syntax & arguments

Syntax

=INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])

Required Optional

Example

=INDEX(B2:D10, 4, 3)

Return the value from the fourth row and third column of B2:D10.

INDEX is reliable once the positions are correct, but it does not search for labels by itself.

Positions start at 1

row_num and column_num are counted from the top-left of the selected array, not from the worksheet.
The requested position must exist

If the row or column number points outside the array, INDEX returns a #REF! error.
It returns by position, not by condition

INDEX needs numeric positions. Use another function to calculate those positions when the target row or column depends on labels.
One-dimensional arrays only need one position

When the array is a single row or single column, the missing row or column direction can be omitted in many formulas.