---
title: "INDEX function in Excel"  
description: "INDEX function in Excel"  
author: "AVADHESH PATEL"  
published: 2013-03-27  
updated: 2019-09-07  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/articles/1169/index-function-in-excel  
category: "excel"  
tags: ["excel"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# INDEX function in Excel

[Index](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/81152/rsf-press-freedom-index-does-not-have-any-idea-about-india) [function](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/43970/purchase-suitable-wedding-dresses-for-your-wedding-function) returns a value or the [reference](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/34619/call-by-value-and-call-by-reference) to a value from within a table or [range](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/87860/does-biden-wants-nuclear-war-provokes-russia-by-long-range-missiles). There are two [forms](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/story/1219/navratri-2022-what-are-the-nine-forms-of-goddess-durga) of the INDEX function: the array form and the reference form.\

##### Array form

- Return the value of a specified cell or array of cells

##### Reference form

- Return a reference to specified cells

##### Array form

##### Syntax

INDEX(array,row_num,column_num)

**Array -** is a range of cells or an array constant.

- If [array contains](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/23200/in-java-how-can-i-test-if-an-array-contains-a-certain-value) only one row or column, the corresponding row_num or column_num argument is optional.

- If array has more than one row and more than [one column](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/23368/insert-and-fetch-multiple-images-into-one-column-in-mysql), and only row_num or column_num is used, INDEX returns an array of the [entire row](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/46828/if-i-buy-an-entire-row-of-seats-on-a-long-flight-so-no-one-is-next-to-me-can-the-airline-sell-one-of-my-empty-seats-to-someone-or-will-they-respect-the-fact-that-the-empty-seats-are-mine-to-do-as-i-p) or column in array.

**Row_num** - selects the row in array from which to return a value. If row_num is omitted, column_num is required.

**Column_num** - selects the column in array from which to return a value. If column_num is omitted, row_num is required.

![INDEX function in Excel](https://www.mindstick.com/mindstickarticle/14c0a15b-a874-4c29-843a-ddb227c2cbb7/images/6d839efc-2ab7-4bde-beb4-0e8c71752486.png)

##### Reference form

##### Syntax

INDEX(reference,row_num,column_num,area_num)

Reference - is a reference to one or more cell ranges.

- If you are entering a nonadjacent range for the reference, enclose reference in parentheses.

- If each area in reference contains only one row or column, the row_num or column_num argument, respectively, is optional. For example, for a single row reference, use INDEX(reference,,column_num).

**Row_num** - is the number of the row in reference from which to return a reference.

**Column_num** - is the number of the column in reference from which to return a reference.

**Area_num** - selects a range in reference from which to return the intersection of row_num and column_num. The first area selected or entered is numbered 1, the second is 2, and so on. If area_num is omitted, INDEX uses area 1.

![INDEX function in Excel](https://www.mindstick.com/mindstickarticle/14c0a15b-a874-4c29-843a-ddb227c2cbb7/images/e37a1ad3-3b8e-4615-8981-a43c119bfb21.png)

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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/articles/1169/index-function-in-excel

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