How to Xlookup With Boolean Or Logic in Excel

Why This Task Matters in Excel

When you first learn XLOOKUP it feels like a super-charged VLOOKUP that can search a single column and return a single result. In real reporting, however, business questions rarely fit into a neat one-column lookup world. Imagine a customer support dashboard where each ticket can be escalated to a “Tier 2” or “Tier 3” queue. You might need to locate the first row where the ticket status is either “Tier 2” or “Tier 3,” then pull the assigned engineer’s name. That is a Boolean OR lookup: “Find the first record where Status = ‘Tier 2’ or Status = ‘Tier 3’.”

Inventory managers face a similar requirement. A product may have multiple substitute SKUs; if SKU-A is out of stock, the sheet should automatically show the nearest available quantity for SKU-B or SKU-C. Financial analysts often label expenses as either “CapEx” or “OpEx” and need to look up transactions that match either label while ignoring everything else. HR departments want to retrieve employee data for anyone in “Sales” or “Marketing,” skipping people in other departments yet preserving the flexibility to add departments later.

Without a robust OR lookup, analysts are forced to maintain helper columns on every table, duplicate data into separate sheets, or rely on volatile array formulas that slow workbooks. Each workaround multiplies maintenance effort and increases the risk of a broken report during monthly close, staffing changes, or an unexpected audit. Mastering an XLOOKUP that can evaluate multiple conditions with OR logic lets you create dynamic, professional-grade dashboards that stand up to real-world complexity with minimal overhead.

Knowing how to embed Boolean logic into XLOOKUP also reinforces other core skills—dynamic arrays, logical operators, and error trapping—making you faster at tasks such as conditional aggregation, interactive charts, and advanced conditional formatting. In short, a Boolean OR-capable XLOOKUP is not a niche trick; it is a practical accelerator for anyone who lives in Excel.

Best Excel Approach

The most versatile way to build OR logic into XLOOKUP is to supply it with an array of TRUE and FALSE values built from multiple comparisons. XLOOKUP evaluates the lookup_array from top to bottom, so the first TRUE it finds becomes the match. By stacking comparisons with the plus (+) operator—or double unary (--)—you create an on-the-fly helper array without physically altering source data.

Core syntax:

=XLOOKUP(TRUE,
         (Condition1)+(Condition2)+(Condition3),
         return_array,
         [if_not_found])

• Condition1, Condition2, Condition3 are comparisons that each return TRUE or FALSE.
• Adding the conditions produces an array of 1s and 0s because TRUE coerces to 1, FALSE to 0.
• Any row where at least one condition is TRUE sums to 1 (or higher), satisfying the OR requirement.

You should use this method when:

• You need a dynamic solution that updates the instant any criteria or data changes.
• You prefer not to create physical helper columns.
• You are working in Microsoft 365 or Excel 2021, where dynamic arrays and modern XLOOKUP are fully supported.

Alternative approaches—helper columns, FILTER + INDEX, or CHOOSECOLS—are valuable when backward compatibility, performance on very large sheets, or legacy Excel versions require a different path.

Parameters and Inputs

1. lookup_value (mandatory) – In our pattern we hard-code TRUE. It is the Boolean signal we are trying to find.
2. lookup_array (mandatory) – A vertical array that results from adding multiple logical comparisons: e.g. (A2:A100="Tier 2")+(A2:A100="Tier 3"). It must resolve to numbers because XLOOKUP cannot search directly for TRUE in a Boolean array—adding the conditions performs the coercion.
3. return_array (mandatory) – The column or spill-range from which you want the answer, e.g. D2:D100 for engineer names. It must align (same dimensions and order) with lookup_array.
4. [if_not_found] (optional) – What to display if no OR conditions are met, such as "No match", "", or NA().
5. Match_mode and search_mode are rarely used here because the default “first-to-last” search works for nearly all OR lookups.

Data preparation guidelines:

• Remove blank rows that could surface as accidental matches when all conditions evaluate to 0.
• Standardize data types—text versus numbers—so comparisons behave predictably.
• If you anticipate non-unique matches, decide whether you want the first, last, or all matches (FILTER may be a better tool for “all”).
• Wrap the entire formula in IFERROR to trap unexpected values such as #N/A or #VALUE.

Step-by-Step Examples

Example 1: Basic Scenario – Two Optional Statuses

Imagine a service log in [A2:D15] with columns: Ticket ID, Status, Priority, Engineer. You want to pull the Engineer for the first ticket whose Status is “Tier 2” or “Tier 3.”

Step-by-step:

1. In cell F2 label “Requested Status,” and in F3 enter “Tier 2, Tier 3.”
2. In cell G2 (Result) type the core formula:

=XLOOKUP(TRUE,
         (B2:B15="Tier 2") + (B2:B15="Tier 3"),
         D2:D15,
         "None")

Explanation:

• (B2:B15="Tier 2") returns an array of TRUE/FALSE.
• (B2:B15="Tier 3") does likewise.
• Adding them creates an array of 1s (TRUE) and 0s (FALSE). Any row with Tier 2 or Tier 3 becomes at least 1.
• XLOOKUP scans for TRUE (which equals 1) and returns the corresponding D-column value.

Expected result: The engineer for the first qualifying ticket—for instance “Maria Lopez.”

Why it works: XLOOKUP stops at the first 1, fulfilling the OR logic without a physical helper column.

Variations:

• Replace literal statuses with cell references such as (B2:B15=F5)+(B2:B15=F6) for a parameter-driven worksheet.
• Add a third status by extending the sum.

Troubleshooting: If every row shows “None,” verify spelling (Excel matches exact text) and confirm ranges align (same starting row).

Example 2: Real-World Application – Multicolumn OR Conditions

A retailer keeps pricing in [A2:E5000] with columns: Product ID, Color, Size, Region, Unit Price. Management wants the unit price for the first product that is either Color = “Red” or Region = “EMEA.”

Business context: The log reflects thousands of SKUs across multiple warehouses, and new SKUs get appended daily. Hard-coding helper columns would slow the file and confuse colleagues.

Steps:

1. Provide input cells: H2 (Color) = “Red,” H3 (Region) = “EMEA.”
2. In I2 type:

=XLOOKUP(TRUE,
         (B2:B5000=H2) + (D2:D5000=H3),
         E2:E5000,
         "SKU not found")

3. Press Enter. Excel spills a single price, e.g. 12.95.

Why this solves the problem:

• The retailer only needs the first match by row order, simplifying replenishment queries.
• No structural changes to the master table mean imports from ERP systems remain untouched.
• The formula recalculates instantly as inventory updates because dynamic arrays recalculate only the affected columns.

Integration with other features:

• Add conditional formatting to highlight the row returned by XLOOKUP using a rule like =(ROW()=MATCH(I2,E2:E5000,0)+1).
• Combine with Data Validation drop-downs for Color and Region to build an interactive pricing tool.

Performance note: Even though 5 000 rows is not enormous, the computation cost grows with additional OR conditions. To keep recalculation snappy, limit comparisons to necessary columns and ensure they are not formatted as General mixed with Text.

Example 3: Advanced Technique – OR Lookup With Numeric Ranges and Array Return

Scenario: A bank’s compliance team audits transactions in [A2:G200 000] and must extract all transactions that are either Amount ≥ 1 000 000 or Country = “US.” They want a spill range of Transaction IDs plus Amounts.

1. In J1 enter “Country filter” with J\2 = “US.”
2. In K1 enter “Amount threshold” with K\2 = 1000000.
3. In M2 type the dynamic array formula:

=FILTER(
    CHOOSECOLS(A2:G200000,1,3),  /*1=TransID, 3=Amount*/
    (C2:C200000>=K2) + (E2:E200000=J2)
)

Explanation:

• FILTER returns all rows that meet the include argument.
• (C2:C200000>=K2) tests Amount.
• (E2:E200000=J2) tests Country.
• Adding the comparisons constructs the OR logic.
• CHOOSECOLS trims the result to Transaction ID and Amount, reducing spill width.

Edge case handling:

• If nothing matches, FILTER returns #CALC! unless you supply a fourth argument: "No high-value US transactions".
• The dataset is huge, so set calculation mode to “Automatic Except Data Tables” to avoid freezing on every keystroke.

Professional tip: Wrap the formula in SORT to display the largest transactions first: =SORT(FILTER(...),2,-1).

Tips and Best Practices

• Prefer cell references for criteria so users can adjust logic without editing formulas.
• Keep OR conditions in the same column when possible; mixing columns forces Excel to evaluate more cells.
• Use named ranges like StatusRange to make formulas self-documenting and easier to audit.
• Combine OR logic with the [if_not_found] argument rather than IFERROR; you will know precisely when no criteria are met.
• For heavy models, calculate lookups on Excel tables filtered to the latest month rather than the full history, then refresh as needed.
• Document your logic in a cell note or adjacent column so future maintainers understand why TRUE is the lookup_value.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Misaligned ranges – (B2:B100="Red")+(C3:C101="Large") starts on different rows; XLOOKUP will throw #VALUE. Always turn on “Range Finder” (F2) to check.
2. Forgetting parentheses – B2:B15="Tier 2"+B2:B15="Tier 3" attempts to add a Boolean to text, returning #VALUE. Wrap each comparison in its own parentheses.
3. Using OR() directly – OR(B2:B15="x",B2:B15="y") yields a single TRUE/FALSE, not an array. OR is not iterative; stick with arithmetic coercion.
4. Searching for the string \"TRUE\" – Some users type "TRUE" as lookup_value. Use the unquoted logical TRUE keyword or number 1.
5. Overlooking duplicates – XLOOKUP stops at the first match. If you need all matches, FILTER is the tool, not XLOOKUP.

Alternative Methods

Choose helper columns when sharing with users on Excel 2016 or earlier. Use FILTER when your goal is to retrieve every match, not just the first. Resort to Power Query when data exceeds the row limit for reliable calculation performance.

FAQ

When should I use this approach?

Invoke XLOOKUP with Boolean OR when you need a single result that satisfies any of several criteria and you are using a modern Excel version. For multiple results, switch to FILTER.

Can this work across multiple sheets?

Yes. Qualify ranges with sheet names:

=XLOOKUP(TRUE,
         (Sheet1!B2:B100="Red")+(Sheet2!C2:C100="Large"),
         Sheet1!D2:D100)

Ensure all arrays are the same size; mismatched dimensions return #VALUE.

What are the limitations?

• Only available in Excel 365/2021.
• Stops at first match—cannot natively return second or third.
• Adding many OR criteria can slow large workbooks because each comparison is a full-column array operation.

How do I handle errors?

Wrap in IFERROR for unexpected data types, but prefer the [if_not_found] argument to capture legitimate “no match” scenarios. Example:

=IFERROR(
   XLOOKUP(TRUE, (…)+(…), …, "No match"),
   "Input error – check criteria"
)

Does this work in older Excel versions?

No. Office 2019 and earlier lack XLOOKUP and dynamic arrays. Use a helper column with OR or an INDEX/MATCH structure instead.

What about performance with large datasets?

• Limit ranges to used rows rather than entire columns.
• Store data in an Excel Table and reference only the table body.
• Consider moving archival data to a separate workbook and referencing only the latest period.

Conclusion

Boolean OR logic elevates XLOOKUP from a straightforward one-column search to a flexible engine capable of solving real-life, multi-criteria problems without cluttering worksheets. By learning to build on-the-fly arrays with simple arithmetic, you unlock cleaner models, faster updates, and reduced maintenance. Integrate this technique with FILTER, dynamic arrays, and named ranges to craft dashboards that impress colleagues and simplify day-to-day analysis. Keep practicing with your own datasets, experiment with adding criteria, and you will quickly internalize the pattern—turning complex lookup challenges into routine Excel victories.