#N/A Error in INDEX Formula: Causes and Solutions

#N/A

+INDEX

INDEX formulas are powerful tools for retrieving specific values from arrays, but they frequently throw #N/A errors that can derail your spreadsheet work. This error typically occurs when the row or column number you specify falls outside your array's boundaries, or when INDEX can't locate the data it's searching for. The good news? #N/A in INDEX formulas is one of the most common and straightforward errors to fix. Whether you've accidentally referenced a row that doesn't exist, miscounted your array dimensions, or used an INDEX formula in combination with MATCH that's returning invalid results, the solution is usually just a few steps away. Understanding why your INDEX formula is failing will help you prevent similar issues in the future and build more robust spreadsheets. Let's walk through the most frequent causes and their fixes.

Why INDEX causes #N/A

Row number exceeds array dimensions

The row_num argument is larger than the number of rows in the array, causing INDEX to reference a non-existent row. This is the most common #N/A cause in INDEX when the array has fewer rows than requested.

=INDEX(A1:A10, 15) where the array only contains 10 rows but row_num is 15

Column number exceeds array dimensions

The column_num argument is larger than the number of columns in the array, causing INDEX to reference a non-existent column. This occurs in 2D arrays when column_num goes beyond the available columns.

=INDEX(A1:C10, 5, 5) where the array only has 3 columns but column_num is 5

Zero or negative row/column number

INDEX returns #N/A when row_num or column_num is 0 or negative, as these are invalid position references. Excel requires positive integers for array position arguments.

=INDEX(A1:C10, 0, 2) or =INDEX(A1:C10, -1, 3)

Step-by-Step Solution

1Click on the cell displaying the #N/A error to select it and view the complete formula in the formula bar
2Press Ctrl+` (grave accent) to toggle formula view mode and see all formula references clearly, then press Ctrl+` again to return to normal view
3Identify whether the #N/A is coming from INDEX itself or from a nested MATCH function by breaking the formula into parts—test the MATCH component separately in an adjacent cell
4Verify that your lookup value exists in the source range by using Ctrl+F to search for it; if it's missing or has extra spaces/different formatting, correct the source data or lookup value
5If the lookup value legitimately may not exist, wrap your INDEX formula with IFERROR: =IFERROR(INDEX(array, MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, 0)), "Not Found")
6Confirm that the row/column number argument in INDEX is within the bounds of your array—if your array has 10 rows but you're requesting row 15, you'll get #N/A
7Test the corrected formula by pressing Enter and verify the result displays a value instead of #N/A; if still present, check for hidden characters in data using Find & Replace (Ctrl+H) with regular expressions enabled

Concrete Example

Employee commission lookup using INDEX and MATCH

An HR manager uses INDEX with MATCH to retrieve commission rates based on employee IDs from a master commission table.

Before (error)

=INDEX(CommissionTable!C:C,MATCH(A2,CommissionTable!A:A,0))

After (fixed)

=IFERROR(INDEX(CommissionTable!C:C,MATCH(TRIM(A2),CommissionTable!A:A,0)),"Employee not found")

Problem: The #N/A error appears because the employee ID in the lookup column doesn't exist in the commission table, or the MATCH function returns an error that INDEX cannot process.

Solution: Wrap the formula with IFERROR to handle missing employee IDs gracefully, and verify the employee ID format matches exactly (including leading zeros or spaces).

Prevention Tip

Always verify that your row or column number argument is within the actual dimensions of your array—use ROWS() and COLUMNS() to check array size, or wrap INDEX in IFERROR to catch out-of-bounds references before they return #N/A.

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